Chapter 624: Is the Book of Chaos Belong to Your Family?

Chapter 624: Is the Book of Turmoil Written by Your Family?

Wang Daoning had no idea why these people were insisting on single combat. Were they showing martial honor at a time like this? Wasn’t that just asking to die?

Even if you’d noticed that my Imperial Realm was somewhat less than its reputation, wasn’t I still far stronger than you?

In the previous battle, Wang Daoning had faced both Zhuque and Zhao Changhe while simultaneously dealing with his own sword formation’s betrayal. He had only been slightly at a disadvantage, and the sword formation’s threat had actually been greater than that of the people—after all, it was the Mountains and Rivers Sword Formation that could make even Xia Longyuan struggle.

When Zhao Changhe turned his blade to strike Bo’e, Zhuque temporarily shifted from offense to defense to shield the man, leaving an opening in her technique. She was immediately struck by an elbow and wounded.

Now, with his spirit sword broken and facing a one-on-one fight, Wang Daoning truly couldn’t see how he could lose.

Was it just that slight sluggishness from the water-element power Xia Chichi had drawn into his body with her sword? Xia Chichi’s sword might be connected to water, but your Zhuque’s cultivation had nothing to do with it!

“This palm strike of mine—can you take it?” Wang Daoning suddenly struck out with his palm.

It was the Heaven-Exiling Sea-Suppressing Palm, with a momentum that could overturn mountains and seas. Even Xia Chichi, standing to the side and not directly facing it, could still feel the suffocating pressure bearing down on her.

It was a palm strike that could never be taken head-on by someone of a lower level; one had to find a way to deflect its force.

Yet Zhuque, who had struggled against this very palm before, now simply extended her index and middle fingers, forming a sword gesture, and stabbed forward.

The flame at her fingertips pierced through the thick air currents like a hot knife through butter, straight toward the center of his palm.

Even if she had been holding a sharp sword to stab at that palm, the sword would have been crushed into pulp! But when finger met palm, the expected snapping of fingers never came. Instead, Wang Daoning suddenly felt the water-element power within his body rebel against his control, rising in mutiny!

This rebellion was far more complex than his own rebellion against Xia Longyuan. The water-element power had long been completely fused with his true qi cultivation, and this revolt was like a churning sea, turning his dantian and meridians into a battlefield. That wisp of flame drilled straight through his meridians, tugging at his heartsea. If the rage he had once tasted was a metaphor, this was a physical conflagration—a blazing inferno igniting in his heart, instantly charring it to cinders.

Wang Daoning let out a miserable scream, using all his strength to shake Zhuque off and flee.

A flash of cold light appeared before him, and a sword of ice pierced his heart and lungs, seemingly “kindly” extinguishing the heartfire.

Wang Daoning looked down at the sword tip protruding through his heart, then raised his head to look at Xia Chichi. A glimmer of understanding dawned in his eyes: “So that’s it… The water-element power you used earlier had nothing to do with this ice sword. It was the Water Soul’s affinity for you that was greater than its affinity for me… It listens to you… That sword strike of yours was just a test—or rather, you were communicating with that water-element power… Once you confirmed it worked, even you dared to fight me one-on-one.”

“I wouldn’t dare go that far. Sir Wang’s foundational cultivation is at the peak of the Triple Secret Vaults; it’s safer for a Venerable to handle you.” Xia Chichi said flatly. “What I didn’t expect was that Sir Wang, who has dominated the Eastern Sea for so many years, ranked on the Heavenly List, and renowned far and wide, couldn’t even grasp such a simple thing—the Water Soul originally belonged to the Sea Emperor. After the Sea Emperor fell, couldn’t it find a new master? What made you so confident that you, a non-water cultivator, could completely conquer it? Did you think it would be like seizing the Xia throne—easy to take and replace? But what isn’t yours will never be yours.”

Wang Daoning looked up at the sky. The sun was climbing higher.

The winter morning sun wasn’t harsh, yet he still squinted slightly, staring for a long while before sighing: “How could I not know it might find a new master? I just never thought it would happen so soon… Besides, you’re not water cultivators either. What made you think you could influence it? If I’m ignorant, then you lot are far too strange.”

“The Azure Dragon was born of the sea… The Four Symbols Saints are expected to master all four elements; it’s not unusual. Uncle-Master Xuanwu had high hopes for me.” Xia Chichi said calmly. “Also, Sir Wang may have misunderstood one thing. We didn’t gang up on you out of martial honor. It’s simply that we didn’t think you deserved the honor of having the Book of Turmoil announce your death by siege. You’re not worthy of that…”

Wang Daoning smiled: “This kind of empty fame—perhaps your father and your husband both enjoy it… But I, on the contrary, couldn’t care less.”

Xia Chichi’s face remained expressionless: “I know Sir Wang doesn’t even care much about his own life, only about the survival of his clan… But if Sir Wang dies, won’t the clan’s destruction come in a matter of days?”

Wang Daoning said calmly: “See if you have the strength left to handle this mess first… Once the Book of Turmoil announces my death, Zhaoling will surely withdraw his troops and consolidate. And with Li Gongsi dead here, the Li clan will surely lead the barbarians straight down from Guanlong. Yang Jingxiu, at this point, will have no choice but to go all out. Whether the Cui clan is still willing to fight us to the death is already debatable. Relying on a few strong fighters like you to resolve this chaotic situation by wiping out my Langya? Hah… Although Daozhong is not much, he’s still on the Earthly List.”

Zhao Changhe was quietly saying to Blind Girl: “Hey, can you do me a favor? It’s not a matter of principle.”

“Hmm? Don’t tell me you want me to let him die sooner. The problem is, this rambling is clearly intentional on your part. If Xia Chichi had just let her sword qi burst forth, he’d be dead already.”

“Of course we’re doing it on purpose. Chichi sent me a message; I already know what happened in Puyang. Don’t wait for him to die—announce it early. It’ll piss him off the most.”

Blind Girl was silent for a moment, and golden light flashed across the sky.

“In the eleventh month of the year, deep winter.”

“Cui Yuanyang led a night raid on the Wang clan’s camp, originally intending it only as a harassment and exhaustion tactic. Xia Chichi, traveling through the capital by night, passed by the battlefield and suddenly summoned an Azure Dragon phantom to dive upon the camp. The Wang clan soldiers, already weary in spirit, thought the Cui clan had Heaven’s aid, and chaos erupted instantly.”

Wang Daoning: “?”

If he knew the Zhao region dialect, he would surely ask: “Are you cheating?”

Zhao Changhe had ridden a flying horse and somehow ended up here, which was already strange enough.

And how did Xia Chichi get here? She just happened to pass by Puyang and, while passing, summoned a meteorite… no, summoned an Azure Dragon to charge the camp.

After besieging the city for so long, in the snow and freezing wind, the morale was predictable. With an Azure Dragon descending from the heavens, how could they even fight?

“Cui Yuanyong, Xue Canghai, and Huangfu Shaozong took advantage of the momentum to launch a massive assault. The two sides were locked in chaotic battle. Amid the fray, Xue Canghai happened to encounter Wang Daozhong. After about ten exchanges, Canghai was losing, so he invoked the power of the sect’s sacred artifact, and Daozhong was severely wounded and fled.”

Wang Daoning’s eyes flew wide open.

Xue Canghai had fought Wang Daozhong…

This time, he had crossed levels—even if it was by borrowing some damn sacred artifact, he had truly crossed levels!

“Cui Yuanyong defeated Wang Zhaoling in a great rout. The Wang army was crushed like a mountain, with countless dead and wounded. General Zhang Ximeng, ranked fifty-seventh on the Human List, was killed in battle. Wang Zhaoling barely escaped with his life.”

“The battle between Cui and Wang at Puyang, a siege lasting nearly four months. The Azure Dragon descended, and the siege was lifted in a single morning.”

“Xue Canghai defeated Wang Daozhong. Though he borrowed the power of a divine artifact, a win is a win. He now takes that position.”

“Earthly List, number thirty: Xue Canghai!”

“Human List, number fifty-seven: Cui Yuanyong!”

“Hidden Dragon List, number one: Cui Yuanyang!”

Wang Daoning stared blankly. He had been hoping that news of his death would come first, prompting Zhaoling to withdraw… Instead, he was forced to witness his own army’s catastrophic defeat and the Cui family’s members beginning to dominate the rankings.

Though Daozhong and Zhaoling were still alive—a small mercy—the loss of such a massive army meant they had lost the initiative in this struggle for supremacy.

If there was to be a first one eliminated, who would it be?

Wait, why was the Book of Turmoil announcing this before he was even dead? Were the two fronts calculated separately? If so, it should have been announced long ago. Why now? Was it just to show him?

Was the Book of Turmoil written by your family?

At that moment, Zhao Changhe said: “This chaotic battle outside the camp makes it hard to say who might escape, that’s normal… But Sir Wang, don’t worry. I’ve already set an ambush near Langya. Soon, I will personally lead troops toward Qingzhou. Comrade Daozhong and Brother Zhaoling had better hole up in the city, so I can catch them all in one net like turtles in a jar.”

Wang Daoning’s eyes bulged. He wanted to shout in horror: “Watch out for Guichen!”

But he couldn’t get the words out. Xia Chichi didn’t even give him a chance to transmit the message to the surrounding eunuchs. Her sword qi erupted violently.

Wang Daoning’s voice caught in his throat. The light in his eyes gradually dimmed, and he died with his eyes wide open, refusing to close.

—If I’m ignorant, then you lot are far too strange.

Even the Book of Turmoil listens to you. If you’d said that earlier, who the hell would have dared to rebel!