Chapter 783: Who is Toying With It

Chapter 783: Who is Pulling the Strings

Though the battle on both the eastern and western fronts did not collapse at the first blow, neither devolved into a prolonged, day-long stalemate; instead, after a brief deadlock lasting barely half an hour, a sudden rout began on both lines.

The eastern theater was smaller and gave way much earlier, allowing Huangfu Qing to abandon her pursuit of Bo'er and rush to assist Zhao Changhe and the others, who were on the verge of faltering, in besieging the Tengri.

That the Tengri was utterly powerless to salvage the increasingly disastrous western main battlefield was in no small part due to the formidable pressure exerted by Huangfu Qing as a fresh reinforcement.

It was not merely that her cultivation was a shade superior to both Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling; most crucially, the trio could form a formation—the very array previously used to slay the Daoist Sovereign, uniting the Sun, Moon, and Stars with Heaven, Earth, and Man in a powerful, complementary synergy that significantly elevated the combat prowess of Zhao and Yue alike.

Huangfu Qing's division of forces, with every assignment meticulously weighed and planned, was absolutely not born of a petty desire to kick that dead turtle out of the game, indeed.

Amusingly, even the supporting lineup remained identical, featuring Li Shentong and Yu Xu's Taiji Diagram.

In truth, it was even stronger than the original ensemble, for back then, all of Yu Xu's abilities had been countered by the Daoist Sovereign, reducing him to little more than baggage who did nothing but use his own blood to manifest the Sovereign's form, completely unable to exert any combat power while forcing Li Shentong to waste enormous effort protecting him; by contrast, this Taiji Diagram was an ancient treasure, the very place where the Daoist Sovereign had once resided, embodying the infinite mysteries of the world's Yin and Yang, and its value in this battle far exceeded Yu Xu's utility in the past...

The Daoist Sovereign had been unable to withstand this array, and the Tengri fared no better now; though he was indeed stronger on his own domain by gathering the power of spiritual veins and faith, the wounds inflicted upon him by Xia Longyuan had never truly healed, and with the two factors canceling each other out, he was merely a fraction more formidable than the Sovereign had been.

Most suffocatingly of all, while his foes were aided by divine artifacts, he was bereft of his own; worse still, his ultimate technique was absorbed and suppressed by his very own sacred axe, failing to unleash its intended thundering wrath.

As the battle grew increasingly unfavorable, he even began to perceive his own growing frailty.

With the defeat of his armies, the spiritual veins wavered; with his perceived "lack of divine favor," faith began to crumble within the hearts of the steppe folk... his so-called "home-field advantage" was already eroding, and once the western front collapsed and Huangfu Yongxian marched directly upon the royal court, leaving the Han armies to ride freely across Mobei while the various tribes schemed for their own survival, would this place still be the "home domain" of the Tengri?

It would not...

The very words he had once used to prophesy Xia Longyuan's fate seemed, by a turn of fortune's wheel, to be fulfilled upon his own head today.

Once the protection of these spiritual veins vanished entirely, he would be nothing more than an unhealed invalid, perhaps even inferior to the Daoist Sovereign...

His single advantage over the Daoist Sovereign lay in the fact that he was not bound by the Blind Woman's spatial constraints, leaving him free to depart at will.

Only within his own temple was he at his most powerful, shielded by the power of spiritual veins accumulated over an entire epoch and fortified by a defensive system of his own making... so long as he hid within the secret realm of the shrine, not even Xia Longyuan at his absolute peak would have dared to force entry, and this rabble, among whom not a single soul had broken through to the second tier of the Imperial Realm, would likely fail to breach even the gates of the secret realm.

Naturally, he had been loath to cower in his temple before, wishing instead to annihilate the enemy upon the open wild, but now that the situation had degenerated into such a wretched mess, what pride was there left to maintain?

"Boom!" With a ferocious swing of his battle-axe, the raging energy blasted Li Shentong aside, and with a violent kick, the Tengri shattered the phantom image of the Taiji, breaking free from the agonizing millstone of Yin and Yang before transforming into a streak of light, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

From the void, his venomous curse echoed: "Zhao Changhe, if you have the courage, come to my temple... otherwise, the day of my recovery shall be the hour the Central Plains are utterly annihilated!"

Did Zhao Changhe dare to attack the temple?

The Tengri could all but deduce that Zhao Changhe would not force the issue.

He could recover, and Zhao Changhe could also advance; since the fruits of the northern expedition had largely been secured, why fight to the death? Waiting another half-year to gamble on his own rapid cultivation would surely be the first choice for someone like Zhao Changhe, who was accustomed to meteoric rises in power.

The Tengri vanished in an instant, and though Zhao Changhe did not give chase, he suddenly coughed up a violent torrent of blood.

Yue Hongling swiftly supported him, asking urgently, "How are you?"

Zhao Changhe popped a pill into his mouth, adjusted his breathing for a brief moment, and murmured, "I'm fine, won't die."

The divine axe, after all, had not recognized him as its master, and using it to block an ultimate technique of the second tier of the Imperial Realm based solely on a shred of lightning affinity brought an unimaginable backlash; Zhao Changhe's injuries were far graver than they appeared on the surface, and in truth, had the Tengri refused to leave and pressed the assault, Zhao Changhe might well have been the first to collapse, unable to conceal his wounds any longer.

The weakest link in the entire theater of war had actually been their own struggle, for had they failed to detain the Tengri, all would have been lost.

Mercifully... they could catch their breath for now.

Huangfu Qing asked, "What is the plan now?"

"March straight into the temple, breach it, and settle everything in a single stroke—what else is there to plan?" Zhao Changhe stood upright with some effort, his voice soft yet unyielding. "We cannot afford to gamble on whether our cultivation can outpace his recovery... for he is now a desperate man with nothing left to lose, free to emerge and wreak havoc at any given moment, and we cannot guard against a thief forever. Furthermore, as long as he lives, these vast steppes could rally into a new Khaganate at any time, dragging us into another century of conflict. We cannot leave such a catastrophic peril to posterity; having come this far, we must not abandon our task halfway, no matter what."

He paused, turning toward Li Shentong. "How are Sect Master Li's injuries?"

Li Shentong was clearly injured as well, and after taking a pill to regulate his humors for a brief moment, he shook his head. "No great harm... it was you who bore his divine thunder with the axe, not I."

Zhao Changhe said, "But the upcoming conflict will be far more perilous than this one. In this battle, we were ultimately only trying to delay him, not fighting to the death."

Li Shentong chuckled softly. "You do not even check on your own women, yet you show concern for me?"

"..." Zhao Changhe replied, "My heart is as one with theirs; there is simply no need to ask."

Li Shentong smiled. "Nor do I need to be asked. But if you must hear my thoughts, there is one thing I wish to say."

Zhao Changhe stared in blank surprise. "Please speak, Sect Master Li."

Li Shentong said indifferently, "The matter of equalizing land and establishing education in Bashu is beyond my capability; if you possess the will, go do it yourself."

Bashu had not yet submitted; go do it himself? How?

Zhao Changhe quietly pondered the underlying meaning of those words, and without elaborating further, he simply cupped his hands and said, "Very well."

Without another word, the company shifted their forms, materializing directly atop the sacred mountain hundreds of miles away.

Below lay a towering temple; gazing down from the heights, one could perceive a chaotic tumult within and without its walls, as though news of Bo'er's crushing defeat on the front lines had already spread.

Yet Bo'er's routed forces were still being hunted down mid-retreat, none having even returned...

"This deity is rather selfish..." Yue Hongling murmured softly.

Indeed, on his return journey, he could have rallied the shattered armies, or at the very least rescued the severely wounded Bo'er; the divine senses of Yue Hongling and Huangfu Qing had been tracking the retreat the entire time, ready to intervene at any moment to ensure the pursuing Han forces suffered no mishaps.

In the end, their caution proved entirely unnecessary... for fear of wasting time and being overtaken by them, the Tengri had actually stood by and watched the rout unfold, solely to secure his own swift return to the shrine.

Zhao Changhe remarked, "From what I have witnessed over the years, they are all rather selfish... the Sea Emperor's protection of the mariners was nothing more than a harvest of faith, just as the Daoist Sovereign drove the seniors of Yu Xu to preach for the very same purpose... and the Tengri's stewardship of the steppes is no different. In their eyes, the myriad living souls are but ants, mere tools to provide them sustenance; any fleeting moment of favor is deemed an act of grace."

Huangfu Qing raised her eyes to the heavens, where dusk was drawing near, casting a faint crimson glow across the horizon, though no stars could yet be seen.

She murmured softly, "Was the Night Emperor the same?"

Zhao Changhe was startled, then laughed instead. "If any deity stands apart from the rest, I suppose aside from the Ethereal One who embodies the spiritual veins of our lands, only the Night Emperor is somewhat better."

Huangfu Qing was profoundly astonished. "How... how do you know?"

"If my knowledge serves me right, when the epoch collapsed and the heavenly realm shattered, the mortal world remained intact... this was a triumph shared by the Night Emperor and the Ethereal One, and they paid a tremendous price for it." Zhao Changhe paused, then added, "On this account alone, whatever else the Night Emperor may have done... I can forgive."

Those present looked askance at him; who was he to grant forgiveness to the Night Emperor... besides, they had never heard of her committing any evil deeds, so what was there to forgive...

Furthermore, now that he had usurped the mantle of the Night Emperor without any response from her, she was likely dead and gone...

Far away, high above the skies of Hangu Pass, the sisters of the Night clan had faced each other in silence for days, uttering not a single word. Only now did Ye Jiuyou suddenly let out a laugh, saying, "My, he forgives you."

The Blind Woman remained expressionless.

"Though it feels rather like a child pointing at an adult and declaring forgiveness, it is quite charming, is it not?" Ye Jiuyou blinked. "No wonder our grand Night Emperor is not even angry upon hearing it."

The Blind Woman finally responded, "Why should I be angered by the prattle of a mere child?"

Ye Jiuyou smiled. "He usurps your throne as the Night Emperor, plunders your faith and spiritual veins, and claims your subordinate believers... oh, and he has even taken them to his bed, yet you are not angry."

The Blind Woman said, "The Night Emperor is but a path I have discarded; having stepped beyond it, should I look back?"

"So you let him look back?"

The Blind Woman not answer but countered, "In the wager between us, it appears you are about to lose; are you flaunting your coquettish whims here merely to mask your own guilt?"

Ye Jiuyou looked down; the assault on Hangu Pass was underway, the roars of slaughter shaking heaven and earth.

This was the theater destined to drag on; if there were to be any turning point, it would depend entirely on when Huangyang recovered, so there was little to see for now.

Directing her gaze southward, Ye Jiuyou slightly narrowed her eyes.

Before this, she had never imagined that the queen of the Spirit Race could possess the strength to resist Yin Kui's corpse puppet.

That was a corpse puppet of the Imperial Realm, and because Yin Kui himself specialized in the power of the necrotic, the efficacy of his body transformed into a puppet far surpassed others, even retaining much of his living intellect.

Even if Sisi had been fully prepared and brought along her juvenile Blood Ao sacred beasts, by what right could she overcome Yin Kui?

Yet the reality was that Yin Kui was being beaten by Sisi until he could scarcely strike back.

That was a strange secret art that drew beast spirits into the body. A Spirit Clan member who used this art became essentially a human-shaped Blood Ao. Sisi, on her own cultivation, might not even last a single round against Yin Kui, but after using the secret art, she could actually hold her ground without falling behind. With the aid of other strange beasts and various elders casting secret techniques all around, Yin Kui found himself unable to win...

Such a secret art defied the logic of cultivation... No wonder the entire Spirit Clan had to be severed from this land—they did not belong here.

Add to that the life-and-death force that Zhao Changhe had deliberately studied among the Spirit Clan. Now every Spirit Clan soldier's weapon was specially coated, designed to counter the undead body and sever the cycle of life and death. The corpse puppets, which could not be killed no matter how they were struck, were now easily wounded and destroyed by the Spirit Clan soldiers with just a scratch...

Ye Jiuyou most wanted to help in this battle—she was the most specialized in this and could easily turn the tide. Unfortunately, Ye Wuming stood before her, and she could not go anywhere. Even being able to watch was perhaps a concession from Ye Wuming, who let her see on purpose.

It felt like showing off a man's strategy, childish.

Yin Kui's corpse puppet army could not withstand the well-prepared Spirit Clan. It was clear they were about to be completely annihilated, and even Yin Kui himself was trapped in a bitter fight when...

"Swoosh!" Sisi's dagger sliced across Yin Kui's arm, and a wind blade silently scraped toward her back.

Someone was ambushing her!

Sisi, who should not have had such spiritual awareness, seemed to know it beforehand. Her graceful body turned lightly in the twilight, the wind blade grazing past her and vanishing.

It was Wind Shadow, fleeing from north to south like a stray dog, trying to "redeem himself" in this battle.

"Wind. I knew it the moment it stirred." Sisi glanced back, a seductive smile curling at her lips: "Is this fate? I searched high and low but found nothing, yet it came without effort."

Wind Shadow: "?"

Sisi did not even look at Yin Kui, who was roaring under the siege of Spirit Clan elders and Blood Ao. Her crystalline bare feet walked through the void under the moonlight, as if stepping on a gentle breeze: "The best shaman in the clan told me my master has at most seven days left... I led the clan out, and today seems to be the seventh day..."

Wind Shadow was baffled. What did your master's impending death have to do with me? Do I even know him?

"I heard that since you appeared in the world, he has been very dissatisfied. He wanted to prove who truly deserves to be the voice of the wind... He even thought that his failure to break through to the Imperial realm might be because you were blocking the way, like a precedence of divine status, hindering his path." Sisi spoke softly: "I think there might be some truth to it... Perhaps after you die, he will break through?"

"Are you insane?" Wind Shadow cursed loudly: "No one breaks through unless their spirit, energy, and mind are at their peak. Who told you that a decrepit old man with only seven days left can break through? What does that have to do with me?"

But he did not refute the issue of precedence—there might indeed be some influence... For a single aspect, if one representative has already succeeded, there should not be a second.

"Whether it concerns you or not, I bear the will of the wind, and the one I seek is you. Originally, I thought I would go find you after this battle, but I never expected you to deliver yourself to me..." Sisi looked Wind Shadow up and down, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes: "You're injured, and quite badly... Even if I kill you, it might not be much fun?"

Wind Shadow turned and ran.

He had already hit one dead end after another, and now he had run into a madwoman... He never expected that the Spirit Clan, after fighting the corpse puppet army, would not even have a scratch. Was Yin Kui eating shit?

Just as he thought this, a fragrant breeze swirled around his nose.

Wind Shadow's heart skipped a beat, sensing trouble.

The fragrance was carried by the wind, delivered to his nose by the wind's speed. But he was fleeing at top speed with his wind control—how could another wind catch up?

Turning his head, he saw Sisi's pretty face right beside him, smiling as she turned to him: "Is your mastery of the wind only this much?"

"Swoosh!" Wind Shadow struck quickly, aiming at Sisi's side.

Sisi spun lightly in the air, like a celestial maiden dancing.

The floral scent grew stronger.

Wind Shadow's consciousness blurred for a moment, then he snapped back, realizing something was wrong.

It was not just that his injury had slowed him down; more seriously, his injury made him lose control of the wind. The wind around him no longer obeyed him, completely under her command.

"Ancient demon god, and that's all?" Sisi sighed softly: "I have heard him lament more than once that the ancient demon gods are all petty and worthless... Now that I see it myself, it is indeed so."

A bone dagger, gleaming with a metallic blue luster, had somehow already slashed across Wind Shadow's chest and abdomen—lighter than the wind, fainter than the fragrance.

"You think you lost control of the wind because of your injury? No, the wind has abandoned you." Her bare feet stepped on the moonlight as she walked away, not even looking back at Wind Shadow, and continued to stab at the struggling Yin Kui.

Wind Shadow looked down at the bloodstains on his chest, dripping drop by drop, falling with the wind, as if there was a "hissing" sound of the wind.

Was the wind supposed to sound like this?

It felt like two epochs had passed; he had forgotten the sound of the wind, and how he had once proven the power of the wind...

Yes, he had not been human originally.

Tang Wanzhuang said, drifting with the wind across the world, soaring through the clouds and hiding in the nine heavens—that is what Wind Shadow means.

He was a representative of an aspect, an ancient innate demon god... In a sense, he was merely a part of the Heavenly Dao's symbolism, but he had strayed from it.

The wind abandoned him, and what remained of his "divine status" was no different from a heavenly treasure.

Wind Shadow crashed heavily onto the land of Xiangxi. In the distance, the Xiao and Xiang rivers flowed eastward, and his body gradually dissolved with the wind, becoming indistinct. In a daze, some crystalline energy seemed to seep into Sisi's body, signifying some kind of transfer and inheritance.

Almost at the same time, Ye Wuzong, who was sitting quietly by the tranquil Erhai Lake fishing, suddenly looked up at the sky, laughed, and threw away his rod: "I understand, I am leaving."

The Spirit Clan guards beside him exchanged glances, cautiously stepped forward to check, but saw the old man had already closed his eyes with a smile, no longer breathing.

"If this is fate..." Ye Jiuyou was silent for a moment, then said: "Who is manipulating cause and effect?"

The Blind Woman rarely tilted her head in a playful manner: "The Heavenly Dao has its own fixed numbers; who can manipulate them?"

Ye Jiuyou said coldly: "The web of cause and effect is too vast. Don't get yourself tangled in it..."

The Blind Woman smiled brightly: "Worry about your own bet first."

Their thoughts crossed countless mountains and rivers, returning to the sacred mountain in the northern desert.

The guards in the temple, who had been in chaos, had been slaughtered clean by Li Shengtong, who had revived the style of the Great Western King. Zhao Changhe and the others were searching everywhere for the entrance to the secret realm.

The entrance, which should have been well hidden and hard to find, was unexpectedly discovered by Zhao Changhe in no time.

"This blood fiend aura is..."

Although the Eternal Heaven was warlike, it was generally closer to natural forces. Compared to the Dao of Nature, it emphasized majesty, vastness, and suppression, rather than a peaceful heaven. But regardless of the type of nature, it had nothing to do with blood fiend aura, nor did their cultivation methods.

Yet within this temple filled with the aura of natural majesty, Zhao Changhe, whose foundation was blood fiend, clearly sensed a very familiar breath hidden within the vast heavenly intent—something others would not have noticed.

"It is definitely blood fiend aura... and very standard, belonging to Lie." Zhao Changhe stood before an inconspicuous statue, examining it for a moment, and said softly: "Xue Canghai said that the last missing bead of the Blood God Array Plate is in the Eternal Heaven Temple. That was sensed through the plate, so it must be correct. Since the blood fiend aura is here, the temple's secret realm must be here too."

He took a deep breath and raised the huge divine axe.

Lightning crackled, muscles bulged, and his clothes burst.

He looked like a giant, about to split heaven and earth with his axe.

"Boom!" The divine axe struck heavily, and the ground split open with a crack.

The ancient, primeval aura finally appeared before them.

The Eternal Heaven God had thought, "These people can't even break into the secret realm," but in fact, it took less than half a cup of tea—more efficient than rummaging through one's own house for a lost item.

Ye Jiuyou's expression was extremely serious. The Blind Woman said calmly: "Now, do you still think fate is being manipulated by someone?"