Chapter 818: Please Set Another Trap

Chapter 818: Please, Just Lay Another Trap For Us

In truth, Zhao Changhe’s manifestation was of no great consequence; a whole crowd of other men had appeared on his side as well, for family and friendship could just as easily soften a hand and compromise a battle.

Had one given it deeper thought, it would have seemed even less unusual—their original dynamic was of a hostile nature, defined by the question of whether to kill Piaomiao to save his wife, yet from the very start Zhao Changhe had deemed her a good person and stayed his hand, unwilling to slay her. In other words, without the need for any illusion to manifest, whether or not his hand would soften had long since been proven in reality.

What need was there to dwell on something already proven long ago?

The trouble now, however, was that Zhao Changhe had also manifested on Piaomiao’s side.

So much for her grand declaration that "there is absolutely no one capable of making my hand soften." Through two epochs and countless faces beheld, the only two individuals who could stay her hand were Cui Yuanyang and Zhao Changhe. It was not entirely an empty boast, but the more it held true, the more glaringly prominent these two became.

Softening toward Cui Yuanyang could be excused—she was her reincarnation, after all—but could her softness toward Zhao Changhe truly be on account of her reincarnation's husband?

Furthermore, the Piaomiao displayed on Zhao Changhe's side was entirely unclad...

There was actually no other reason for this save for the fact that he had rarely ever seen a clothed Piaomiao; the two had scarcely interacted, and he naturally retained a particularly deep impression of that unclad scene.

Whatever the reason, an illusion that should have been no big deal ended up looking like a mutual pining, causing the latent ambiguity between them to skyrocket. Even Zhao Changhe, a seasoned veteran who had drifted through many a flower bed, felt his face grow hot, while Piaomiao’s blush was so deep she looked ready to combust.

The phantom beasts ahead bearing Zhao Changhe's face bore the brunt of the disaster, instantly blasted into oblivion by a rampaging Piaomiao; for a full ten miles ahead, not a single trace of life remained, and even the mountains on either side had been sheared down significantly.

Zhao Changhe reckoned that even he might not have been able to withstand Piaomiao's recent strike... Clearing a minion wave with an ultimate skill was exactly like this...

"I said we should fly across, so what are you lingering here for?" Piaomiao hurled a fierce remark before drifting away into the air.

"..." Zhao Changhe followed silently, choosing not to argue with a woman who had grown angry out of sheer embarrassment.

He then heard Piaomiao cast another remark back at him: "Because you are the current pillar of the Great Han and cannot be killed recklessly, do not overthink it."

Zhao Changhe replied, "Yes, yes, yes."

"What sort of tone is that?"

"A triple affirmation is, of course, an emphatic tone."

"When did you become so slick-tongued?"

"Ever since I saw a pack of Zhao Changhes... I realized that no matter how greasy I get, I won't die from it."

"You!"

Zhao Changhe once again smoothly shifted the subject: "That move of yours just now made too much noise... I know area-of-effect skills too, so do you know why I slashed my way through one blade at a time?"

As expected, Piaomiao was drawn away from her thoughts: "You didn't want to alert the enemy?"

"Mm... there are more than just these creatures here; there are also humans from the Heaven Ranking and even greater unknowns, this being the stronghold of an entire faction of villains. But this place is vast; back then, Hongling blended in here for quite a while without anything going wrong, proving that Papiyas does not watch every nook and cranny at all times. As long as we don't make too much noise, we can still test the waters from various angles. With that strike of yours just now, Papiyas would notice it by now even if he were asleep, and we must now face an inescapable net that has already been prepared."

Piaomiao fell silent for a moment, appearing somewhat apologetic: "I was impulsive."

"It's fine." Zhao Changhe smiled. "I can consult the map of this place... We can conceal our auras going forward, and taking detours will at least allow us to avoid the traps on certain major paths."

Piaomiao said, "That so-called atlas of the Black Tortoise is truly a supreme treasure; even Ye Jiuyou and I are not this intimately acquainted with the geography of the Heavenly Realm. Is the foundation of the Four Symbols Sect truly this profound?"

"Apologies, but this is my foundation."

Piaomiao: "..."

Zhao Changhe did not mention that this foundation actually belonged more to Ye Wuming; fearing that Piaomiao's mood would sour again if he spoke of it, he simply refrained from bringing it up.

Concealing their auras, the two stealthily made their way through the mountains. Zhao Changhe unfurled the *Atlas of Mountains and Rivers* to the page of the "Hehua Zizai Heaven" and took a glance, utterly unable to discern his own position on the map for the time being: "This place is too vast and lacks clear landmarks, making it hard to figure out our location. Why don't you have a look too?"

Piaomiao leaned her head over to study it with him for a moment before pointing a finger at a certain spot: "It should be here."

"Are you sure?" Zhao Changhe turned his head toward her.

Piaomiao looked up as well; the two turned to face each other at such close proximity that the tips of their noses nearly brushed. The scene froze for an instant before both deflected their gazes at the same time.

"I am sure..." Piaomiao said, her head turned away. "The rocks and stones everywhere look similar, but in truth each is different; every single stone and every blade of grass is a highly explicit landmark. That you harbor such confusion shows your grasp of the microscopic still needs refining."

Zhao Changhe chuckled. "Understood, Honored Deity."

Piaomiao kept her head turned.

When they first met, Zhao Changhe had very politely called her Honored Deity, a title he hadn't used in a long time; now that he invoked it again, it was hard to tell how much of it was respect and how much was teasing.

Piaomiao began looking for a way to reclaim her ground, letting him know he could not just tease her at whim: "Though your talent is peerless in the world, you are indeed too young, lacking much accumulation and tempering."

Closing the atlas, Zhao Changhe smiled and said, "Speaking of which, you shouldn't strike again hereafter... Ye Jiuyou was right before; a vital significance of my venturing alone into this place is to train and improve myself. If a heavyweight of the Third Realm of the Imperial Stage like you keeps intervening, there will be no room for me to grow. Besides, the vast majority of people do not know that this person occupying Yuanyang's body is Piaomiao; you need to stay hidden for now to give Papiyas a surprise later. I suspect that if he knew Piaomiao had come looking for him, he might not even be willing to show his face, so until we see Papiyas, you are not allowed to strike even if you see me in dire peril."

Listen to that tone; he had been calling her Honored Deity just a moment ago, yet now he spoke with a hint of command... It was clearly meant to counter her previous tone of lecturing him. How could this man's mind be narrower than the point of a needle...

With an expressionless face, Piaomiao asked in return, "If there is an illusion you cannot see through, do you require my guidance?"

"No need, it defeats the purpose of the training."

"Fine."

The two stealthily took a detour for a distance, neither speaking another word.

Clearly they had done nothing and spoken not at all, yet two people quietly weaving through the mountain forests in broad daylight, tacitly evading phantom beasts, somehow gave rise to a strange, indescribable flavor of a young couple trysting in secret.

Cui Yuanyang sat cross-legged with her hands cradling her chin within her sea of consciousness the entire time, constantly feeling that the current scene of the young pair in the mountains carried a powerful sense of déjà vu.

Years ago, she and Big Brother Zhao had also woven through the mountain forests amidst perils on all sides like this... Now, even the appearances of both sides had not changed much, though Big Brother Zhao's temperament had altered significantly. She had once felt that Big Brother Zhao's wild, unyielding nature possessed a fatal attraction for her; looking at it now, his current demeanor was no less attractive to her than it was back then.

The one she loved was this person after all; no matter what he became, everything about him was a virtue.

Piaomiao shared so many of her memories and emotions—how could she possibly escape?

Amidst their disparate thoughts, Zhao Changhe suddenly halted his advance.

On the mountain path ahead, the familiar figure of Sisi held a dagger, her afterimages darting about as she swiftly slew seven or eight phantom beasts with a succession of sharp sounds before plunging rapidly into the mountain forest.

"A phantom wail and a divine howl indeed... Strange, why did Sisi come here?" Amazed, Zhao Changhe quietly followed. He watched Sisi twist and turn through the mountain forest, approaching a certain position within the trees all along the way as if she possessed an extremely clear objective.

That graceful form in mid-flight, the intent of riding the wind within her techniques, the faint traces of the Sword Emperor's swordsmanship, and the familiar floral fragrance lingering in the air all told Zhao Changhe that this was indeed Sisi, completely incomparable to those phantom beasts from before that merely bore a face.

Zhao Changhe trailed carefully behind. If Sisi had activated her spirit-controlling method and shared the power of the blood turtle, she could well venture into most places in the world, yet this happened to be one of the exceptions. She could not possibly be a match for Papiyas, not to mention there was a whole host of unknown enemies like Snowy Owl here; this place was an absolute dragon's den for Sisi. How did she dare come alone, and what had she come to do?

Could it be something like Ye Wuzong's dying decree? Why hadn't she sent a letter to say a word...

Following beside him, Piaomiao glanced sideways at his grim and tense expression, her lips curling imperceptibly.

With a sharp sound, Sisi's dagger once again swept across the necks of two phantom beasts; she crouched in ambush on a tree branch ahead, calmly scouting below.

Zhao Changhe watched from afar, his mind stirring slightly as he spotted a patch of smooth stone wall over there.

This seemed to be the entrance Hongling had spoken of... This stone wall had once reflected Hongling's inner heart, nearly drawing her soul inside. If his judgment was correct, this stone wall was actually the intersection of this realm and Kunlun, half in Kunlun and half within.

There was an even more horrifying judgment to be made: the phantom beasts inside this place might mostly be formed after the souls of Kunlun treasure-seekers were drained, making them absolute instruments of harm.

What had Sisi come looking for this stone wall for?

Guarding the front of the stone wall were several giant beasts that were clearly much larger than the other phantom beasts, currently patrolling back and forth with great caution.

Sisi observed for a moment, and taking advantage of the instant when two giant beasts crossed paths and could not see each other's backs, she suddenly flicked her finger.

Two venomous insects abruptly materialized behind the phantom beasts, boring into their bellies without a sound, whereupon they suddenly bloated and exploded with a crash.

Amidst the sound of the explosion, Sisi turned into an afterimage, rapidly approaching the stone wall.

Just when Zhao Changhe thought she might pull off some trick upon nearing the stone wall, Sisi stood dazed before it, clearly caught in an illusion at first glance.

Zhao Changhe cried out in alarm within his heart... Even if she could break free from the illusion quickly, a mere moment of distraction while situated in such a perilous place could result in irreversible consequences. What a little novice—how did she dare come here to throw her life away?

Sure enough, during that precise instant of daze, a sword light suddenly erupted from the horizon, reaching Sisi's flank within a single breath.

That signature afterimage of white clothes, a sword so fast it left no room for reaction... Snowy Owl.

Sisi seemed to break free from her daze and awaken, yet her movements remained somewhat sluggish under its lingering effect, and now it was already too late...

A clanging roar of a dragon arose, and a blood-colored blade-light suddenly flashed into existence.

As if traversing through time and space, the moment the crimson hue appeared, it had already reached the origin of the sword-light.

Snow Owl could no longer thrust his sword forward; his form turned into a residual afterimage as he flashed past in a desperate evasion, twisting his body to drive a sword strike toward Zhao Changhe's flank.

Having successfully forced the enemy to save their own base, Zhao Changhe did not linger in entanglement, quickly swinging his blade to parry the sword strike aside as he barred the way in front of Sisi: "One of the few surviving former paragons of the Heaven Ranking, launching a sneak attack on a little gir—"

Before the words could even finish, a sudden chill crept up his spine.

Sisi’s dagger thrust viciously toward the center of his back, while ahead, Snow Owl's sword had already reached his face, faster and more ruthless than the strike just before.

The two massive phantom beasts that had seemingly exploded transformed their bodies into fluctuations of the soul, piercing straight into Zhao Changhe's mind.

An all-out ambush from every angle, a trap from the very beginning to the end.

Piaomiao instinctively raised a hand, intending to assist, but forced it back with sheer willpower... He had said that until Bo Xun appeared, even if he seemed to be in extreme peril, no action was permitted.

This "Sisi" was not Bo Xun; the time had not yet come.

Yet Zhao Changhe did not even bother with the dagger attacking from behind, nor did he even try to dodge Snow Owl's sword; his Longque blade unyieldingly slashed toward Snow Owl's head.

Snow Owl turned into a residual image once more, causing the blade to cleave empty air, but Zhao Changhe's body suddenly vanished as well, leaving the sword and the dagger to stab nothingness simultaneously, and even the phantom beasts' soul fluctuations rippled through empty space.

Spatial shift.

Li Shentong had said that the body's defensive power was the final barrier and should not be relied upon too heavily... Among his evasion options prior to that, Zhao Changhe now favored the spatial element most, since in any game, blinking was always a god-tier skill.

Every skill had its drawbacks; at the very least, blinking required preparation in advance, for space was not something to be played with casually.

Which meant Zhao Changhe had been on guard against this "Sisi" from the very start?

"If Bo Xun doesn't show up, your strength is still insufficient to capture the flaw in my blink, and you could ambush me for a lifetime only to ambush the air." With his back still turned to "Sisi," Zhao Changhe spoke casually as he faced Snow Owl: "Long time no see. Broke your celibacy yet?"

Snow Owl: "..."

Zhao Changhe sighed: "Looks like not. No wonder you're still stuck at the First Domain of Heaven, even after absorbing a portion of the Dark Annihilation... Truly pathetic."

Snow Owl nearly choked on his own breath; you call the Heaven Domain pathetic?

But then again, Zhao Changhe truly possessed the right to say those words... In all the world, only Zhao Changhe had that right. How could there be someone whose cultivation was so monstrous in this world? It defied all reason.

Snow Owl did not care to engage in such a war of words with Zhao Changhe, but behind him, "Sisi" spoke up coldly: "How did you see through that I, this Queen of the Spirit Race, was a fake? Logically, I should have been completely flawless, and I even killed phantom beasts at the start."

Zhao Changhe said: "There were indeed no flaws at all; even the martial arts and the scent were identical, and there was even Gu sorcery... I reckon it might not be something you learned, but rather just something my own mind filled in upon seeing it, so there would never be a flaw regardless."

"Then how did you see through it?"

"I'm sorry, it wasn't through sheer strength that I saw through it; I cheated." Zhao Changhe sighed: "Sisi and I share a Heart-to-Heart Gu. At such a close distance, the Heart-to-Heart Gu can resonate completely; originally, both sides would know what the other is thinking, but I've been calling out here for ages and it's like I've been blacklisted... I must say, of all the people you could choose to illusion, you chose Sisi who shares a Heart-to-Heart Gu with me..."

Snow Owl: "..."

Phantom beasts: "..."

Of course they could only choose Sisi; your other women are currently teaming up on their way to Kunlun, so how could they possibly appear here alone? The only one who could possibly appear alone at this time was Sisi left to choose... Heaven knows you two actually have a Heart-to-Heart Gu; is that kind of thing something you can just ingest carelessly?

Snow Owl was still unreconciled: "Then why were you able to remain completely unaffected by the stone wall?"

"Please, did I look directly at the stone wall even once from beginning to end?"

"Weren't you curious at all? Not even a single glance?"

"Because my wife already came to look at it long ago and knows what on earth it is..." Zhao Changhe looked even more aggrieved than them: "I came here to train; why did you have to choose these things that allow me to cheat directly? It truly disappoints me too much. How about this, I'll let you leave, and you can arrange another trap for me, alright?"

Low damage, but immensely insulting.

Even though Snow Owl had been steady and forebearing his entire life, the words caused his face to change color.

Zhao Changhe spoke again: "I clearly saw through it, yet I still ran out to walk into the ambush, originally intending to bait Bo Xun... As it turns out, Bo Xun is even more of a coward than I imagined, refusing to strike even given such an excellent opportunity... Either have Bo Xun come out directly to face me, or you guys go back and rearrange a trap to play with me. If it's just you alone, you are only fit to be my playthings."

Several rays of sword-light emerged from the darkness, rushing straight toward Piaomiao who was hiding in the rear: "Then what about Cui Yuanqiang? Is she enough to play with us?"

Zhao Changhe sighed and said nothing.

"Clang!" The divine sword unsheathed, purple energy filling the sky.

Several miserable shrieks echoed as a crowd of Tingxue House assassins fell dead beside Piaomiao.

At this moment, it wasn't Piaomiao at all; Piaomiao had maliciously pushed Cui Yuanqiang out to operate, because these small fries were easily handled by the Qinghe Sword alone...

Zhao Changhe found that Piaomiao was actually quite amusing sometimes, feeling a bit entertained in his heart, though his expression grew even more sorrowful: "You don't even have the qualifications to play with a sword... Do you want me to add another one?"