Chapter 840: Swords in the World Remain as Before

Chapter 840: The Sword of the World Remains Unchanged

Facing the Four Symbols Sect’s menacing stance, Snowy Owl’s expression shifted rapidly before he quickly retreated and vanished.

Outsider or not… this situation was too chaotic. As long as he lurked in the shadows, there would always be a chance to do something. Standing out front and being targeted first would just be foolish.

Besides… the fact that these people could always track him meant something was wrong. He needed to figure that out first.

Seeing Snowy Owl disappear, Han Wubing seemed about to give chase, but then glanced at Yue Hongling and the others, who stood motionless, still surrounding him and the White Tiger. He frowned slightly and stopped.

It was then that Yue Hongling spoke to Han Wubing: “He might not be an outsider… Among his various sword intents, there is a very clear Sword Emperor’s intent. At the very least, he has received the Sword Emperor’s support. In this chaos, he belongs to the Sword Emperor’s side.”

As she spoke, she sensed that the sword energy hidden within Snowy Owl’s body seemed to be dissipating. Clearly, the Sword Emperor had noticed and undone it… The sword energy that had been secretly planted in Snowy Owl long ago, used for various achievements, had finally fulfilled its purpose.

Generally speaking, during the Secret Realm era, it might have been overlooked, but now that he had reached the Second Layer of the Imperial Realm, it should have been hard to miss. Yet Snowy Owl’s unique cultivation method made it difficult to detect. The sword intents within him were too numerous and chaotic. If it were a completely foreign sword energy, it might have been noticeable, but it was mixed with the Sword Emperor’s intent, which he also possessed, and neither was originally his own—making it nearly impossible to distinguish.

This turned a shadowless, traceless assassin into someone who, in front of this couple, seemed to carry a large bell that clanged wherever he went. When chasing Zhao Changhe, he was led astray; when coming for the White Tiger, he was tracked. Yue Hongling sometimes wondered if everyone in their Snowy Pavilion, from the moment they encountered Zhao Changhe, was destined for tragedy.

Take Ying Shuang from back then—his fate was truly miserable.

Han Wubing seemed to think of Ying Shuang as well and let out a faint smile. His usually stern face had become bright and sunny ever since he saw them.

Everyone sighed. Han Wubing did share a bond with Changhe, but unfortunately…

Then Han Wubing laughed and said, “Whether he’s the Sword Emperor’s man or not, Snowy Owl has always been your enemy. Why not give chase?”

Huangfu Qing said coldly, “Whether he’s an outsider or not… in this matter, you seem to be not only an outsider but also an enemy.”

With the Four Symbols Formation still encircling the White Tiger and Han Wubing, the implication was clear: if they went after Snowy Owl, Han Wubing might stab them in the back, or at the very least, escape with the White Tiger.

Our target is the White Tiger; Snowy Owl is secondary. You’re trying to shift our focus onto him—probably not with good intentions. Either to stir the waters and take the White Tiger away, or to make us enemies of the Sword Emperor.

Han Wubing fell silent for a long time before finally sighing. “Do you really have to kill him? He has such deep ties with your Four Symbols Sect. He should be one of your own. Why this?”

Huangfu Qing said, “We don’t necessarily have to kill him… Originally, we wanted to see him first and then decide our stance. But from what we’ve seen, he is extremely hostile toward us. What else can we do?”

Han Wubing looked down at the White Tiger beside him. The White Tiger was in human form, but hunched over with claws bent, his posture like a wolf, his expression wild. His fierce eyes glared venomously at Xia Chichi and Yue Hongling, filled with shock and hatred for the White Tiger intent they possessed. But instinctively wary of the Four Symbols Formation, he didn’t move recklessly, only panting heavily, ready to strike at any moment.

“He’s mad,” Han Wubing said quietly. “He treats everyone like this. It’s not…”

Huangfu Qing interrupted: “Can’t you see? Compared to others, he hates Ye Jiuyou even more. Just now, Ye Jiuyou was trying to save him, yet he attacked Ye Jiuyou first. Besides that, he hates us, especially Chichi and Hongling, who carry the White Tiger intent. It’s obvious—he still has an instinctive loathing for his ancient enemy Ye Jiuyou, while in his eyes, we are either traitors or thieves.”

Han Wubing said nothing.

Yes, Jiuyou was his mortal enemy, and they were traitors.

The intent of these people was different from the ancient Four Symbols. Clearly, it wasn’t orthodox Four Symbols inheritance… Even if it was, it had been altered. The White Tiger could probably sense that these people had usurped the position of the ancient Four Symbols. Calling it a demon wearing the robe of the Four Symbols wouldn’t be wrong—it was an irreconcilable opposition.

There was also another possibility: the White Tiger himself hated the Night Emperor, because the Night Emperor had personally destroyed the Four Symbols. Whether the mad White Tiger was aware of this was unclear; his madness might even be related to it. If so, the White Tiger and the “usurpers” might share common ground worth exploring.

Unfortunately, he was mad and couldn’t communicate, so it was impossible to know which case it was… Judging by his particular hatred for Chichi and Hongling, it seemed closer to the former—hatred for the “usurpers.”

In any case, faced with such a volatile, predatory attitude and in this chaotic battle, there was no time to slowly investigate. Killing him was the safest option, or at the very least, subduing him. And Han Wubing was clearly protecting the White Tiger, putting them on opposing sides.

If they considered their friendship, setting Han Wubing aside to deal with Snowy Owl while letting the White Tiger, who harbored strong hostility toward them, escape—how much trouble would that cause later?

Xia Chichi said, “Old Han, you’re Changhe’s brother. We certainly don’t want to be your enemy, and I believe you don’t want that either. If you’re willing to hand over the White Tiger to us, we promise not to kill him recklessly. We’ll try our best to cure his madness and have a proper talk. Can you trust me?”

Han Wubing was silent for a moment, then slowly raised his sword: “No.”

Xia Chichi’s expression turned cold. “You’re pointing your sword at me?”

Han Wubing said nothing, his sword hand steady as ever.

Xia Chichi and Yue Hongling had a bond with Han Wubing, but Huangfu Qing and San Niang didn’t know him from Adam. Seeing this, the two older women grew irritated: “You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit.”

Before the words faded, the White Tiger behind Han Wubing let out a roar, formed a sword with his fingers, and lunged at Xia Chichi.

The murderous tension between the two sides had provoked the mad White Tiger, who could no longer hold back and struck first… Xia Chichi glanced at Han Wubing, who made no move to stop him.

Deeply disappointed, Xia Chichi thrust her Ice Soul forward, and the shadow of the Azure Dragon roared to life. In the Four Symbols Formation, she was the Azure Dragon, not the White Tiger.

“Azure Dragon… Frost Flower?” The attacking White Tiger visibly faltered, and even the Azure Dragon corpse puppet turned to look this way.

The Azure Dragon intent merged with the Ice Soul Divine Sword—a distant, shattered memory from long ago.

Ice Soul did not reject the Azure Dragon intent… Instead, the White Tiger’s hand hesitated for a moment mid-strike.

“Boom!” The Azure Dragon’s shadow clashed with the White Tiger. With the support of the Four Symbols Formation, Xia Chichi, who should have been weaker, stood firm, evenly matched. At the same time, Huangfu Qing and San Niang, standing at the other two corners, struck together—water and fire arriving simultaneously, with a snake whip already coiling toward the White Tiger’s waist in an attempt to capture him alive.

Han Wubing tried to intervene, but sword energy erupted behind him as Yue Hongling’s blade pointed at his back.

Helpless, Han Wubing turned his sword back, and two nearly identical sword energies clashed. Han Wubing let out a soft “Eh?” and stepped back half a pace: “You… you’re the White Tiger in their new system?”

“Yes,” Yue Hongling said calmly. “You know very well that the White Tiger hates us, yet you tried to hide it earlier. You could have laid everything out and sought common ground with us, but instead you said nothing and even pointed your sword at Chichi… Chichi is disappointed, and so am I… I wonder, if Changhe were here, would you have told him?”

Han Wubing said slowly, “No.”

“Why?”

“Because it would only put him in a difficult position.” Han Wubing said flatly, “Do you know why the White Tiger went mad, and what he intends to do?”

Yue Hongling asked, “Are you willing to tell me?”

Han Wubing said, “He will destroy everything in this world… just like he slaughtered the Golden Wolf back then. Especially the Four Symbols—he will surely kill them. And the Four Symbols of this era are Old Zhao’s untouchable scale—now even you are part of them, ha…”

“Why don’t you think that if you told him, Changhe would try to cure the White Tiger, no matter how difficult?”

Han Wubing’s eyes flickered, but he shook his head. “First, it’s incurable. Even if cured, he would still do the same… Second, Old Zhao is already burdened with the mission to destroy the ancient demons.”

“No one can assign a mission to Changhe.”

“I’m not just talking about Ye Wuming.”

“Whoever it is, including Ye Wuming.”

Han Wubing fell silent.

Yue Hongling sighed. “Why are you so certain that even if cured, the White Tiger would destroy everything? Why are you so familiar with Ye Wuming? Is it because… you are actually the White Tiger?”

The last sentence was a telepathic message, seemingly not meant for others to hear.

Han Wubing’s pupils contracted.

Yue Hongling continued, “We’ve all guessed it. This mad White Tiger is only half. With you added, that makes the true ancient White Tiger…”

Han Wubing also sent a telepathic message: “How do you know? Just because I have the White Tiger sword intent?”

“Changhe knows far more than you think…” Yue Hongling replied calmly. “The ancient White Tiger pulled out his own spine and cast it into the mortal world—that was you, wasn’t it? No one could find the White Tiger except you, and that’s the reason.”

She glanced again at the battle between the White Tiger and the others. Even without her intervention, the Four Symbols Formation wasn’t fully activated, but under the pressure of Huangfu Qing and San Niang, the White Tiger was already in danger. Han Wubing followed her gaze, his expression grim. He hadn’t expected that even without the Four Symbols Formation’s boost, and with him holding back Yue Hongling, these women were still this powerful… Having been out of touch with the world for just a year or two, he no longer recognized the humans of this era.

Yue Hongling continued, “This mad White Tiger moves like a wolf because he uses the spine of a prairie golden wolf as a replacement. Snowy Owl also has White Tiger intent because you once served as their sword slave, so they obtained your sword intent. That’s why Snowy Owl mingled with you, and why the Sword Emperor wants the White Tiger.”

Han Wubing was silent. “You even know this…”

Yue Hongling said, “When did you awaken?”

“Back then, after the Spirit Clan’s destruction and rebirth… You saw it.”

“So after that, you disappeared because you came to Kunlun to find the White Tiger.”

“Yes.”

Yue Hongling said, “When you merge, you will become the true ancient White Tiger… You haven’t merged yet, perhaps because you fear his madness will affect your sanity, and you haven’t found a solution yet. Staying long in the Demon Illusion Realm might be for that reason… After Snowy Owl absorbed Papiyas, he sought you out, believing he could solve it. Once these problems are resolved, using this mortal body, you should be able to reach the Third Layer of the Imperial Realm, breaking through the ancient White Tiger’s limitations.”

Han Wubing said slowly, “You do know a lot… But it seems there are two things you don’t know.”

“What two?”

"The first thing is, I haven't merged until now not because I can't solve the rational problem, but to show weakness to the enemy. I didn't know it would turn into this chaotic battle. If they had come one by one, they might have already fallen one by one under my sword."

Yue Hongling said coldly, "So we should thank you for not suddenly ambushing us?"

Han Wubing sighed, "Unless necessary, I truly don't wish to be your enemy. Even if necessary... I'd leave it for last. But now you're the ones surrounding me and refusing to let go."

Yue Hongling was noncommittal: "And the second thing?"

Han Wubing studied her for a moment and said in a low voice, "The Sword Emperor has appeared. Don't you feel a hint of vigilance about your own state?"

As he spoke, the White Tiger seemed unable to withstand the combined assault of San Niang, Huangfu Qing, and Xia Chichi. The serpent whip had already coiled around him, about to capture him alive.

But just as the whip tightened, a terrifying sword qi broke into the formation, striking the White Tiger at a moment when he couldn't dodge.

Though Yue Hongling was conversing with Han Wubing, she was actually watching closely. Seeing this, she suddenly planted her longsword on the ground.

The Four Symbols shifted, the White Tiger moved out of position, and the sword qi grazed past him, vanishing into the distant darkness.

Turning to look, Ye Jiuyou had disappeared at some point, along with the corpse puppets. Only the Sword Emperor remained, walking with his hands behind his back, saying calmly, "The Four Symbols Formation is quite practiced... but it's a shame you can't capture a broken and maddened White Tiger after so long. The Four Symbols of this generation are truly disappointing."

...

During their conversation, the Sword Emperor and Ye Jiuyou had exchanged a few moves. Ye Jiuyou's eyes darted around, then she giggled and retreated.

The first to appear, and theoretically the strongest on the field, Ye Jiuyou, was also the first to flee.

The situation was too chaotic... Since the Four Symbols Sect had taken the lead, and given the connection between the Four Symbols Sect and the White Tiger, as well as the bond between Zhao Changhe and Han Wubing, no matter what their intentions toward the White Tiger were, they certainly wouldn't let him be killed or captured by others. In that case, the Sword Emperor and the Four Symbols Sect were bound to clash. Why should she stay here? It was better to watch them fight and then seize the opportunity.

Besides... they had just tried to save her...

Ye Jiuyou's beautiful eyes flickered, finding it quite amusing.

Though she had been at a slight disadvantage at that moment, she was Ye Jiuyou after all—she didn't need anyone's help. She hadn't expected them to instinctively lend a hand, thereby exposing their hidden positions. They could have waited to reap the benefits, yet foolishly revealed themselves and entered the fray.

What were they after... Did she have any bond with them?

And it seemed to be a collective reaction—everyone felt they should help her... How interesting.

In truth, the Sword Emperor also had the idea of retreating first to watch others fight and then swoop in. But as a swordsman, he had his pride and wasn't as shameless as Ye Jiuyou. Before he could make a decision, Ye Jiuyou had already fled.

Essentially, it was because Ye Jiuyou knew how strong these women were, and there might be another, even more powerful pair lurking behind them—not to be trifled with. But the Sword Emperor didn't know that.

In his view, a complete Four Symbols Formation should match the strength of Ye Wuming. This formation's aura seemed impressive enough, yet it couldn't even subdue a broken White Tiger after so long—it was utterly disgraceful.

Then a girl in red, holding her sword by the hilt, bowed to him: "Greetings, Sword Emperor."

The Sword Emperor let out a surprised "Eh," and looked at her with interest: "What is your name?"

"This junior is Yue Hongling... I have inherited your residual sword intent and cultivated until now."

"Good..." A trace of a smile appeared on the Sword Emperor's usually impassive face. "Very good. So, what do you propose?"

Yue Hongling said calmly, "This series of chaotic battles has all been for the White Tiger. No matter which two sides fight fiercely, a third party will always lurk and take advantage. Moreover, the White Tiger is not a lifeless object—there are more variables. So, this junior wonders, instead of this mess, why not settle the matter openly with a contest? No matter how many parties are involved, this proposal can be carried out."

The Sword Emperor found it intriguing: "You want to duel me with swords?"

"Two options... Either you, senior, challenge our Four Symbols Formation, or you suppress your cultivation to the second level of the Imperial Realm and duel me one-on-one." Yue Hongling's eyes blazed with intense fighting spirit, her sharp gaze seeming to hide sword light. "Which option does senior choose?"

The Sword Emperor threw back his head and laughed heartily: "Seas change, mulberry fields shift, eras transform... Yet the sword in this world remains as it ever was."

Han Wubing turned to look at Yue Hongling, a flash of swordsman's fighting spirit flickering in his eyes.