Chapter 843: Heavenly Punishment?

Chapter 843: Divine Punishment?

Whether Night Nine Nether was willing or not, it seemed this fight could no longer happen.

A chaotic battle that had involved nearly all the peak powers of this world, one that in Huangfu Qing’s estimation would leave everyone wounded, had been simplified from complexity starting with Yue Hongling’s challenge to the Sword Emperor. In the end, everyone’s role was merely to construct a “momentum” to facilitate Zhao Changhe’s dialogue.

Night Nine Nether had to admit that with these women forming a Four Symbols formation around her, especially with Piaomiao nearby, she was indeed wary. Blocked by Zhao Changhe’s horizontal blade, she was furious but unable to strike.

Her expression flickered between light and shadow as she stared at the Dragon Sparrow blocking her path for a long time before slowly saying, “Whether you truly want to talk things out or just use these excuses to stop me from chasing your brother, you know in your heart. All these seemingly pleasant words are worse than simply admitting you feel guilty toward me.”

Zhao Changhe was silent.

Yes, after all was said and done, no matter how many excuses he found to convince himself and Night Nine Nether, the essence was saving Han Wubing.

Otherwise, why block with a horizontal blade? Wasn’t it plainly telling her, “If you won’t talk to me, talk to my blade”?

This horizontal blade threat—was it any different in nature from Han Wubing’s sword pointing at Xia Chichi? Wasn’t it all trampling on the other’s feelings? How uncomfortable he had felt about that scene, just as uncomfortable Night Nine Nether felt now.

Zhao Changhe finally sheathed his blade and said softly, “Sorry.”

Night Nine Nether sneered. “Han Wubing cut off his arm to apologize. You just say two words?”

Of course, everyone knew Han Wubing’s arm-cutting wasn’t just for this matter. It also included Zhao Changhe’s criticism of his unwillingness to trust and hiding away without communicating, as well as his guilt for not saving Zhao Changhe when he fled for his life. At the same time, it was a way to cut off the arm to survive, letting the Four Symbols Sect obtain the White Tiger’s body to ease the conflict.

For someone like Han Wubing, he wouldn’t consider all the twists and turns. Faced with emotions too complex to articulate, self-harm was the most straightforward choice. That sword strike made Zhao Changhe’s anger vanish, replaced by a pang of sympathy.

This feeling made him somewhat exasperated, and he finally sighed. “Why do I feel like you’re jealous of Han Wubing?”

Night Nine Nether: “?”

“Do you want me to cut off my arm too?”

Her beautiful eyes flickered over his arm, and she sneered, “I think that would work.”

The killing intent from the women around them thickened, and Night Nine Nether’s expression soured even more. Easy to say—if you actually dared to chop off your arm, wouldn’t these bitches fight me to the death? If Night Nine Nether had her choice, cutting off an arm was meaningless. Better to cut off the fifth limb, then see how many helpers you’d have by your side…

Zhao Changhe sighed. “So I said I’d help you achieve your goal as compensation. You really don’t believe me?”

“Goal?” Night Nine Nether sneered, then suddenly snapped her fingers.

The corpse puppets of Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise appeared beside her. They no longer looked withered and dead as before; there was now a faint semblance of life.

She said coldly, “They were plotting against me, but wasn’t I plotting against them? Do you really think I’m some fool to be manipulated?”

Zhao Changhe said, “I’ve always known you’re not. You have many hidden schemes.”

Night Nine Nether pointed at the corpse puppets. “Originally, I didn’t need to reveal these puppets so early. Keeping them hidden would have been more valuable. Why do you think I showed them so soon?”

Zhao Changhe thought for a moment. “The White Tiger is alive. You used the connection between the Four Symbols to let the White Tiger’s vitality and memories stimulate these three, achieving some kind of resurrection under your control. Your earlier disadvantage in the battle wasn’t really a problem. The longer time dragged on, the more the vitality stimulation worked in your favor. At a certain point, the originally sluggish Four Symbols would fully revive, and with your other subordinates surrounding them, you might have caught the Sword Emperor and the White Tiger in one net. That’s also why you saved the White Tiger in the chaos—you didn’t want him to die.”

Night Nine Nether was somewhat surprised by his accurate judgment but still said coldly, “Since you know that, you should understand that your meddling was nothing but a nuisance.”

“You had your plan, they had theirs. No one can predict whose plan would succeed. I think the result would more likely be mutual destruction. Actually, if we hadn’t interfered and waited for the right moment to strike, we might have been the ones to snatch the prize.”

Night Nine Nether snorted. Since Zhao Changhe and Piaomiao had managed to escape in time, the possibility of them snatching the prize certainly existed. But which possibility was higher, no one knew. The situation had been disrupted, so there was no “what if.”

Zhao Changhe said, “I don’t care what the original outcome would have been, but I think this is best. At least nothing I didn’t want to see happened. As long as everyone is still fine, a failed plan is nothing—we can always come back.”

As long as everyone is still fine…

Night Nine Nether felt as if the killing intent from the women around her had changed flavor. Those wary eyes suddenly became strange…

You just blocked me with your blade!

With some inexplicable emotion, Night Nine Nether really didn’t want to talk to Zhao Changhe under everyone’s gaze. Finally, she said, “If you really want to make it up to me, come to the mountaintop where I was before tonight. Alone.”

With that, she vanished in a flash.

Zhao Changhe stared at where she disappeared, lost in thought. From her escape technique, it was clear that his horizontal blade alone couldn’t have stopped her.

What stopped her was not the blade, but his attitude.

He sighed and finally walked toward Huangfu Qing. She was controlling a ball of flame, within which black mist writhed and struggled.

This was Anmie, also Mara—now one and the same. The Vermilion Bird’s fire suppressed it no less than the Buddhist pagoda, and the agonized struggle was evident, its aura growing weaker.

Seeing Zhao Changhe’s somewhat silent demeanor, Huangfu Qing smiled. “What’s wrong? In a bad mood?”

“Yeah.”

“Because of Han Wubing, or because of Nine Nether?”

Zhao Changhe shook his head. “Mostly because of Wubing… The emotions are really complicated. And of course, I feel a bit sorry for Night Nine Nether. She gave up a lot of what she originally wanted to do just to avoid falling out with me. My actions probably disappointed her. Say, if I really plan to help Nine Nether and make it up to her, what do you all think?”

“We still need to figure out what she really thinks… Theoretically, we and Nine Nether are mortal enemies. We can’t trust her so easily. What she’s done so far is good, but it could also be a ploy to lull us. After all, everyone knows what kind of person you are. If she puts on that act, you’ll soften—and that kind of temperament makes you easy to fool. Be careful.”

Zhao Changhe grunted in acknowledgment. He recalled tracing Night Nine Nether’s behavior in front of the mirror and fell into a daze.

Xia Chichi asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“Uh… nothing. Just feeling down.”

“Normal. If I were you, I’d feel down too.” Xia Chichi grinned. “The worst part is, Wubing didn’t really do much wrong, right? Anyone else would probably think you’d side with us, so it’s hard for him to speak up. Han Wubing is naturally withdrawn and taciturn; hiding away and not communicating with you is normal for him. I think he still has loyalty to you… but maybe there’s a bit of jealousy mixed in? Hard to say.”

“You’re actually defending him.”

“Because the one his sword pointed at was me. Only I can decide whether to forgive. If I don’t say anything, you’ll just stew in it.”

Zhao Changhe’s heart stirred, and he turned to look at her.

Xia Chichi stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear, “Han Wubing is the only one in the world who witnessed me in men’s clothes having an affair with you… The day of Lixia was your appointment, but in the end, it was Xia who was spread open and messed up. With that kind of connection, I’m willing to give him some leeway.”

Zhao Changhe laughed. “You…”

It had only been a little over two years, but somehow, looking back now, it felt like a different world, like seas turned to mulberry fields.

The greenness of a fledgling, the high spirits of the jianghu back then.

Xia Chichi, like a little adult, reached up and ruffled Zhao Changhe’s hair. “What ‘you’? I should be saying ‘you’… I don’t know if you’re lucky, but after all this time in the jianghu, you’ve never suffered betrayal from a brother—something so common for others. Even if you’re barely facing it now, it’s not real betrayal. I think it’s a good thing. They say once you enter the jianghu, time ages you. You haven’t even tasted this, so what’s there to age?”

Zhao Changhe couldn’t help but smile, his gloomy mood lifting somewhat. He grabbed Xia Chichi’s wrist and pulled her hand down. “I have encountered it before—back in the mountain stronghold… And if I really am getting old, would you be happy?”

“Being a bit older isn’t bad. A little more world-weariness suits your current status. What’s the point of still looking like a kid at your age?”

“You’re an empress, yet you still look like a little enchantress. How do you command respect at court?”

“That’s why I need to have a child soon.”

Saying it out loud, huh… Piaomiao turned her head away, and Huangfu Qing gritted her teeth, wanting to hit her disciple but held back.

What kind of environment was this? She couldn’t even bring herself to hit her disciple, and here they were flirting…

Anyway, that indescribable feeling in Zhao Changhe’s heart had been dispelled by the understanding little enchantress. He laughed. “We’ll talk later. Let’s deal with the matter at hand first.”

With that, he extended a finger and touched it into Huangfu Qing’s flame, into the black mist.

“You have many identities, and now even Mara is you… I’ll call you Anmie for now.” Zhao Changhe said calmly. “There are a few things I want to ask you.”

Anmie was in agony from Huangfu Qing’s blazing flames, but Zhao Changhe’s finger made it even worse. The burning had numbed its spirit, which was a kind of self-protection, but this finger brought it back to full awareness, making the pain unbearable. “I think you’d better go back to flirting. Can’t you let me die in peace?”

“No. Otherwise, why did I let Mara go back then?”

Anmie said angrily, “You let Mara go on purpose, knowing I would absorb him?”

“That was obvious. Otherwise, you had no reason not to save Mara earlier—you were just waiting to scheme against him.” Zhao Changhe said, “I always suspected that Snow Owl was either connected to the White Tiger or the Sword Emperor, but lacking strength, I held back. I didn’t have time to wait forever. To break the deadlock, I gave you power. When you thought you were qualified to act, you would naturally bring us the clues we wanted.”

“Including you being trapped by Night Nine Nether—was that intentional too?”

“Of course. There were things she didn’t want Piaomiao and me to interfere with, so she had to trap us before she could start.”

"So this entire upheaval was entirely within your predictions, perhaps even orchestrated by you?" Annihilation let out a harsh laugh. "But why are you so dejected now, as if you're the one who lost?"

"It's fine. I have a considerate wife; I'm no longer dejected. It's you who's dejected now."

Annihilation: "..."

He truly wished Huangfu Qing's flames would burn more fiercely, so he could just die and be done with it.

"Your connection with the White Tiger should stem from Han Wubing, and the White Tiger's sword intent within you as well. But how did your connection with the Sword Emperor come about? Why would you cooperate with him? Logically, he wouldn't even deign to look at you." Zhao Changhe said calmly, "I only ask this one question. Answer it, and I'll grant you a quick death."

"Isn't it simply because I could provide him with the whereabouts of the White Tiger, even help him obtain the White Tiger, leading to a shallow cooperation? What else could there be?"

Zhao Changhe sneered: "But you assassinated Hongling... You actually feared that Hongling's rise would replace the Sword Emperor. Even if such a thing were to happen, it would be in the distant future. What does it have to do with you, worth your risk of a sneak attack? The only reason is that you weren't afraid of Hongling replacing the Sword Emperor at all; you simply wanted to seize the opportunity to disrupt the Four Symbols cycle. You're after something else. Think back to the antecedents—you've been plotting to replace the Netherworld since the last era. With your level of strength, what gave you the confidence to do such things? And how could you judge that this era would be the age of humanity? I don't believe you have no one backing you. You're nothing but a pawn. Speak. Who is it?"

Annihilation groaned in the flames but remained silent.

"Even if you don't speak, I can guess a thing or two." Zhao Changhe said in a low voice, "The Shadow is the origin of everything, isn't it? The thing sealed beneath the Ice Abyss of the Cold Serpent—is it directly connected to you?"

Annihilation was horrified. Though he didn't speak, the black mist writhed far more violently than before, confirming the turmoil in his heart.

"So Night Nameless feared Night Netherworld because of this. She believed Night Netherworld represented you all... But Night Netherworld never took you seriously, lacking that piece of understanding, making her seem less knowledgeable than Night Nameless... Yet precisely after being separated from you, she began to show signs of awakening, becoming more vivid..."

"Boom!" Thunder suddenly roared from the heavens.

As if triggering divine punishment, a cataclysmic power struck straight down. Piaomiao San Niang and the others tensed, ready to defend, when Zhao Changhe flipped his wrist. The Heaven-Longevity Divine Axe appeared in his hand, and he viciously swung it upward to meet the strike.

"Boom!"

Thunder clashed against thunder. Lightning bolts scattered like snakes in all directions. Before long, the entire Demon Illusion Realm began to tremble and crack, as if the whole space was fracturing.

Zhao Changhe sneered, guiding a thread of lightning into the black mist. Amidst screams, Annihilation gradually dissipated, turning into passive shadows and the essence of Mara, vanishing into the void.

"Let's go." Zhao Changhe waved his hand, and a beam of light enveloped everyone. The next moment, they all teleported together, directly out of the Demon Illusion Realm.

At the "entrance" of the realm, Zhao Changhe glanced sideways at the smooth cliff face standing to the side and raised his hand again.

The entire mountain rose from the ground. Zhao Changhe held the mountain in his hand and strode away.

Even his own women stared wide-eyed as their husband carried a mountain while walking, their eyes all turning into stars.

So handsome...

Behind them, the space collapsed. Countless phantom images of strange beasts and illusionary creatures scattered and vanished, falling into the world, making this backdrop utterly breathtaking.

In truth, moving mountains was something the Ancient Azure Dragon had done before, and Piaomiao could do it casually. But aside from her, the other women had all cultivated step by step from mortals. They had never tested such seemingly absurd feats of power. Seeing it suddenly, the impact on their minds was immense.

If Changhe could do it, didn't that mean they could too?

So it turned out that by now, moving mountains and filling seas was nothing extraordinary.

"Piaomiao, take everyone to find a secluded place to study the White Tiger's severed arm together. Oh, right, the area near Tianhe before was quite good—hard to find, safe. I'll go see Netherworld and come back later."

Night Netherworld sat with a grim face on the snow-covered mountain peak where she had been staying all these days, lost in thought.

The distant spatial turbulence and chaos roused Night Netherworld from her reverie. Just as she was about to trace what had happened, she saw Zhao Changhe approaching across the snowy plains, carrying a mountain.