Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 649: Life and Death

In truth, the Four Idols Cult’s ceremony still had a lot of events planned. How could it end right after the appointment of the new cult leader?

While Zhao Changhe spent the afternoon copying down text as punishment, the three women gathered and deliberated for hours. They meticulously discussed various details of modifying the doctrine and adjusting it to fit the requirements of being a state religion These were planned to be formally announced by the newly-appointed cult leader in a public proclamation.

These were the practical elements of the ceremony that truly mattered.

Naturally, proceedings did not end abruptly after the appointment. Instead, the select group in the underground chamber moved to the surface, where the larger congregation awaited. There, Xia Chichi assumed Vermillion Bird’s role as the presiding figure, leading the assembly with an air of confident authority.

As the massive stone doors leading to the secret realm underneath the Imperial Ancestral Temple closed, the world above was cut off from whatever transpired below.

While Xia Chichi conducted the ceremony, she exchanged glances with Lady Three from time to time, their expressions laced with an odd mix of amusement and knowing exasperation. They did not need to see what was happening below to make guesses.

Zhao Changhe had not dismissed them for petty, lust-driven indulgence. The flames he had summoned needed to be absorbed and harnessed immediately. Yet, in the eyes of those who had been in the secret realm, it appeared as though he had commanded Vermillion Bird to remain for his pleasure—a brazen act of retribution for the punishment she had given him. And, perhaps most shockingly, Vermillion Bird had not objected.

Her silence said everything.

The hearts of the gathered cult members swirled with a storm of emotions.

In the dim warmth of the underground chamber, Vermillion Bird pouted, tilting her chin defiantly upward.

She murmured, “Are you taking revenge on me?”

Zhao Changhe pulled her up, holding her in his arms as he replied, “Originally, I wanted to discuss with you how we’d proceed, but you didn’t want to talk and just focused on making me copy scriptures. So I had no choice but to summon the flame in public... and once it’s summoned, it has to be used immediately. I didn’t exactly have a choice...”

“You’re lying. This must be revenge for making you copy texts!”

“Fine, fine—those who make others copy texts should expect to have to copy texts themselves.”

Vermillion Bird was angry yet amused and turned her head away without responding.

Zhao Changhe’s hand caressed her cheek, his fingers gentle yet firm. “So... are you going to let me off the hook?”

Vermillion Bird bit her lower lip, her eyes flickering with reluctant curiosity. “First, tell me how you did this. Beyond the insights on the Southern Li Fire that you somehow gifted me, I suspect the Heavenly Tome played a role... Just how were you able to get the true source of the fire from the heavens?”

“This secret realm was built by Old Xia using his control over the world’s ley lines. It’s essentially a miniature world, one where the boundaries between heaven and earth blur. By commanding this artificial sky, I can manifest myself anywhere and draw upon distant elements as if they were within reach. The true source of the Southern Li Fire lies far to the south, yet here, I can summon it for forging.”

“That’s it?”

Zhao Changhe nodded. “While reforging the sword, I gained control over the ley lines. Breaking through to the third layer of the Profound Mysteries was only possible by channeling that very power. All afternoon, I was both copying scriptures and attuning myself to the flame’s location within the sky. It took a lot of effort to find it... Otherwise, why do you think I stayed here writing?”

Vermillion Bird felt a wry smile tug at the corners of her lips.

“Of course, simply summoning the flame here wouldn’t necessarily benefit you. As you said, your cultivation isn’t exactly about directly absorbing flames. What you truly need is to experience the source of the flame directly, to feel its birth up close. But the source lies thousands of li away, and with your current responsibilities, you might not have the freedom to go there. Even if you did, finding the exact location would be a challenge. We can bridge that distance. Through me as a medium, you can sense what I sense.”

A blush crept across Vermillion Bird’s cheeks. “And how do I use you as a medium?”

He tilted her chin, eyes glinting with mischief. “Naturally... It’s by doing something you, Qing’er, have always refused.”

Her breath caught as he leaned in and asked, “So, will you let me?”

It was such a simple question. Someone as reserved as Tang Wanzhuang had, in her own demure way, managed to whisper a shy yes. Yet here was the fierce, passionate Vermillion Bird, someone who had experienced everything with him, and still, she found it impossible to say yes.

Perhaps if she were not acting as Vermillion Bird, she would have been able to answer him. But the mask of her role made it too difficult. As Vermillion Bird, she could not bring herself to surrender so easily.

Zhao Changhe found her stubbornness irresistible. He slowly lowered his head, pressing a slow, possessive kiss to her lips. “If you won’t let me, then I’ll just take what’s mine by force...”

Vermillion Bird said angrily, “You’re just abusing your authority to take advantage of a subordinate!”

“Mm-hm, just like Vermillion Bird toying with the poor Fire Pig of Shi...”

“When have I ever—mmph...” Her protest was cut short by his kiss.

Beneath the stars, atop the high platform, in front of the low writing table.

Vermillion Bird found herself pinned against a pile of delicate papers, densely covered in freshly copied down texts of the Four Idols Cult.

Above the secret realm, the new cult leader of the Four Idols Cult was announcing the renewed doctrines and rules, while countless cult members bowed reverently, praying quietly.

Below, in the secret realm, the most respected and feared Venerable Vermillion Bird was being pinned against the sacred texts, mask still on her face but ceremonial robes undone.

She refused to answer yes, but as they joined as one, Vermillion Bird began practicing the dual cultivation technique without hesitation.

She had studied it in secret, knowing that someday she would practice it with him.

Unfortunately, her vital yin had already been lost, squandered by her own stubborn pride. She could have given him more. But now, instead of giving, she could only take, absorbing the power he offered her.

Zhao Changhe whispered in her ear, “Don’t get lost in your thoughts. Link your mind and spirit with mine, and sense the firmament.”

He pressed a kiss to the curve of her ear, and her entire body shivered.

As her mind and spirit drifted, she felt as though she had ascended to the stars. Beneath her, the vast earth unfurled, expansive and complete.

Her perspective stretched, drawn southward.

She beheld endless oceans, scattered with countless islands. The climate grew ever warmer with every li, going from the chill of winter to the warmth of spring, eventually turning into the heat of summer.

Although this world appeared to be a finite, square realm beneath a celestial dome, it was actually boundless. The extreme east, for example, was impossible to reach without relying on the concepts related to the Azure Dragon. One could never truly reach Skyrim Island by simply traveling east. Similarly, the south extended into an infinite sea, beyond the limits of physical travel.

But this time was different from her trip east to the sea. This was not a physical journey. Her mind and spirit knew no barriers, moving freely and only limited by knowledge.

If a place had ever been discovered and recorded in the world’s celestial canopy, she could find it.

And lo and behold, there it was. An anomaly in the vast sea. But it was not a volcano or anything of that sort; instead, there was simply a flame burning defiantly upon the water, unextinguishable and eternal.

The most uptodat𝓮 n𝒐vels are published on freёnovelkiss.com.

It was a scene incomprehensible to normal people. How could fire burn on water, and how could it burn with no fuel?

The trace of the fire source drawn into her body began resonating as she looked at the flame. It flared up within her, and even Vermillion Bird, with her unparalleled understanding and control over fire, struggled to suppress it.

The dual cultivation technique linked them together. Zhao Changhe’s presence channeled the excess heat, tempering it, and absorbing part of its ferocity. He then returned the milder energy to her, energy that was much more manageable for Vermillion Bird.

She took a deep breath, allowing her consciousness to fully enter the flame.

Her cultivation did not rely on absorbing flames but on understanding and applying them. Once she grasped it, the flame was hers without needing to absorb it. Despite being the one guiding Xia Chichi’s cultivation, Xia Chichi could not grasp even a hint of Vermillion Bird’s intent regarding fire. Xia Chichi was just too clueless about fire.

Everyone had their gifts, and Vermillion Bird’s gift lay with fire. Her talent in flames was not just amazing, but simply unparalleled. And now, with the supplementary insights of the Heavenly Tome, many of her previous doubts were cleared.

Ever since her flames failed to burn Maitreya, Vermillion Bird had been questioning the nature of her fire. Theoretically, if the temperature of a flame was high enough, it should be able to burn through anything. If it failed to do so, then it simply was not intense enough. However, Maitreya, who had been half a corpse demon back then, should never have been able to withstand the heat of her fire. It was the first time this fundamental understanding of hers was challenged.

Upon reflection, it was not a matter of Maitreya’s level, but rather the interplay between the corpse demon’s death qi and the flame’s essence of destruction. It was a subtle, almost metaphysical conflict—a concept transcending the flame itself.

But fire was not solely about death and destruction.

It forged and reshaped blades. Was that death or life? It was life born from death.

Vermillion Bird was a very unique constellation. Within the constellation of Vermillion Bird, the Mansion of Jing, or the eye of Vermillion Bird, was regarded as a star of death. If Vermillion Bird was familiar with modern culture, she would know that both Eastern and Western interpretations of the Mansion of Jing associated it with death and the underworld. Yet this star of death resided within the domain of Vermillion Bird—a symbol of life, fervor, fire, and rebirth.

This was the essence of Eastern philosophy—the unity of life and death, the interplay of yin and yang.

Fire was not just about annihilation and destruction. It also carried the potential for life and creation.

Only by understanding this duality could one wield the Southern Li Fire—the eternal flame.

Had she grasped this earlier, the battle with Maitreya would have played out much differently. There would have been no need for the bloody struggle. From Maitreya to his warrior monks, they all would have been reduced to fuel for Vermillion Bird’s flame.

She was the true master of life and death.

Vermillion Bird opened her eyes.

A surge of heat flooded her body, coursing through her limbs, her veins, her very soul—transforming into boundless vitality.

Above, the members of the Four Idols Cult suddenly sensed the cry of a phoenix. Among the stars obscured by clouds, the constellation of Vermillion Bird shone brilliantly. A massive firebird soared through the horizon, circling endlessly.