Chapter 809: The Onlookers

Chapter 809: The Onlookers

Within a certain palace of the Western Regions' foreign tribes, Zhao Changhe lay wrapped like a mummy, unable to move, sprawled on a soft bed. Even his face was tightly bound, leaving only a pair of eyeballs rolling around.

Ying Wu stood by with his hands behind his back, watching him, silent for a long while.

He, a avenger who had steeled himself for death, had not even a scratch from start to finish—not even the minor internal injuries from normal fierce combat. Aside from being greatly exhausted, he was perfectly fine.

Yet the helper he had invited was covered in wounds, nearly blown to death, and frostbitten to boot—not a single patch of good flesh remained.

Not only that, but the battle itself had been led by this man, while he himself felt like an outsider brought in to assist.

At this moment, Ying Wu's emotions held little of the thrill of revenge; instead, he found it more amusing.

"Do you know that if I had ill intentions, you'd be dead right now, and your Great Han, just beginning to flourish, would crumble?" Ying Wu finally blurted out after holding back for so long.

Zhao Changhe's mouth was wrapped up, so he just rolled his eyes and said nothing.

Ying Wu sighed: "Fine... originally, I didn't want to get involved in your worldly struggles for supremacy... but from today onward, I'll unify the Western Regions for you. Whenever you need me to pincer the Guanlong region, just give the word."

Zhao Changhe grunted through his bandages: "Who the hell told me they were just a bandit, at most capable of raiding and cutting off trade routes, not fit for storming cities and taking strongholds?"

"Honestly, I wasn't lying before. But if I want to transform from a bandit into a local lord, then the Western Regions will be mine in less than a month."

"Alright, then make the change."

Ying Wu said, "I don't know your Great Han's plans... How do you want to handle things here?"

"If it's incorporated into the territory, and you become an official—a governor or prefect—would that work?"

"As long as you say so, it can be done."

"...Are you this straightforward now?"

"Also, all the intelligence networks of the Brotherhood across the divine lands will be directly merged into your family's Demon Suppression Bureau. I'm giving them up. They're not just gambling dens; there's quite a bit of stuff that can supplement your bureau."

"No need to be so polite."

"Because I no longer need them. I organized the intelligence network only to explore secret realms; everything else was incidental. Now that I no longer need to explore secret realms, keeping them would only be for making money."

"Wait, at least you still need to help me explore the secret realms where Ye Jiuyou and Piaomiao are... Oh, and if you have the energy, find the White Tiger and coordinate with San Niang later."

"You rest and heal here; I'll start looking right away." Ying Wu looked him up and down: "Do you need me to find you a few virgins for dual cultivation? I can't promise high cultivation, but at least high-level Xuan Pass. Don't worry, I won't use shady methods; with money, plenty of people volunteer."

Zhao Changhe sighed: "Money really lets you do whatever you want."

"Do you want them or not?"

"I'm all external injuries, including frostbite. Even if you brought a celestial maiden, I couldn't move. Dual cultivate my ass... If you're that rich, why not donate to the national treasury, or use it directly to set up prefectures in the Western Regions? Might need several."

"As long as that thing of yours isn't frostbitten, I'm fine. I'm afraid San Niang might end up a widow."

"Not only will San Niang not be a widow, but I'll also serve Zhuque well."

"You son of a bitch..." Ying Wu laughed and cried, flicking his sleeve and leaving: "No wonder Tang Buqi says behind your back that you're repulsive. My admiration just now is almost gone because of your foul mouth. Even wrapped up so tightly, you can still disgust people."

"And my care for my 'nephew' is gone because of that remark."

Ying Wu had already fled, not wanting to argue with him anymore. Soon, his orders came from outside: "All personnel, guard this place. If even a fly gets in and disturbs the honored guest, you'll answer to me!"

"All... all personnel? There's no room..."

"If there's no room, stand on the roof. Surround it tightly. Guarding anywhere else is less important than a single hair here. Go relay the order, less talk."

Zhao Changhe wanted to grin, but his mouth was bound by bandages, so he couldn't.

Even if it weren't bound, he might not have been able to open his mouth. The frostbite on his body was extensive; if not for his successful body forging, his blood and organs would have frozen solid. He didn't know how cold it was. This was Zhao Changhe's first time facing such a battle and sustaining such injuries. He still had to thank his two years of hard body forging; otherwise, he'd have been gone.

Fortunately, the quick resolution meant the injuries were only in the muscle layer. Treatment wasn't difficult, though it sounded terrifying. The best method was to scrape off all the frozen flesh and use his Blood Demon Undying Body to regenerate new flesh. But it only sounded scary; it wouldn't hurt much, as there was little sensation.

Zhao Changhe rested quietly for a moment, gathered some strength, gritted his teeth, and transmitted his thoughts: "I need to scrape off the flesh. One of you, help me."

The sword and blade were silent. Even Longque, who usually loved to curse Zhao Changhe, didn't make a sound.

Cursing was one thing, but actually making it personally flay Zhao Changhe—that was hard to do.

Zhao Changhe chuckled: "Don't dawdle. Back when your daddy was at a much lower cultivation, I dared to scrape my own flesh to heal wounds, let alone now."

Longque said, "You should let that smiling fatty do it. Let him watch you covered in wounds and be moved to tears."

"Why would I move him? I'm not into guys. Besides, he's not fat." Zhao Changhe said irritably, "When did you become so hesitant? You're a blade spirit. When did you start feeling human pain? If that's the case, should I never clash your blade against others' swords in the future, afraid you'll hurt?"

Longque was silent. What Zhao Changhe said was true—how could a blade spirit empathize with human pain? But strangely, this thought arose from nowhere. She felt reluctant to cut her daddy; it would make Longque uncomfortable.

After a long silence, it was Xinghe who responded: "I'll do it."

Longque was shocked: "He favors you so much, and you still..."

"But he needs treatment." Xinghe said, "It's like when we're reforged and hammered—it has to be done."

Zhao Changhe: "Good analogy, but don't use it next time... Let me clarify first: I really don't play favorites."

Xinghe said nothing, flew out of the ring on its own, and precisely scraped off a piece of frozen flesh from Zhao Changhe's right arm. Zhao Changhe let out a muffled groan, and blood immediately flowed, staining the bed sheet.

No matter how little it hurt, it was still relative.

In no time, Zhao Changhe's entire body was scraped bloody, and the pristine soft bed had become a pool of blood. Zhao Changhe clenched his teeth tightly, and cold sweat unknowingly covered his forehead.

He had deliberately let Ying Wu leave before doing this, not wanting to make him uncomfortable watching. But he didn't expect that at this moment, four women were watching.

Cui Yuanyang was crying in Piaomiao's sea of consciousness. Piaomiao rarely bothered to comfort her, just stared fixedly, saying nothing.

Ye Jiuyou lay on her side, her right hand propping up her delicate cheek, a look of amused interest on her face, as if appreciating some exquisite dance.

Ye Wuming stood with closed eyes in the center of the Hanchi Ice Abyss, motionless.

After a long time, Ye Jiuyou let out a leisurely sigh: "What a beautiful scene... Ying Wu had better pray that Zhao Changhe's women never find out about this, or he'll be flayed alive by a pack of women."

Piaomiao was also silently mourning for Ying Wu... Since Cui Yuanyang knew, sooner or later all those women would find out, and not one of them was easy to deal with...

In fact, those women were already preparing to set out, because tomorrow was the long-delayed palace examination. Their Four Symbols formation practice was complete. As soon as the palace exam ended, they would definitely set off to find the White Tiger, and this time it would be an imperial expedition, leaving only Tang Wanzhuang to guard the capital.

Whether they would find it was another matter. In fact, Ye Jiuyou didn't believe Ying Wu would so easily find her location through the Hanchi Ice Abyss; they weren't even adjacent.

"One month... Just healing alone will take him at least ten days to half a month. I really don't know how he'll make it."

...

Zhao Changhe was unconscious.

Though unconscious, he was half in meditation. Deep in his soul, he was meticulously aware of his recovery, and he had also gained some additional insights.

The path of ice was not unfamiliar to him; he had obtained the Five Elements page long ago. Because he had used it to heal Wanzhuang, he had studied that page relatively more. Plus, having dual-cultivated with San Niang for a long time, he was familiar with both water and ice. But the Five Elements techniques didn't match his combat style, so he had never learned their applications. A person's energy was limited; he couldn't possibly study everything.

But this time, what he felt wasn't ice—it was cold.

Cold and heat.

Freezing was merely a manifestation of extreme cold; it could exist without ice, as long as there was no moisture.

When a space devoid of moisture reached the extreme of cold, if one had to find a fitting term to describe such a place... perhaps it was the Netherworld.

This must be one of Jiuyou's techniques; her level was higher than Hanchi's.

To face Jiuyou, he had to master this. Only by understanding it could he try to defend against it, just as Ye Wuming had urged him to understand life and death. Otherwise, Hanchi alone could freeze him like this; if he rashly faced Jiuyou, he wouldn't even know how he died.

And for this, the Taiji Diagram given by Yu Xu might serve as an aid.

He really didn't know how much Ye Wuming had shielded him before, always preventing him from feeling Jiuyou's strength. Only now did Zhao Changhe deeply realize the vast gap between himself and Jiuyou. No wonder Ye Wuming's only opponent she showed tension toward was Ye Jiuyou alone.

Such a role, kissed on the hand by Monet himself, truly...

In truth, even now I can barely protect myself against Ye Jiuyou. Ye Wuming has cut off contact and blocked me—does she really not fear that Ye Jiuyou will kill me and take the Heavenly Book for herself? Or is she still silently watching, just no longer reaching out... Even this twist of fate might be a single stone killing two birds: resolving the imminent escape of the sealed Hanchi, while also letting me grow accustomed to the cold early on.

That damned woman...

And then there's that maddening spiritual invasion... Even Hanchi doesn't know what it is—that's strange.

Hanchi, a primordial demon god, setting aside its power, its knowledge is absolutely top-tier, no less than that of the Ye sisters. And it was personally used to suppress that thing, yet after all this time, it still doesn't know what it is—absurd... Could it be something from outside this world?

If we're talking about things from outside this world, aside from this one, there are two others known so far.

One is the ancestor of the Spirit Clan, who turned into the earth. Earlier guesses suggested it doesn't belong to this world's Heavenly Dao—just a guess, highly probable, but no absolute proof.

The second is... Zhao Changhe himself.

Absolutely proven.

Is this a key reason Ye Wuming pulled someone from another world?

Forget it, why bother thinking about Ye Wuming? Even if I were thinking about her body, I shouldn't. Better focus on my own body first. Zhao Changhe sensed his younger brother and let out a soft sigh.

The insight he gained among the Spirit Clan—altering the composition of certain body parts to enhance defense—was used entirely on his younger brother in this battle. Anywhere else on his body could be severed and regenerated, but not that. Zhao Changhe had never imagined this technique would be used for such a purpose; it could only be said that every bite and sip has its predestined course.

And since this technique can protect his younger brother, expanding its coverage could naturally protect his entire body—this is one of the chips he'll use against Ye Jiuyou. How to expand the coverage? Just before coming here, Li Shen Tong gave him a body-forging method... Now, both the experience of cold and his own protection are complete.

Zhao Changhe opened his eyes, and before him sat Ying Wu, guarding him.

Sensing he was awake, Ying Wu also opened his eyes: "You... not only recovered quickly from your injuries, but it feels like you've grown a bit stronger?"

Zhao Changhe laughed: "Ever heard of Saiyans?"

"What's that? The various tribes of the Western Regions are diverse, but I've never heard of this one."

"Nothing... You're mistaken. I haven't fully recovered from my injuries—just looks better on the surface. And I haven't improved in cultivation at all—just gained some insights, a supplement at best." Zhao Changhe reached out: "Give me the good medicine."

Ying Wu directly handed over a jade bottle: "I see you don't need any herbs; what you need is nourishment, a great replenishment."

Zhao Changhe opened the bottle without a word, swallowed a pill, and his eyes lit up.

Boundless energy instantly filled his limbs and bones, soaking through his skin and inner layers. The dantian qi, which had hardly been depleted, surged upward with this single pill, and even his body-forging improved a bit.

"What kind of immortal pill is this?" Zhao Changhe was both surprised and delighted: "I've been to the Source of the Azure Dragon and the Island of the Horizon—their herbs weren't this incredible!"

"Well... if we're talking about herb quality, the top-tier herbs of the Azure Dragon Source are certainly first-rate. But don't you know that the skill of refining medicine is also important?" Ying Wu sighed regretfully: "Your Four Symbols Sect—the one who should have honed and studied this path was made emperor by you all. Naturally, you're lacking in this area... Hmm, if the emperor starts refining pills in the future, wouldn't that suddenly feel like fate?"

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Ying Wu continued: "Of course, the source of top-tier herbs isn't just the Island of the Horizon. The mountains around the Night Emperor's former palace were full of divine treasures. I once had the fortune to find a small medicinal pool..."

He grew more regretful: "People say I, Ying Wu, am wealthy enough to rival a nation. But what is a nation? The richest person in heaven and earth could only be the Night Emperor."

Zhao Changhe: "emmmm..."

Ying Wu lowered his voice: "I have an unreliable rumor that the Night Emperor should be female. Tsk, I wonder if she had a royal consort? That man would truly be a winner by lying down."

Zhao Changhe folded his arms: "What rumor? Don't you know I'm the new Night Emperor? Who knows her news better than me?"

"Oh, right... So what about this rumor?"

"First, your rumor is quite accurate. Second, she definitely had no royal consort back then."

"Why emphasize 'back then'?" Ying Wu was puzzled: "Does she have one now?"

Zhao Changhe looked at the sky and didn't answer.

Piaomiao glanced at Ye Jiuyou, who grinned.

Meeting Ying Wu's suspicious gaze, Zhao Changhe quickly changed the subject: "How do you have time to chat with me? Have you found the place?"

Ying Wu smiled slightly: "Since I dare to idle here with you, I must have some confidence. From my investigation of the spatial fluctuations around the Ice Abyss, it was moved here by a spatial disturbance. Tracing the source of this disturbance will lead to where it all began... If I'm not mistaken, what you're looking for is the Nine Abysses, and the Nine Abysses is the god of chaos and annihilation."

Zhao Changhe was delighted: "Can you trace it?"

Ying Wu patted his shoulder: "Give me a few more days; the chances are high. This medicine is a tonic, not for healing. Your injuries aren't fully recovered yet. Rest and heal for now, and wait for my news."

Ye Jiuyou, who had said "I really don't know how he'll come" five days ago, lost her grin instantly.

Piaomiao glanced at her again.

Though she also had a month-long bet with Cui Yuanyang and didn't want Zhao Changhe to find this place within a month, seeing Ye Jiuyou's discomfiture brought a faint smile to Piaomiao's lips—whether in mockery or something else.

Cui Yuanyang sat in the corner, hugging her knees, staring at this sister in shock... She had never seen her smile before; she was so beautiful when she smiled... Wait, no—this is my own face, Yuanyang!

Ye Jiuyou lounged lazily, muttering to herself: "Ying Wu would never imagine we've been spying all along... Since he's laid it out before me, I'll interfere a bit, and he won't find it..."

Cui Yuanyang was frantic: "That's cheating! What's the difference between that and running away after being found? Why not just turn and flee when he comes? Playing hide-and-seek forever—who would ever find you?"

Ye Jiuyou laughed: "Little sister, don't you know I'm the villain? Talking about integrity with me?"

Cui Yuanyang: "..."

Just as Ye Jiuyou's divine sense reached out to interfere, it was suddenly blocked.

Ye Jiuyou froze, incredulous: "Piaomiao, do you know what you're doing?"

Piaomiao said slowly: "You can cheat without scruples, but I won't. Don't drag my integrity down with you, or I won't hesitate to fight you first."

Ye Jiuyou, instead of being angry, found it amusing: "Fine, fine. Then I'll watch—whether you choose integrity or your chastity."

Piaomiao's face was expressionless: "How does meeting him relate to chastity? The one betrothed to him is Miss Li of the Li family, not me."