Chapter 859: The Former Third Card

Chapter 859 The Former Third Card

The Heavenly River, where every wave is a star, and every star is a world.

If someone were to hide within this endless starry river, even Ye Wuming, unleashing all his power to search, would not find them in a short time. In those days, the White Tiger fled through here, and Piaomiao, carrying Zhao Changhe, stole the lotus platform and escaped the same way.

Bathing here—it could be said that no bathhouse in the Three Realms is safer than this.

This time, Zhao Changhe had been away for quite a while. The others had grown weary of their separate cultivations, and Piaomiao had even deliberately breached the Four Symbols Formation once for a good sparring session. They fought until each was drenched in fragrant sweat, then all agreed to go bathe.

As it turned out, when it was known that everyone was gathered in this stretch of the river, their husband found it quite easy to sneak a peek.

As Piaomiao washed, she sensed her own power growing. Her cultivation was unique; her strength increased mainly through the flourishing of the human way. This time, she seemed to perceive the perfection of the Divine Land, the trend of the entire earth being unified.

The submission of Guanlong? At least it had begun, and the energy veins were already giving feedback.

Piaomiao quietly sensed herself and found that her current power was indeed greater than in ancient times. At the level of the Third Realm of Imperial Domain, she had never reached the peak, because although the Azure Dragon of antiquity had strong dominion—unifying mountains and rivers, even extending tentacles into the ocean—the ocean was ultimately only co-ruled with the Sea Emperor, never fully accomplished. Thus, the feedback to Piaomiao had always been just a little short of perfection.

On the other hand, Zhao Changhe now had not only unified the mountains and rivers but also held sway over the ocean through Sanniang, his influence surpassing that of the ancient Azure Dragon.

Not only that, Piaomiao vaguely felt that if Zhao Changhe subdued the Netherworld, it would also bring her feedback… If even the Night Palace were subdued, it might allow her to break through her barriers again.

Now Piaomiao felt stronger than ever before, unsure if it was related to the Netherworld… It seemed so, but it felt too dreamlike—could it be an illusion?

Just as she was thinking this, she sensed someone spying on her. Piaomiao’s heart tightened, and she mentally erupted, trying to blind the intruder.

The moment her spirit counter-invaded, she saw in the Chang’an bedchamber her own husband holding Ye Jiuyou, both naked and nestled in bed, talking after the act. Piaomiao’s eyes nearly popped out, and her counter-force rebounded, almost stunning herself.

Was this woman really Ye Jiuyou? Such a clinging little bird, with rosy cheeks?

You tricked me, and now you’re being pinned down by a man and taken. How could it be so fast? Just a few days, and he’s already succeeded? This is too absurd…

Come to think of it… when I was with him, was I also like this, a completely different person? I regret not peeking earlier—I could have watched the whole show.

Piaomiao blushed and drifted off, while the others had already finished bathing and left the river, gathering in a group to eat and chat idly: “Why is Sister Piaomiao taking so long…”

“Maybe the ancient demon god has more places to scrub than we do?”

“…Do you think she’s also got a spear?”

“Not impossible… Otherwise, she’s not as big as me, why would she need to wash so long?”

“Have you stripped and compared? Want to try tonight?”

Piaomiao had originally planned to come out after washing, but these shameless remarks left her speechless, so she decided to stay hidden.

She still found it hard to fit in with this group… But to be fair, these people were indeed easy to get along with; her inability to integrate was due to her own aloof nature. Even so, she had grown accustomed to their jokes about her and didn’t mind them.

But there was someone even colder and more wicked coming soon… She wondered if this group would dare to joke about that one, and whether a fight would break out. Piaomiao looked forward to it.

Over there, they were saying: “Tonight? Who knows if that stinking man will come back? He used to come back once a day, but now he’s learned to disappear for whole days, his soul stolen by some vixen.”

“To be fair, she’s not really a vixen; she’s clearly cold and indifferent.”

“What do you know? Back in Chang’an, I personally heard her say she wanted to mess up our harem. Don’t be fooled by that deadpan face; when she gets wild, she might be fiercer than that Miao woman.”

As they chatted heatedly, two figures appeared in the mist by the riverbank.

Everyone stopped talking and turned to look. Zhao Changhe’s figure was familiar, recognized at once. The other figure was graceful and slender, walking slowly through the mist. As they drew closer, a pressure like a mountain bore down, a chill and gloomy cold invading everyone’s hearts, as if their blood would freeze and their skin wither.

Ye Jiuyou… seemed a bit stronger than in the chaotic battle before?

Every nerve tightened, and everyone assumed a combat stance. The boss aura was too oppressive. It seemed she had heard their gossip just now—who knew what kind of fight would break out?

The next moment, the boss suddenly went weak in the knees, and Zhao Changhe beside her quickly reached out to support her.

All the tense pressure dissipated instantly. Everyone’s expressions turned extremely interesting, and Ye Jiuyou’s stern face became a riot of colors.

She shouldn’t have demanded so much just now… Now her face was lost to the ends of the earth…

“Zhao! Chang! He!” Ye Jiuyou gritted her teeth, her voice like it came from the Netherworld: “This is all your fault…”

Zhao Changhe coughed: “Don’t look at me like that, what do you mean… Jiuyou had a scuffle with Ye Wuming earlier, and her injuries haven’t healed yet.”

Whether being scuffed by the Heavenly Book counted as an injury, he wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t exactly a lie.

A collective sigh of relief. It seemed that even they respected Ye Jiuyou’s image and didn’t want to see it shattered.

Only then did everyone notice that Ye Jiuyou’s appearance was no longer the black robe they had imagined. She was wearing a purple silk dress, not the one Zhao Changhe had bought her on the first day; she had bought three yesterday, each with a different design, but all in deep purple… On her wrist was a jade bangle, on her fingers a jet ring, around her neck a sapphire necklace, and faintly visible beneath was a bellyband.

She looked utterly vibrant, with seven times more charm than before. Even in her former ghostly state, she had been beautiful, but now she was breathtakingly so.

Everyone spoke in unison: “This is Ye Jiuyou?”

Sanniang said: “Changhe, did you just find someone to impersonate her? No need for that. We wouldn’t laugh at you if you hadn’t succeeded. Even if you were to hire a double, you should put more effort into it—Ye Jiuyou would never dress like this.”

Ye Jiuyou kept a straight face and said nothing. Piaomiao walked over the water from the river and sighed: “This is Ye Jiuyou. Who could fake such pressure?”

Sanniang turned to look at Piaomiao treading the waves, then at Ye Jiuyou before her, and suddenly felt that these ancient demon gods all had some issues.

The ones she had seen before, like Huangyang and Anmie, were all ugly as sin, so why were the females all so beautiful?

Ye Jiuyou finally spoke: “Piaomiao, have you tried their Four Symbols Formation?”

Piaomiao said: “I just did. Its power is formidable. If I enter the formation alone, it’s hard to break out, but they also find it difficult to harm me—it’s a stalemate. Of course, none of us went all out, so the final outcome is hard to say.”

Ye Jiuyou nodded: “I want to try it.”

Piaomiao said: “Is that why you came here?”

“Why else?” Ye Jiuyou sneered. “Do I have anything to say to these rustic women?”

Xia Chichi turned to Huangfu Qing and said: “Do you see a zombie that spends all its time digging corpses in the dirt, living in the last era, old and rustic, talking?”

Huangfu Qing: “…”

Ye Jiuyou’s eyes flashed with murderous intent.

Indeed, she was incompatible with the Four Symbols. Seeing these people reminded her of the life-and-death battles with their predecessors in ancient times, and now the new Four Symbols of a new era were stealing her man. She must have been out of her mind to agree to Zhao Changhe’s request to meet them.

Zhao Changhe quickly inserted himself between them, forcing a smile: “Jiuyou might be the person in this world, besides Ye Wuming, who understands the Four Symbols best. I invited her to help you refine your skills, maybe find some weaknesses. But there’s no rush; let’s all get familiar first. Starting a fight right away isn’t good…”

Hearing this, no one could tell whether he had succeeded or not, or whether Jiuyou was now a sister. It sounded like they were on good terms, but not yet at the stage of consummation…

In fact, Ye Jiuyou’s only condition for meeting them was that he not reveal their relationship. Being taken by a man in just a few days was too embarrassing for her… She wondered if Piaomiao had figured it out.

She stole a glance at Piaomiao, who wore a knowing smile. Ye Jiuyou’s face flushed, and she flicked her sleeve: “What is there to get familiar with? Does battle require emotional talk? That sharp-tongued one—the current Azure Dragon, Empress of the Great Han, yes? Let’s start with you.”

Xia Chichi took out the Ice Soul and leaped up.

Ye Jiuyou glanced at the Ice Soul and said coolly: “Ice Soul… Do you know why the mad White Tiger, upon seeing the Ice Soul, would have a momentary daze?”

Xia Chichi cautiously assumed a defensive stance: “Why? Does the White Tiger have some connection with Shuanghua?”

Ye Jiuyou said flatly: “The White Tiger is the embodiment of the Metal Law, but divine weapons like the Ice Soul are not forged from metal. So although the White Tiger claims to represent all weapons, it is actually biased. If it wants to break through its barriers, it needs to find reference from cultivations like Shuanghua’s. Hence, Shuanghua holds a great natural attraction for it… Of course, this is merely martial attraction, not romance. I suspect that your finding the Ice Soul is inevitably linked to Han Wubing of this world.”

Yue Hongling fell into thought.

Xia Chichi looked for Zhao Changhe, and they exchanged a glance, both amazed. Indeed, karma is mysterious, manifesting in many unexpected ways. Back then, finding the Ice Soul was indeed inseparable from Han Wubing; in fact, Xia Chichi at that time inherited both the Azure Dragon and White Tiger lineages, equally full of karma.

Ye Jiuyou said: “So among you, the one most suited to wield the Ice Soul should have been Yue Hongling. But since the Ice Soul has already acknowledged you as its master and is inseparable from you, there’s no need to force a swap. You can focus on complementarity within the Four Symbols Formation… Have you considered this?”

Yue Hongling bowed sincerely: “We haven’t… Thank you for the guidance.”

“It’s nothing. Since Changhe asked me to help, I’ll explain the Four Symbols matter to you clearly.” Having finished playing the role of an ancient senior, Ye Jiuyou suddenly vanished and reappeared, her demonic hand reaching for Xia Chichi’s throat.

You called me old and rustic—this time, I’ll target you in the formation.

“Clang!” Yue Hongling’s long sword left its sheath, and at the same time, the Vermilion Bird’s fire and the Black Tortoise’s fist arrived behind Ye Jiuyou.

It was only mid-afternoon, yet the entire surroundings suddenly turned dim.

In the dimness, the forms of the Four Symbols Stars shimmered brilliantly.

There seemed to be no human figures; before his eyes was only the firmament.

Zhao Changhe stepped back a little, standing shoulder to shoulder with Piaomiao as they gazed into the distance at the battle, his heart greatly shaken.

The effect of the Four Symbols Array was utterly mystical; the image of four-in-one was no longer merely four individuals attacking separately—in a sense, it was a single person—its dharma form flickering in and out of view, like the opening of a demon-god's eye in the night sky.

That was Ye Wuming.

When the Four Symbols converged, it became Ye Di.

That demon-god form flickering in the night sky—Zhao Changhe had seen it before... in a very distant memory.

It was the third card he had drawn.

Zhao Changhe suddenly felt a strange sensation—the three cards he had drawn back then theoretically all belonged to him. The first, the Eye Behind, he had been using until now; the second, the Location Card, was directly related to Chichi and the current throne, becoming a whole main thread for him in this world. Now, both Chichi and the realm were already his, truly belonging to him.

The meaning of the third card was originally a clue to the demoness in his dream back then, but it turned out that clue was not just a clue—it seemed to have directly pulled out her very foundation.

If this card also belonged to him, did it mean Ye Wuming also belonged to him?

Could it be interpreted that way? Or was it that now that he had inherited the position of Ye Di, that already counted as the meaning of this card?

A blind man drawing lots—surely she wouldn't throw herself into the prize pool...

Zhao Changhe was silent for a moment, then suddenly simulated a set of cards in his hand and handed them to Piaomiao beside him: "Draw one?"

Piaomiao was taken aback: "What for?"

"This is the tangible object I have condensed from gathering the threads of karma between you and me. Whatever you draw will be the fruit of our bond."

Piaomiao smiled and casually drew one.

Turning it over, it was a picture of silk vines entwining a tree.

"I am the silk vine, willing to cling to the great tree."

Piaomiao understood at a glance and laughed: "Isn't this the picture I would get no matter which card I drew?"

Zhao Changhe also laughed: "More or less. The karma between us is already extremely clear; no matter how you draw, you can't escape this frame... But this picture can still corroborate something."

"What?"

"You and I will not die, nor be separated, nor change our hearts. Among our countless outcomes, the most likely is that we will be entwined forever."

Piaomiao smiled: "It should be so."

Zhao Changhe looked down at the card's picture, but his thoughts went far beyond this.

He had not imposed any subjective design on the cards; they were all natural manifestations of the possible karma between him and Piaomiao... If Ye Wuming had also had no subjective design when she drew cards back then, that meant it was not she who threw herself into the prize pool, but he, Zhao Changhe, who had drawn a result with probability nearly zero.

He wondered what Ye Wuming's mood must have been when she saw that card back then...

"Hey..." Piaomiao whispered in his ear: "Although you haven't announced it... Ye Jiuyou has really been taken by you, hasn't she?"

Zhao Changhe said softly: "You know? What happened in Chang'an should not escape your knowledge."

"Mm..." Piaomiao said in a low voice: "No one in the world would dare to guess that you and Ye Jiuyou have this kind of relationship. You can continue to play the part of being both friends and foes as before, misleading others' judgments. At a critical moment, it might bring unexpected benefits."

Zhao Changhe said: "It's not very meaningful to hide it from the Sword Emperor and the others... In your judgment, if the Heavenly Dao still exists, can we hide it from Him?"

Piaomiao thought for a moment and nodded: "Yes. My and Ye Jiuyou's sensing of the Heavenly Dao is no joke; if He were present, we could not possibly be unaware. Since we both cannot detect that the Heavenly Dao is still here, it means His current state has a very serious problem—possibly He is isolated outside the world."

Zhao Changhe fell silent. Isolated, or suppressed?

He suddenly thought of the thing suppressed in the Hanchi Ice Abyss—was that it? If that was the Heavenly Dao, or a part of the Heavenly Dao, why was it such a negative spiritual will, even more severe than Poxun?

At the moment he killed Anmie, a divine punishment fell from the sky—where did that come from?

Zhao Changhe suddenly had a vague guess as to what Ye Wuming was doing.

"Boom!" A tremor that shook heaven and earth came from afar.

Zhao Changhe looked up and saw that the Four Symbols Array was still there, and the four were unharmed, but the formation was in disarray, with each person's position chaotically shifted. A shadow flickered, and Ye Jiuyou broke out of the array—in the end, they could not trap her.

Piaomiao was quite impressed. She herself had been locked in a stalemate with the Four Symbols Array, yet Jiuyou could break out, showing that Jiuyou was indeed still a bit stronger than her. She had recently improved her strength, but it seemed Jiuyou had not fallen behind either.

Looking at the few who had been broken out of the array, they all seemed lost in thought—it seemed this battle had also been greatly beneficial to them.

Ye Jiuyou swept past him, patted Zhao Changhe on the shoulder: "Come to the Jiuyou Abyss tonight; I have something to say to you."

She said it as if it were perfectly open and aboveboard, as if there were serious matters to discuss.

Only Piaomiao knew that this wretch was deliberately making an excuse to abduct the man, unwilling to let him stay with them, so she couldn't help saying: "You've snatched our husband for several days now. Can't whatever it is wait until tomorrow?"

Ye Jiuyou said with righteous indignation: "Those fools didn't trap me—that's the wager."

"Don't think I can't hear—you never set any wager at all." Piaomiao transmitted her thoughts in a low voice: "Since you want to save face and refuse to reveal the relationship, what right do you have to compete with us? Be good and squat back in your abyss. Tonight, our battle will allow you to peek."

Ye Jiuyou, like a mute swallowing bitter herbs, looked at Piaomiao in shock: "Did those words come from you, Piaomiao?"

Piaomiao was equally righteous: "If Ye Jiuyou can snatch a man, why can't Piaomiao? Forgot to tell you, you still have to call me elder sister."

Ye Jiuyou was fuming. She had thought she could have more common topics with Piaomiao, but instead the topic turned into her being bullied. You are usually taciturn with these women—why do you pick a fight with me?

But the face she wanted, she had to maintain even on her knees. Ye Jiuyou could only leave a sour excuse: "The Four Symbols Array of this era has subtle differences from the ancient one—quite worth observing. I will come again tomorrow, hoping for more surprises."

With that, she swallowed her jealousy back into her stomach and swept away with a flick of her sleeve.