Chapter 850: New Bargaining Chips

Chapter 850: A New Bargaining Chip

Ye Jiuyou, in a fit of pique, cast a Great Purification Art, attempting to restore the pool to its original state.

In any case, Zhao Changhe would never comprehend why these cultivators, who could adequately cleanse even the earth and oceans with their spells, still insisted on using water to bathe.

The technique was unleashed, and the slug indeed vanished, yet the water still felt as though it contained something more, no longer possessing its original silent, profound obscurity.

Ye Jiuyou froze for a moment, sensing carefully, and knitted her brows.

There truly was something extra in the pool... Previously, it would not have been an exaggeration to call this dead water; any ordinary life thrown into it would surely perish, but now it had begun to harbor the power of life. Given billions of years of evolution, it could likely give birth to primordial creatures on its own.

"Is this the grievance they deliberately caused me?" Ye Jiuyou muttered softly, strangely finding that she did not feel aggrieved at all; instead, she felt this pool was unexpectedly more comfortable than before.

It possessed a hint of warmth, no longer a pure, profound chill.

Speaking of grievances, that slug from before was the true grievance—what a filthy thing!

Ye Jiuyou abstractedly extended her slender hand to gently brush the surface of the water, watching the ripples spread, not knowing what she was thinking for a very long time.

Upon her wrist was a jade bracelet, contrasting against her fair, translucent skin, looking so unfamiliar.

As she rubbed and washed her neck, she brushed against the necklace.

She was deeply unaccustomed to it, feeling as though many things that did not belong to her had been added... yet there was none of the discomfort she had imagined; rather... it was slightly less tedious.

"So that when you look in the mirror, what you see is no longer just that dark, dead silence."

Zhao Changhe's words flashed through her mind. Ye Jiuyou suddenly grew somewhat agitated, striking the water's surface fiercely and splashing water into the sky.

Immediately after, her heart tightened slightly; this sort of agitation should not appear in someone like her, who had cultivated through ten thousand years of loneliness.

Ye Jiuyou took a deep breath and suddenly rose from the pool, her original dark robe naturally appearing over her body.

She stood before the Soul-Snatching Mirror to take a look, frowning and feeling that everything was amiss. After some thought, she removed the robe again and put on that purple long dress instead.

The person in the mirror was mysterious and enchanting, looking indeed somewhat more beautiful than before.

So it truly was not just human aesthetics... The key lay in whether one cared, and whether it held meaning.

Ye Jiuyou frowned and thought for a long time before suddenly undoing it all; the bracelet and necklace vanished completely, her garments reverted to darkness, and she let out a sigh, finding she was still more accustomed to this and found it more pleasing to the eye.

She had perceived quite a great deal from his body today—the dark, life and death, as well as that grand chaos and annihilation. When her horizon expanded to that degree, some of the things she did had indeed lost their meaning.

This was the gap between her and Ye Wuming... and in truth, also the gap between her and Zhao Changhe. Even if her cultivation surpassed his, in many practical aspects Zhao Changhe led the world, which was why he was the executioner who stepped beyond the shackles of the Heavenly Way. Those existences defined as immortal in this world were slaughtered like trivial matters in his hands.

Once, she too had been one of the gods he intended to slaughter.

As she thought, a faint ripple arose within the mirror, and the image shifted from her own appearance to that of her walking side by side with Zhao Changhe in a bustling marketplace; he was buying cotton candy, his profile smiling with bright, warm sunshine.

Then he turned his head, his gaze shining brilliantly: "You are my grand endeavor."

"Bang!" Ye Jiuyou struck the Soul-Snatching Mirror with a palm, shattering the glass into pieces.

"A mere fragment of a broken mirror, yet it dares try to snatch this venerable one's soul!"

Ye Jiuyou kicked the shattered mirror far away, her heart filled with immense vexation; now it was over, she had no mirror to look into.

Wait, I have an entire mountain.

With a thud, Ye Jiuyou pulled out the mountain, adjusting it to the size of a full-length mirror, nodding in satisfaction.

Soon, her expression of satisfaction froze on her face... Previously, it was only a fragment, so no matter what it reflected, it could not possibly cause her any harm. Now it was the entire mountain; if it reflected something again, would it induce an inner demon, and would it truly seize her soul and snatch her spirit?

What a preposterous thing!

Ye Jiuyou massaged her temples with a headache, and finally flicked her finger. A mirror of ice replaced the Soul-Snatching Mirror, standing before her.

Exactly, she could clearly manufacture a mirror herself... but this was the intent of the Four Symbols perceived from his body, belonging to Xuanwu, so no matter how she looked at it, it displeased her eye.

The Xuanwu of this world seemed to be a lazy woman with large breasts and a large backside.

Why make them so large, is there any point to it? Ah, he returned to the Celestial River tonight; could he be doing indecent things with those women, while I am left here all alone looking into a mirror?

Ye Jiuyou inhaled deeply several times, leaving her headquarters in annoyance. Catching sight of a group of dull-witted corpse puppets guarding the perimeter, she flew into another fit of rage and kicked one far away: "Deadly dull, without a single shred of human flavor!"

Corpse puppet: "?"

Ye Jiuyou returned to the summit of the snowy mountain, sitting cross-legged with closed eyes under the moonlight to begin her cultivation. It seemed she could be clearer and calmer amidst the snow.

In truth, the dark abyss was clearly colder... perhaps it was just missing something; there was no snow, no moon, too tedious and lacking in interest.

Golden light suddenly flashed across the sky; the long-absent Chaos Ranking had finally updated.

"In the sixth month, Zhao Changhe and Piaomiao together entered the Heavenly Demon Secret Realm, capturing Bo Xun alive, roasting him within the Buddhist pagoda for several days before releasing him. Bo Xun was weakened and stabbed by Xue Xiao; Bo Xun perished, and the intent of the Heavenly Demon was obtained by Xue Xiao."

"Bo Xun, the Sixth Demon God, is removed from the ranking."

"The White Tiger manifests in the world; Ye Jiuyou, the Sword Emperor, Xue Xiao, and Zhao Changhe each harbored designs, and Han Wubing merged his body with the White Tiger."

"Han Wubing is removed from the Human Ranking, remaining on the Demon God Ranking as White Tiger Han Wubing."

"Amidst the chaotic battle, Han Wubing departed with a severed arm, and Xue Xiao was slain by the Sword Emperor. His true spirit, which possessed both the Diminishing Extinction and Bo Xun, was destroyed by Piaomiao, his form and spirit entirely dissipated."

"Fourth on the Heaven Ranking, Xue Xiao has perished."

There was some supplementary ranking information afterward, which Ye Jiuyou could not be bothered to care about at all. Instead, she was thinking that Piaomiao was actually still doing this at the moment, so it seemed that among the people doing indecent things with Zhao Changhe, at least she was not included.

That made sense; with Piaomiao's indifferent and aloof disposition, how could she possibly do that sort of thing with him in front of a crowd?

...

Ye Jiuyou's judgment was half right.

Zhao Changhe was certainly doing indecent things, but the partner was not a lazy woman with large breasts and a large backside; rather, it was precisely the indifferent and aloof Piaomiao.

Cui Yuanxiang truly wanted to go home. The recent adventures had provided more than enough excitement; she believed the continuing chaotic battle of gods and demons was unsuited for her, and it would be better to return home to accompany her parents and assist Tang Wanzhuang. Of course, before going home, she had to thoroughly drain her husband, lest he feed those enchanting, cheap vixens with large breasts and large backsides.

As a result, the enchanting, cheap vixens were each doing their own things and did not care much at all; the one who was truly miserable and deceived was Piaomiao.

Over there, the Four Symbols each occupied their positions, single-mindedly deducing the new formation. Piaomiao seemed separated from the group on one side, absorbing the true spirits of Diminishing Extinction and Bo Xun, but in reality, her body was trembling, gritting her teeth as she endured bitterly.

That lovely face was as flushed and beautiful as a peach or plum, and whatever style befitting an ancient grand senior had been thrown beyond the nine heavens.

Stealing a glance, the few over there seemed to have noticed as well, all casting strange glances toward her. Piaomiao knew these people were no fools; each was a representative of the absolute pinnacle of cultivation in the present world, and a slight tremor of her body here was no different from hopping and skipping about in their perception.

Piaomiao truly could not endure the ambiguous gazes of the several women. Unable to bear it any longer, she fled, her ears faintly catching their whispers from behind: "So Sister Piaomiao is even less able to restrain herself than we are."

"It is not surprising; after all, they have just gotten together, so their illicit passion is fervent... Thinking back to our own time, we also wished for nothing more than to cling to his body."

"Hey, just speak for yourself, don't say 'we.' I was very free and easy back then."

"Come off it, you rustic thing; you were the earliest to be mounted, completely shameless."

"Xia Chichi, is your skin itching?"

"Hehe, I itch more in other places..."

"You are an emperor too?"

"What about an emperor? Even the ancient demon gods itch."

Piaomiao practically wanted to die. She had originally wanted to find a place to hide, but simply decided against it, fiercely rushing into the Celestial River and grabbing Cui Yuanxiang, who was currently riding the horse: "You shameless filly, you've caused my death!"

Cui Yuanxiang's gaze was misty: "Ah? Does Sister want to join together?"

"I..."

"Didn't you run over here just to join together?" Cui Yuanxiang's entire body went soft: "Sister, come quickly, I can't hold out much longer..."

"If you can't hold on, how could I be any better?" Piaomiao was about to retort when her wrist was seized by Zhao Changhe: "Since we're here..."

Already weakened by the shared sensation, Piaomiao could no longer resist, and soon she was pulled into his embrace, kissed until the world spun.

...

The next day, before dawn, Cui Yuanyang, still naked, was personally teleported by an enraged Piaomiao using the power of the mountains and rivers straight to the capital, landing with a "plop" on top of Tang Wanzhuang.

Tang Wanzhuang was sleeping soundly, jolted awake by the girl falling from the sky. Her first thought was that Baoqin was causing trouble, and she grumbled irritably, "Baoqin, stop it, what time is it... Hey, why aren't you wearing any clothes..."

"Rustle~" A pile of clothes appeared out of thin air, a bellyband fluttering down to cover both their faces, along with a jade token from the Demon-Suppression Bureau.

Tang Wanzhuang: "..."

Cui Yuanyang carefully climbed up, smiling apologetically: "Sister, your body is so soft and fragrant."

Tang Wanzhuang yanked off the bellyband, staring in shock: "Cui Yuanyang? ... What's that dripping on my leg?"

Cui Yuanyang backed away with a sheepish grin: "Nothing, nothing—just something you've also had flow before."

Tang Wanzhuang fumed: "Is this how he gives me a sense of participation?"

"It's not his fault." Cui Yuanyang shrank her head: "It was a new sister who did it..."

Tang Wanzhuang was taken aback: "Who's so powerful that they can teleport you thousands of miles and land you so precisely on my bed? Even he probably couldn't be that accurate."

"What if I said it was our Mountains and Rivers Altar, familiar with the whole world as if it were her own flesh and blood? Would you believe me?"

Tang Wanzhuang: "???"

Cui Yuanyang smiled and picked up the jade token: "Brother Zhao said I should train at the Demon-Suppression Bureau, so I came to find you, sister."

Tang Wanzhuang stared at her sternly for a long time: "You'll follow my arrangements?"

Cui Yuanyang patted her chest: "Of course, I'll do as you say."

"Then go see your father first; he's in the capital. When it's time to report, go to the Demon-Suppression Bureau."

Early in the morning, just as the Demon-Suppression Bureau opened, people noticed a new sweeper at the gate, a round-faced girl with a mournful expression, utterly adorable. When someone asked an acquaintance inside, they learned she was once the eldest daughter of the Qinghe Cui family, the prince's lawfully wedded consort, now being given menial tasks because she had offended Prime Minister Tang.

Whether this was the prince favoring a concubine over his wife or the treacherous prime minister throwing his weight around became a lively topic of gossip among the capital's citizens, though no one took it seriously. After all, even if he were a treacherous minister, the meaning of "treacherous" was still open to debate.

What people could see was that the Great Han realm was thriving. Autumn harvest was imminent, and the golden rice and wheat fields promised a bountiful year. The chaos of recent years was visibly becoming a thing of the past.

"I was wondering why this year had such favorable weather and abundant harvests—turns out someone has been soaking in the Mountains and Rivers Altar." Tang Wanzhuang was complaining to Baoqin: "I think we can skip the autumn harvest ceremony; he can just offer sacrifices in bed..."

Baoqin said: "Why skip it? We must hold it. If she can hear what we say in the ceremony, then tell her to ask the prince to keep fewer fox spirits—this is a matter of state importance..."

Piaomiao was saying to Zhao Changhe: "Someone is privately offering sacrifices to the mountains and rivers, hoping the prince will keep fewer fox spirits. I think that's reasonable—for instance, the chambermaid can be pushed further back."

Zhao Changhe coughed: "Can you really hear all their prayers? Even the private ones?"

"Yes, as long as they are truly representatives of the mountains and rivers in the ceremony. The current acting prime minister is certainly one of them."

Xia Chichi muttered: "Thinking about what we said in past ceremonies is so embarrassing..."

Everyone was having breakfast by the river, pastries that Zhao Changhe had brought back from Chang'an. Piaomiao found this group amusing—even though after reaching the Imperial Realm, there was no need to eat mortal food, they all still enjoyed it heartily. So she joined in, feeling that the whole family gathered around eating together was quite pleasant.

The biggest change after last night's humiliation was that Piaomiao no longer had any reason to keep her distance. Everyone looked at her with smiles as kind as aunts'. Piaomiao found it bizarre—shouldn't you be jealous or look down on the stinky fox spirit? Why are you being so kind?

Was it because all pretense had been stripped away, leaving no room for estrangement?

Piaomiao whispered in Xia Chichi's ear: "What you said in the ceremony, I'll help you."

Xia Chichi was overjoyed: "Really?"

"Because this is indeed a matter of state importance, something I should do. And..." Piaomiao rubbed her head tragically: "I can only help you; I can't even help myself. For my own matters, I can only rely on luck."

Xia Chichi looked at Piaomiao with sympathy. It seemed this sister's abilities were vast and complex, but also clearly limited—most of their significance lay in helping others, not herself. From another perspective, if she could break through this barrier, she would no longer be at the third level of the Imperial Realm. Whether such an opportunity existed was unknown.

In any case, Zhao Changhe obtaining her was the true manifestation of gaining the vital energy.

While the sisters were whispering, Zhao Changhe was saying: "The Chaos List finally flickered. I thought someone had gone missing and stopped even doing this."

Piaomiao glanced at him sideways: "What's with that tone? You sound almost happy?"

"No, no... It's just that I haven't seen the Chaos List in a long time, and I kind of missed it." Zhao Changhe didn't dare show Piaomiao that he actually missed the Blind Man, quickly changing the subject: "How are you all doing with the White Tiger Intent?"

"Pretty well, no obstacles." Yue Hongling said: "The White Tiger truly is the symbol of all weapons, much broader than mere swordsmanship. I've benefited greatly. The Four Symbols Formation's weakness in killing and ferocity has now been filled. Next time I meet the Sword Emperor, at least he won't mock me."

"The Sword Emperor set up a decoy tomb, and the inheritance was real, meaning he was also gravely wounded and near death. Who did it?" Zhao Changhe said: "Earlier, seeing how hostile he was toward Ye Jiuyou, I thought she was the one, but later actions didn't match."

Piaomiao said: "Normal people wouldn't have a good attitude toward Ye Jiuyou. Killing her is only natural—except for some lecher whose brain works differently..."

Zhao Changhe lowered his head to eat his pastry. Of course my brain is different—would a normal person seduce you, Piaomiao? But he dared not say that, so he just ate.

Sanniang asked eagerly: "Then could it be Ye Wuming who killed the Sword Emperor?"

"Probably not." Piaomiao said: "If his enemy were Ye Wuming, he might have cooperated with Ye Jiuyou like I did, or at least mentioned something related."

Yue Hongling said: "From the residual sword intent I received from the Sword Emperor, there was a sense of desperate finality. He prearranged his tomb and inheritance, likely planning to go to a final battle."

"His enemy is someone else." Zhao Changhe mused: "Based on the apocalyptic scene I saw, he and Ye Wuming faced the same opponent, but they had no connection and acted independently."

Piaomiao sneered: "Ye Wuming trusts no one."

Zhao Changhe glanced at her, thinking to himself that wasn't necessarily true—at least Ye Wuming trusted her far more than the Sword Emperor or others. She had no contact with the Sword Emperor, yet she cooperated with Piaomiao to protect the human realm.

That said, because Piaomiao only represented the human realm, her knowledge was somewhat biased, similar to Ye Jiuyou, who only saw the Abyss and had gaps in understanding. In contrast, beings like the Sword Emperor and Lie roamed the three realms, saw more, and knew more, even sharing similar goals without communicating with Ye Wuming.

Theoretically, Ye Wuming, Ye Jiuyou, and Piaomiao together formed the complete Heaven, Earth, and Man. What they represented was far more elevated than the Sword Emperor and Lie.

Zhao Changhe pulled out a piece of energy jelly: "This rubbing from the stone slab by the pond—now that it's free from the Abyss's interference, can you decipher more?"

Piaomiao focused on it for a while, then nodded and shook her head: "A bit more, but still not complete... I'm thinking, now that your relationship with Ye Jiuyou has changed, maybe you should try asking her directly."

Zhao Changhe said: "Ye Jiuyou clearly hasn't fully deciphered it either, otherwise she wouldn't have kept it by the pond day and night."

"Then..." Piaomiao thought for a moment, then smiled: "I'll give you my deciphered text. Take it to her—maybe together you'll gain something. It might also become a bargaining chip for you..."

Zhao Changhe blinked, feigning ignorance: "What bargaining chip?"

Piaomiao said leisurely: "She tricked me, and I always pay back. I also want to know if someone like Ye Jiuyou can really be won over, if such a historic achievement is truly possible."

"So my task today is still to see Ye Jiuyou?"

"Don't play that game. Even if we didn't say it, weren't you planning to see her today anyway?" Huangfu Qing teased: "I saw you two already made plans to meet again when you were strolling through Chang'an yesterday. Your 'strike while the iron is hot' routine—we've all seen it before. Maybe the main reason you came back last night was for these rubbings."

Zhao Changhe's main reason for returning was, of course, to be with his wives. The meaning of these rubbings wasn't a bargaining chip; it was truly about solving the mystery.

But the women had already helped plan his next seduction strategy... Zhao Changhe looked at Piaomiao with a strange expression as she wrote down the translated text, thinking to himself: If Ye Jiuyou knew that his women not only felt no jealousy about him going after her but were eagerly offering advice, what would she think?