Chapter 348: Road of Thunder

Chapter 348: The Path of Thunder

Zhao Changhe continued upward swiftly, shaking his head inwardly.

As things stood, certain entities were likely in a weakened state, much like the Blind One—mere "spirits" or "souls." They could not enter this space themselves; they needed someone to carry the Heavenly Book out. And Yu Xu, nonviolent and uncooperative, refused to come himself, instead tricking villains into coming. That way, he could justify himself to them: "Don't say I didn't help you—I've organized all these people. If they fail, what's it to me?"

Zhao Changhe truly admired the villains here.

After all these years, they still fought alone, launched sneak attacks, and dragged each other down. Not only were they far from united, but the very nature of this page of the Heavenly Book utterly rejected such petty scheming.

Yet for so long, they had never reflected on why they couldn't even reach the mountainside, persisting in their old ways.

Yu Xu had chosen his pawns well—it saved him trouble. He didn't care whether these people could actually obtain the Heavenly Book. He chopped his firewood, drank his wine, and incidentally eliminated evil along the way.

Continuing upward, another strange sight appeared ahead.

Though the interior space lacked the blizzard outside, and the previous scenery had been lush green mountains and clear waters, this cliff face was covered in ice and snow. The ice was smooth, the cliff steep and sheer, impossible to climb.

Only a few vines, growing from different positions and hanging down, swayed in the wind, varying in length.

If someone grabbed a vine to climb, reached the end, then leaped to catch another, judging by the Heavenly Book's "trial" nature, there must indeed be a complete path to the top.

Even though no one else was nearby, Zhao Changhe dared not climb.

The gaps between these vines were wide. The process of jumping to catch another was too dangerous, easy to miss. That alone might be manageable for the skilled and bold, but the real problem was the chaotic wind—now east, now west—making the vines sway wildly and unpredictably.

One might think they could jump and catch hold, only to be swept far away by a sudden gust. A truly treacherous setup.

Was the test to observe the wind's direction, deduce its patterns, and find the optimal path for switching vines?

What was this, a civil service exam?

Zhao Changhe felt the artificiality was too obvious. It seemed to teach using nature and blending with it, but it lacked the seamless, natural quality of earlier trials. It felt "unnatural," possibly misleading.

After observing carefully for a long time, he gradually formed an idea.

Suddenly, he leaped up, grabbed the central vine, and climbed to its top. Then he jumped to the nearest vine on his right, catching its very end. Instead of climbing further, he let the wind carry him, swaying gently.

When he drifted to the far right, he suddenly launched himself, using the wind and the vine's momentum like an eagle spreading its wings, gliding with the breeze, and landed steadily on a distant protruding platform.

The icy cliff face looked uniform; without close inspection, one would never notice the platform.

The platform faced a cave, and inside, stone steps led upward, straight to the sky.

So those many vines were a red herring. Climbing them all the way might be possible, but the risk of failure was too high.

In truth, this wasn't about observation and deduction like an exam. Observation was merely the foundation; honing the five senses was just to make observation easier.

Every trial here was related to martial arts. After all, in this world, the Heavenly Dao was martial arts. Each page of the Heavenly Book dealt with martial arts, and learning from nature was meant to be applied to martial arts.

Sound attacks, illusion arrays, lightness skills... Now, using the wind and vine momentum, it echoed what Huangfu Qing had said: "If your blade can merge with the wind."

Zhao Changhe thought of Yu Xu splitting firewood again—that was already about merging with the wind and snow, actively making them serve him.

"Swish!" Zhao Changhe suddenly drew his sword.

The wind howled into the cave. This sword strike followed the wind, merging into the invisible, almost creating the illusion that no sword had been drawn—just the wind blowing.

He usually used a blade to express sword intent, but this time, the intent of the sword was that of a blade—"Hell is thus," an even more advanced version, completely fused with the environment.

"Clang!" The sword broke through the hidden reflection of ice and snow. Behind the stone steps, a shrill scream rang out. Someone tried to flee.

Zhao Changhe flicked his finger.

An icicle in the cave was knocked loose by his flick, flying toward the fleeing man's back, piercing through.

The man froze, looking down at the icicle protruding from his chest. He murmured, "Who are you?"

Zhao Changhe said calmly, "Langya, Wang Daozhong."

"Thud!" The corpse collapsed on the stone steps, rolling all the way down, off the platform, and over the cliff.

Zhao Changhe sheathed his sword and strode up the steps.

This place was right—this was the exhilaration of entering the "Valley of Villains." Alone in the mountains, cutting through obstacles, the long-lost martial artist's passion surged in his heart. The earlier encounters in Kunlun City with Tian Lingzi and the Poison Spider had been lacking.

As he walked, his Niwan Palace began to pulse faintly, as if something was about to break through.

Unexpectedly, this journey through the Heavenly Book had become a process of integrating his martial arts. Merging with nature, merging with heaven and earth, forming his own martial intent.

Eyes, ears, body, mind—perception to the finest detail; whether blade or sword, they came effortlessly; wind, snow, ice, frost—all could be used.

Could he be called a grandmaster?

Almost...

Still almost.

Because the way of nature was not his fundamental path. His fundamental path lay in the Blood Fiend Art.

That was the root of his inability to break through. He had understood many things different from his own cultivation method. Though they were correct, they left him one breath short of a breakthrough.

According to Yu Xu, this situation might indeed be a hindrance, but it was a good thing. Once the Blood Fiend Art was perfected, the breakthrough would come naturally, without the usual side effects of demonic arts.

Had he somehow turned a demonic art into a Daoist one?

It didn't matter. Demon or god, it was just a technique. What could it decide?

"Thud!" Zhao Changhe stepped onto the top of the stone steps. Outside, there was no ice or snow—just more mountains.

But the summit was in sight, golden light shimmering before his eyes.

The Heavenly Book was within reach.

A burly man stood not far away, hands clasped behind his back, facing away from Zhao Changhe, looking up at the sky.

Hearing Zhao Changhe emerge, the man said calmly, "Is it truly Brother Daozhong?"

Zhao Changhe smiled. "A name is just a code. What it is doesn't seem important. As for your name, I have no desire to know."

The man snorted. "But I can tell you."

"Oh?"

"I am Yan Que."

Ranked thirty-third on the Earth List, Blood Demon Hand Yan Que.

Exactly one rank above Wang Daozhong, which explained his slightly condescending attitude.

Zhao Changhe smiled and said nothing. Had Yu Xu told him to come back when he was on the Earth List because of this man?

But this time, he had the Blind One with him.

Yan Que sighed. "I don't know why a man from a noble clan like Brother Daozhong would come here. I assume you have some agreement with Master Yu Xu, and I don't care to pry. But Brother Daozhong, having just arrived in Kunlun, reached this position in less than two hours—truly impressive. Your reputation is well deserved."

This was also why he hadn't pressed to uncover Wang Daozhong's true identity. Even if it wasn't Wang Daozhong, this was undoubtedly a top-tier expert.

In all these years, no one had ever reached this place so quickly. Though these trials didn't require absolute strength, they were quite difficult for villains. Their mindsets and natures were too far from the natural way, and they constantly sabotaged each other.

Moreover, everyone had weaknesses, and some trials required luck. For example, Yan Que himself had been stuck at the previous illusion array for over a year. Even after leaving to study formations, it was useless. Later, he realized that trial required fighting—embodying the meaning of "master." Who would have thought? If not for a chance fight, he might still be circling that place. That was luck, and also fate.

Yan Que believed "Wang Daozhong" had strong luck: "Brother Daozhong, how about we cooperate?"

Zhao Changhe asked, "Cooperate on what?"

Yan Que said, "Do you see the situation ahead?"

Zhao Changhe saw it.

That was a road of thunder.

Along the way, startling thunder and lightning flashed, stretching to the mountaintop, as if braving the thunderbolts would let one seize the celestial scripture directly.

If it were only a short stretch, perhaps one could try, but such a long road of several li was a dead end—utterly impossible for anyone to traverse.

As for seeking some insulator from outside, the earlier bridge-building had already proven that the celestial scripture does not recognize it; you must devise a plan from what is visible here, or else have your own martial arts merge with it and influence the thunder and lightning.

Clearly, Yan Que could not do it, nor could Zhao Changhe.

Yan Que said, "I have been stuck here for a year and three months, observing every day, and have come up with some ideas, but I lack reliable helpers."

Zhao Changhe said, "There are many villains here; how can you not find helpers?"

"They have neither ability nor fortune, but you, Brother Daozhong, are different." Yan Que turned around, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Zhao Changhe. "I can feel that this golden page repels a blood-soaked man like me, but it may not repel a fortunate scion of a noble clan like you. Let us cooperate. I will share the methods I have pondered over this year to help you, Brother Daozhong, obtain this page. If we truly succeed, then you need only give me a copy. What do you think, Brother Daozhong?"