Chapter 861: Moving Forward Separately

Chapter 861: Going Their Separate Ways

Zhao Changhe's secluded cultivation was supposed to last three to five days, but aside from giving Xia Chichi private guidance for a few hours, he only remained in seclusion for a day and a half afterward.

He felt that there was a minor issue with his third layer of the Imperial Realm... It wasn't that he hadn't felt this way before; he often felt his cultivation progressed too quickly, lacking accumulation, making his breakthroughs feel somewhat unsubstantial. Yet, his power had undeniably increased, his performance in battle was no worse than anyone else's, and he could often fight above his level. Consequently, he had always suppressed this minor worry, attributing it to an inevitable feeling born from a short duration of cultivation.

But this time, the feeling was more pronounced than ever, and his heart felt incredibly uneasy, utterly restless.

A long time ago, Yu Xu had made him look back at the path he had traveled. At that time, it had indeed calmed his state of mind, allowed him to check for deficiencies, and brought him great benefits. Yet this time, no matter how he reviewed his journey, he could not detect any lack or inadequacy.

The scenery along the way remained vivid in his mind; those events and those people, though the time was short, had left deep imprints.

Because his current mental power and memory were incomparable to before, even a hasty glance in daily life would not be easily overlooked or forgotten. This was especially true for every bit of comprehension on his path of cultivation, leaving no room for gaps.

Some things, like the Spiritual Fox Saber Intent, the Wild Sand Saber Technique, or the Yuan Tu Sword Technique, seemed no longer in use, but that was because some truly had no further value, while others had already dissolved into his daily moves, blending seamlessly.

As for his physical refinement, it was no longer built step-by-step as before. In truth, after Li Shentong passed down the complete external refinement method and after he bathed with Piao Miao in the Innate Lotus Platform, he had achieved perfection in both body and application, forging a truly flawless Fiendgod Body.

And ever since his last interaction with Lie, he had discarded the use of malevolent aura, relying solely on this body to govern his blood energy. It was a path akin to using his own flesh and blood to manifest the firmament, effectively combining the strengths of both Lie and the Night Emperor without being constrained by either.

Even on his path of the blade, the supreme arts of the original Blood Malevolence Saber Technique had already dissolved into his own understanding. The movements of the blade seemed similar to before, but the intent had changed; that ferocity of blood malevolence crossing the sky had long since become the galaxy hanging upside down. After breaking through to the third layer of the Imperial Realm, the expressiveness in this regard would become even more apparent.

Then what exactly was missing or erroneous, to the point of causing such a sense of guilt?

A lack of accumulation was likely a fact, but there should be other incentives causing this. If it wasn't an internal cause, then it had to be an external one.

There were external factors he couldn't figure out, leading to an instinctive vigilance and unease in his heart.

Aside from the issue of the eyes behind his back, which he was already prepared for... could it be pointing directly toward some problem with the current appointment in the Southwest?

If the Heavenly Way wasn't completely dead, there would surely be a game between it and Ye Wuming. But so far, Ye Wuming's plan had been progressing, yet no counterattack from the Heavenly Way could be seen, except for a passive heavenly punishment feedback at the exact moment he slew An Mie. Then what was the game of the Heavenly Way?

Unfortunately, his cultivation of Karma was still insufficient. Whenever he tried to peer into the future, it was always a blur.

Ultimately, instead of the expected five days of secluded cultivation to polish and digest his gains, Zhao Changhe opened his eyes after a mere day and a half, his mind troubled.

Sensing his surroundings, Huangfu Qing and Piao Miao had not returned, while Yue Hongling, San Niang, and Xia Chichi were each hiding inside a spray of waves, cultivating on their own.

With a flash of his body, Zhao Changhe went to find Yue Hongling first. Yue Hongling possessed a clear sword heart, and her sensitivity to crisis had always been the highest among them; exchanging thoughts with her might yield some insights.

Aware of his approach, Yue Hongling opened her eyes and sighed softly, "To accurately find someone within the waves of this endless Heavenly River is no easy feat. I can no longer understand your current cultivation."

Zhao Changhe leaned into her embrace with some weariness, "But when I have a difficult problem, the first person I think of is still Sister."

Yue Hongling couldn't help but laugh, "Still calling me Sister? You are already so much stronger than me..."

Zhao Changhe said, "You always will be..."

Yue Hongling smiled and said, "Although everyone has been training together and polishing themselves recently, sometimes there's always a dazed feeling. A gathering like this feels as if we are waiting for you to flip our name tags, waiting to be favored. Is this how you treat your sister?"

"I didn't think of it that way."

"I know you didn't, but everyone has this feeling... Why do you think the Vermilion Bird Venerable couldn't restrain her temperament and wanted to give it a desperate try?" Yue Hongling smiled and said, "Perhaps only San Niang is too lazy to care about such things; she only wants to sleep, whether you come or not. As for me, I am not afraid to tell you directly—I am willing to refer to each other's cultivation, but I do not like this feeling of waiting to be favored."

"Mm, I know..."

"I was thinking, once the dust settles this time, it's best if you don't gather everyone to live together. Even I don't like this kind of life, and those two ancient Fiendgods have their own worlds. Forcing them to live together might be even more of a torture for them."

"Understood. Actually, I never wanted everyone to gather together permanently. At most, I just didn't want our relationships to be too estranged. This gathering is for the final battle."

"Mm, you mentioned a difficult problem just now. Is it related to this final battle?"

"Yes... I wanted to ask if you've had any recent premonitions or warnings from your sword heart, like palpitations?"

"No, but I do have a strong presentiment that Senior Sword Emperor and I will have another battle." Yue Hongling frowned, "This presentiment is very strange. Logically, Senior Sword Emperor has his own pride, and there is no fundamental conflict between us... I haven't figured out why either. Could it purely be the alternation of the way of the sword, left unfinished last time?"

Zhao Changhe pondered for a moment and smiled, "I have a rough idea now. Thank you, Sister."

"You're thanking me?"

"Then a kiss?"

"Go away, the scent of Xia Chichi on you hasn't even faded yet." Yue Hongling pushed him far away with one strike, "If this young heroine wants it, I'll find you myself. Don't disturb my cultivation when there's nothing wrong."

Zhao Changhe stumbled out of the wave. After a thought, he went to San Niang's place.

Yue Hongling felt uncomfortable about waiting to be favored, and while San Niang was said to be carefree and only slept, did she also have a bit of a knot in her heart?

Could it be that the uneasy feeling in his heart was also somewhat related to his failure to take care of everyone's emotions...

Arriving by San Niang's side, he saw her sprawling flat on the water, fast asleep. The ripples beneath her had been kneaded by her into a clump like a large bolster pillow, highlighting her power to control water, kneading it round or flat, utilizing all the waters of the world.

Seeing how cute she looked while sleeping, Zhao Changhe did not disturb her, but merely squatted beside her, lightly leaning over to give her a kiss.

Strange to say, though San Niang used to be lazy, she had never loved sleeping as much as she did now, lying there day after day truly like a turtle. What was ridiculous was that the aura of her impending breakthrough grew increasingly rich, feeling similar to Huangfu Qing who was desperately trying to break through... Zhao Changhe suddenly realized that the energy required for San Niang's impending breakthrough was simply too vast, and her turtle-like sleep was her method of gathering energy.

If one were to speak of breaking through established barriers, looking back now, San Niang might be the earliest and most unintentional one to achieve it among everyone. Just as the Sword Emperor wanted to combine the intent of the White Tiger, and the Vermilion Bird needed to combine the intent of life and death from the Nine Netherworlds, these were direct means to break through established frameworks. Thus, when San Niang successfully blended the intent of the Black Tortoise with the faith of the Sea Emperor back then, her 'preset upper limit' had already been broken unknowingly...

The turtle who desired nothing was the luckiest.

However, for San Niang to break through by relying on such naturally growing energy, it might require an extremely long process of accumulation. How to infinitely shorten this process for her was a problem... Conventional heavenly materials and earthly treasures were like mere crumbs between teeth for a level like the third layer of the Imperial Realm, far from enough; as for dual cultivation, he and San Niang didn't have the incredible effect of a first time like with Nine Netherworlds, and it would also require long-term harmonious progress together.

Zhao Changhe thought back and forth but couldn't find a way to achieve quick success in the short term... However, since San Niang's situation didn't require anxiety instead, he just needed to keep an eye out when a suitable opportunity arose. He gently pulled out all the heavenly materials and earthly treasures stored in his ring that could enhance cultivation, piling them beside San Niang, and quietly withdrew from the Heavenly River.

At the moment of his departure, the sleeping San Niang reached out with her arm, gathering all the heavenly materials and earthly treasures he had placed beside her into her embrace, smacking her lips with a comfortable smile.

Turning back to cultivate for another day, early the next morning, Huangfu Qing returned. Zhao Changhe also stopped his cultivation and came out of seclusion to meet her.

Huangfu Qing was standing by the riverbank, frowning in deep thought, as if she had encountered some difficult problem. Seeing him emerge, she snapped out of it and smiled, "You came out of seclusion much earlier than expected... How is it? Is the third layer of the Imperial Realm stable?"

"Mm... actually I came out even earlier. How is your situation? You look distressed."

"Perhaps haste makes waste... Nine Netherworlds indeed gave me a lot of inspiration over there, but for some reason, it feels like I'm on the verge of breaking through yet haven't, separated by a layer, unable to find the doorway no matter what." Huangfu Qing paused, then said with some hesitation, "Moreover, while I was comprehending, I felt some palpitations, always sensing an omen of misfortune... yet I can't grasp where this feeling of palpitation comes from."

Zhao Changhe was stunned, "Did you tell Piao Miao and Nine Netherworlds? What was their reaction?"

"They didn't feel anything, only I did."

Zhao Changhe gasped softly, frowning inwardly. Yue Hongling's sword heart was clear, and Nine Netherworlds and Piao Miao had even stronger cultivation, yet none of them had a similar feeling. In the end, only Huangfu Qing and he shared this kind of unease... Was this because she was the Vermilion Bird, within the prophecy?

While Yue Hongling merely represented the White Tiger to fill the position of the Four Symbols, the core of her cultivation was not the White Tiger, and Xia Chichi's inheritance of the White Tiger was also very shallow; only Han Wubing was the real deal. Could it be considered that in the prophecy where the Vermilion Bird and White Tiger gathered, the Vermilion Bird was already Huangfu Qing, while the White Tiger was neither Yue Hongling nor Xia Chichi, and the one who could represent the White Tiger to fulfill this prophecy was still Han Wubing?

"It's useless to think too much; we still have to see it for ourselves." Huangfu Qing smiled, "Surely you won't forbid me from going because of this, right? We who fight in the martial world have this kind of feeling often; it's nothing. Besides, if you don't let me go, the Four Symbols Array will have a gap, and its power will drop drastically, which isn't a good deal."

Zhao Changhe shook his head. If there was indeed a karmic cause, trying hard to avoid it would not work. The matter had to be resolved eventually, so it was better to face it directly while they were at their strongest. Since they vaguely knew where the problem lay, paying close attention to it was much better than guessing blindly before.

"Where are Nine Netherworlds and Piao Miao?"

Piao Miao drifted over gracefully, "Nine Netherworlds said she has some preparations to make and told us to go ahead; she will arrive later."

As they spoke, Yue Hongling, San Niang, and Xia Chichi, who had been cultivating separately, all gathered together. Their cultivation hadn't shown any visible growth, but each one was high-spirited. It was evident that Zhao Changhe's previous actions of checking on them one by one had been very timely; at least it dispelled that feeling of waiting to be favored, putting everyone in a good mood.

In fact, a clear and smooth mood alone could make cultivation more successful.

Seeing Huangfu Qing and Piao Miao, everyone waved and greeted them with smiles, "You're back? How was the battle with Nine Netherworlds? You went out to fight on behalf of the Four Symbols, don't lose face for us."

Huangfu Qing also cast aside her previous irritation, responding with great pride, "Naturally, it was a complete victory."

The group of people all laughed. Everyone knew that in terms of combat, Huangfu Qing certainly couldn't beat Nine Netherworlds. This so-called complete victory, without a doubt, was on another kind of battlefield that they had all fought on.

San Niang laughed, "With your level, you could achieve a complete victory?"

Huangfu Qing snorted coldly, "What's wrong with my level? As long as that little maid beside Tang Wanzhuang is silenced, who else is my match?"

Xia Chichi opened her mouth but stopped herself. Given your level, if you didn't always use your authority to punish people by making them copy books, you couldn't even beat me.

Forget it, no use talking about her, lest she get beaten again. Xia Chichi quickly shifted the topic, asking Zhao Changhe, "Since everyone is here, why don't we set off earlier? It's not good for me to be away from the capital for too long; Wanzhuang will be under a lot of pressure."

Zhao Changhe nodded, "Then let's set off. Nine Netherworlds can descend her spirit at any time. Since she said she'll come later, we will take a step ahead. I'm a bit worried about Sisi."

Setting a date is one thing; arriving precisely on time is not necessarily required. Now that the storm gathers over Miaojiang, Sisi's strength there is insufficient—who knows what might happen if we delay further. Rushing to break through in cultivation before going would only yield the opposite effect of haste making waste; it's better to go ahead early and be at ease.

The crowd watched as he reached out and pressed the space before him, which gradually began to warp, and they were all astonished: "What are you doing? Can you really teleport so many of us through space now?"

Zhao Changhe smiled faintly: "From here to Miaojiang, it's no great problem... One day, I'll take you all back to our homeland to see... I feel that day is not far off."

Space twisted and shifted; in an instant, the surging Heavenly River before them vanished, and below lay the tranquil Erhai Lake and Cangshan Mountain.

...

Sisi stood on Cangshan, gazing at the golden rice paddies stretching for a thousand miles below.

The plains by the shores of Erhai were excellent fertile soil; Miaojiang had practiced agriculture from very early on, not starting from Sisi's sinicization efforts.

Beyond this place, the vast Miaojiang still held plenty of fine arable land. The people who migrated from the Spirit Clan filled Miaojiang's population gaps, reclaiming wasteland everywhere, and now, at last, the results were visible.

In past years of chaos, the people lived in misery. Besides the inability to organize proper farming due to war and turmoil, and the gouging of officials and chieftains, a major factor was that those years always suffered from uncooperative weather. In the last decade alone, locust plagues and droughts had struck Miaojiang five or six times.

Last year's harvest was slightly better, but it was still a year of war. For food issues, Miaojiang had to import grain from the Spirit Clan's secret realm and also through Li Si'an from Jingxiang. Sisi could secure her position as Queen of Dali not only through force but also because she could solve everyone's food and clothing problems—an extremely important reason.

If this year also saw great disaster and poor harvest, the hard-won stability of Miaojiang would still harbor seeds of unrest. Sisi prayed countless times to the Ancestral God for protection, hoping for a bountiful year, so that Miaojiang would not fall into chaos on her watch. But prayers were just prayers; Sisi knew that the Ancestral God's protection had never been effective in past years—it was merely psychological comfort.

Unexpectedly, this year the gods truly blessed them with favorable weather. The scene of a great harvest made everyone in Miaojiang grin from ear to ear, and Sisi's prestige as the Queen of Dali became unparalleled for a time.

Sisi completely relaxed her taut nerves, listening to the flattery of Pan Wan and others beside her, and thought to herself: What use is prestige? If the years ahead are all peaceful like this, I could even give up being the Queen of Dali and run to the capital to crawl into a man's bed.

They said the Heartlink Gu could share what the other was thinking, but separated by ten thousand miles, the Gu's effect wasn't that miraculous; it was almost as if the Gu had been planted in vain... But there was one advantage: if she called out strongly, he would receive it. Unfortunately, she couldn't use it lightly—it was her last trump card.

Since parting in winter, now it was early autumn again. People say a day apart feels like three autumns, but what about being apart for seasons at a time? Could it be that because her name was Sisi, she was doomed to spend her life in longing?

Yet Sisi also knew that Zhao Changhe had many things to do—enemies not yet eliminated, and demon gods watching covetously.

Even her own homeland, the earth, was an unstable factor... She guarded Miaojiang not only to give the people a peaceful life but also to keep an eye on this matter, to ensure it didn't destroy the Spirit Clan's people or let war engulf Miaojiang.

In this world, aside from Zhao Changhe's group, no other demon god cared about the lives of mortals.

Take Lie, for instance, who had left the Spirit Clan.

"Have you made your decision, Your Highness?" A telepathic message came from somewhere.

Sisi replied calmly: "I have already said, not to mention the blood of ten thousand souls—not even one person will do."

"Do you not know that what is being revived is your Ancestral God? The blood of ten thousand souls versus the revival of the Ancestral God—which is more important? Can you truly not tell?"

"What made the Spirit Clan flourish today is the Spirit Clan themselves... If anyone is to be thanked, it should be my husband, who has repeatedly saved the Spirit Clan from peril, not any deity."

"So, even if the Ancestral God revives, you will not obey Him?"

"That depends on what He does." Sisi said calmly: "My husband once asked a senior: since you allow gods and buddhas to scatter, why do you yourself act like a demon god? Today, I say the same."

"Because there is a more important choice... If you remain obstinate, I will do this myself—your agreement or disagreement means nothing."

"Since it requires the willing participation of ten thousand souls, your strength, no matter how great, is useless, isn't it?"

"There is a way... I can inflict a strange curse on the queen they most revere, so that only the blood of ten thousand souls can lift it, and they will act willingly. But I do have some past ties with your husband and don't wish to break with him—don't force me to that step."

Sisi smiled: "The reason you are patiently negotiating with me, Senior, is probably not just because of my husband, but also because you are waiting for the right time, isn't it? Once the time comes, you will no longer care about those considerations and will do as you please?"

"Indeed."

"Senior is indeed candid." Sisi laughed: "But I can make a bet with you... You won't need to wait until that time—my husband will come. He is not afraid of you."