Tome of Troubled Times
Chapter 869 (1): Records of the Monster Saber

Chapter 869 (1): Records of the Monster Saber

Broken wine-drinking saber?

Ling Ruoyu crouched cautiously, studying the massive broad saber lying before the gravestone.

It rested there in silence, still carrying the scent of wine. Somehow, though it was just a weapon, she could not shake the strange image rising unbidden in her mind—a girl slumped across the blade, eyes dazed in little circles, mumbling incoherently like she was tipsy.

Could this really be... a saber capable of getting drunk? That eerie, almost whimsical sentience—If the elder just now truly was Han Wubing, then... Could this be the real Dragon Bird?

Ling Ruoyu’s heart beat faster. She reached out with both hands, as if she were a pilgrim kneeling in front of her saint, and tried to lift the weapon.

It did not budge.

So heavy! Is this really meant to be wielded with just one hand?

The original Dragon Bird had weighed dozens of jin, allegedly. But who knew how much heavier it had become after Zhao Changhe reforged it? Perhaps the unit “jin” no longer applied—it likely needed to be measured in jun[ref]1 jun is equal to 30 jin, so 15kg.[ref]. Dragon Bird, possessing its own spirit, would naturally adjust its weight to suit its master’s hand. No matter how heavy, it would feel right to its wielder. But anyone else? They’d just have to deal with the full brunt of it.

Ling Ruoyu was no weakling. She was at the ninth layer of the Profound Gate Realm, first on the Ranking of Hidden Dragons, and famed for her strength. But injured as she was, she could barely exert force. Her fair face flushed red with effort, and only with great strain—almost reopening her wounds—did she manage to drag the saber with her into the bamboo grove.

This place was no longer safe. Now that the demonic cults had sniffed out Dragon Bird’s proximity, more pursuers were bound to arrive. She could not let this sacred saber fall into their hands.

Beyond the grove lay the mirror-like expanse of Ancient Sword Lake. Across the water stood Sword Lake City, a place where Demon Suppression Bureau agents were stationed. If she could reach them, she could ask for help...

Even in its half-dozing state, Dragon Bird began to stir from the bumpy ride. It blinked figurative eyes at the girl laboriously dragging it along and thought, This little sister is kind of adorable.

That sword strike earlier was the Sunset Divine Sword. There’s no mistaking it. She has to be Aunt Yue’s disciple, which makes us peers in a way. Technically speaking, she ought to call me “Senior Sister Bird.” And yet she’s acting like a pilgrim before a holy relic...

No way. Could it be... thirty years passed, history turned into legend, and her master never told her about it? Does she not know that “King Zhao” is actually her master’s husband? That has to be it. Otherwise, when she saw Han Wubing, she should’ve called him uncle, not elder.

Little junior sister, do you really not know that your lineage comes with more than just a Ranking of Heaven master?

Practically sweating blood, Ling Ruoyu finally dragged the groggy saber out of the forest. Ahead, the terrain opened up into a breathtaking scene. A wide, mirror-like lake stretched before her, the night rain dancing across its surface in endless ripples.

The view of Sword Lake was beautiful, yet Ling Ruoyu felt anything but peace. She sensed it clearly: Danger was closing in on her fast.

“So this is where you were hiding,” came a cold voice from above. A gaunt figure landed lightly before her, shadows shifting behind him as countless others emerged from the rain.

He blocked the path to the lake, his tone mocking as he looked her over. “Ling Ruoyu, the ethereal lone goose, light as a feather. Your movement art is renowned across the jianghu. So tell me, with Sword Lake City so close, why didn’t you rush for safety? Why drag that cumbersome saber and risk your life?”

Ling Ruoyu drew a deep breath. “Thirty-ninth on the Ranking of Man, Chang Wanchun. So you’re part of the Heavenly Demon Society, huh.”

“Mm-hm, but I’m just a humble soldier.”

“The empire thrives, and the Ranking of Heaven is full of dragons and phoenixes. No matter how much you lot scheme, it’s like ants trying to shake a tree. What are you truly after?”

“You don’t need to concern yourself about that,” Chang Wanchun said with a smile. “All we need is that saber. As for you, your talent is well known. You’d make a fine addition to our ranks. Why not come with us? There would be... benefits.”

History has long proven that villains die from talking too much. But Chang Wanchun knew better. Even as he spoke, a pair of shadowy hands were already darting toward Ling Ruoyu’s throat.

In this era where everyone’s strength had risen, even a mid-tier Ranking of Man expert now possessed cultivation at the second layer of the Profound Mysteries. Ling Ruoyu, still in the Profound Gate Realm and severely wounded, stood no chance. There was no miracle waiting here. There was no strategy, no secret technique, and certainly no way to win.

But she lifted her sword all the same, choosing to die on her feet. She believed it to be better to die in battle than to be taken alive...

She was bracing for the end when a rush of wind howled past her ear. It sounded like a door being flung open, and then came a blood-curdling scream, piercing through the storm like a blade.

An arm flew into the air, and blood sprayed like a fountain.

Ling Ruoyu stared, stunned, as the massive broad saber leaped from the ground on its own, descending upon Chang Wanchun with wild fury. “You dare reach for me with those filthy hands? YOU are going to take ME? Dream on, you piece of trash!”

Each swing of the saber landed with the power to split mountains. The sheer force and murderous intent were so overwhelming that even Ling Ruoyu, who was behind it, could barely remain standing. As for Chang Wanchun, who was facing it head-on...

In an instant, the frail-looking man was hacked into seventeen or eighteen chunks. Organs spilled out, and blood poured across the ground, mixing with the rain. The scene was nothing short of monstrous.

Chang Wanchun was in the middle of the Ranking of Man, and he was at the second layer of the Profound Mysteries Realm, yet he didn’t even get a chance to defend himself before being diced like meat by a sentient saber.

The black-clad followers who had come with him were all frozen in terror, eyes wide as they watched the gleaming broad saber bounce and clatter its way forward like a vengeful demon.

“M–Monster!”

Dragon Bird raised herself high, then barreled toward them. “Where the hell do all of you small fry come from? Die already!”

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning came crashing down on Dragon Bird.

Dragon Bird gave a violent shudder, and then she clattered down onto the ground, bouncing twice on the grassy shore of the lake.

Ling Ruoyu: “...”

With the crash of thunder still echoing overhead, a figure descended from the sky.

“Such might... It truly is Dragon Bird. For the saber spirit to behave like this, it’s nearly crossed into the realm of monsters.”

Ling Ruoyu wanted to retort, This pathetic convulsion on the ground is your idea of “might”? However, this was hardly the time for sarcasm. The man before her was on the Ranking of Earth, and rumor had it that he was close to breaking through to the Profound Control Realm....

Ranking of Earth, Rank 34: Thunderbolt Sword Li Huangquan.

Ling Ruoyu did not know whether to cry or be awed at the irony of fate. This was not a battle someone on the Ranking of Hidden Dragons like her should even be involved in. If not for running into Han Wubing and Dragon Bird, she would have long fled to the city to get reinforcements. This was supposed to be something resolved by Han Wubing, the top mortal beneath the gods and demons, not dropped on the shoulders of a wounded girl at the ninth layer of the Profound Gate Realm.

Dragon Bird let out a groggy whine and sprang upright. “Who the hell are you calling a monster, you scrawny piece of trash?!”

Li Huangquan waved his hand. His followers spread out behind him, forming a vague formation.

“Strong as you may be, you’re still just a saber without someone to wield you, and your intelligence seems... questionable. In any case, we’ve our ways to make sure you don’t get a chance to act.”

Did he just call me stupid?

Dragon Bird turned to Ling Ruoyu, offended. “Did he seriously just insult me?!”

Ling Ruoyu had no idea how to respond.

Dragon Bird hopped back, her hilt spinning to slot perfectly into Ling Ruoyu’s grip. “Who says I don’t have a wielder?”

Ling Ruoyu: “?”

But I can’t even pick you up.

Wait...

The saber that had just weighed like a mountain was suddenly as light and familiar as her own longsword, as though it had always been an extension of her hand.

“Swing me,” said Dragon Bird.

Ling Ruoyu had never wielded a broad saber before, but she instinctively gave it a swing, infusing it with her true qi.

And in that instant, she felt her motion shift. What had started as a sword slash became a sweeping, horizontal cleave of overwhelming fury and presence.

Boom!

The true qi she had poured in ignited the power slumbering within the blade. A roaring arc of saber light, like a silver crescent moon, tore through the air. All the black-clad cultivators blocking the road to Sword Lake were sliced cleanly in two.

Even Li Huangquan, for all his Ranking of Earth might, could not take that strike head-on. He was forced to dodge in a panic, tumbling several zhang across the ground in a disgraceful roll before he came to a stop.

Army Breaker. King Zhao had once used this very move to storm through armies, cutting down swathes of enemies like a mad god of war.

Only the barest glimpse of this legendary strike was revealed, yet it still sent shockwaves through Ling Ruoyu’s heart. If this saber truly fell into the wrong hands, it would throw the entire world into chaos.

“Move!” Dragon Bird shouted, then suddenly dove into the lake with the girl in tow.

Ling Ruoyu had no time to react. She was dragged forward like she was riding a cloud and plummeted into the water with a splash.

Plop!

Girl and saber vanished beneath the lake’s surface, leaving only rising ripples and the crimson tint of scattered blood.

Li Huangquan rolled across the wet ground, then sprang up with a snarl. “After them! The bottom of Sword Lake holds a sealed sword chamber. It’s a closed realm! There’s nowhere for them to run!”