Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 723 (2): Why Lie Must Be

Underworld Guide made a quick decision. It was too late to salvage the situation here. No matter—Lie’s emergence has already triggered the chain. The bloodshed at the burial ground and the sacred temple will have set my plans into motion.

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He dodged Yue Hongling’s strike in a flash, his form twisting into a streak of gray light, heading straight for the sacred mountain.

Zhao Changhe’s Dragon Bird struck empty air, but his mind remained sharp. He and his weapon were one, and Dragon Bird responded instinctively. A crescent-shaped saber arc followed Underworld Guide’s retreat, Army Breaker roaring toward him.

Underworld Guide twisted midair, narrowly avoiding the blade arc, though it still grazed him, sending a spray of blood into the air.

Yue Hongling, visibly fatigued, murmured, “A shame... If I’d had more strength, I could have struck him again while he was exposed.”

Zhao Changhe, leaning on his saber for support, turned to Yue Hongling with a smile. She was covered in blood, her body battered, yet to him, she had never looked more stunning.

In the past, he had always felt the need to prove himself, to be the one supporting her. But now, he truly appreciated how good it was to have someone by his side.

But words of gratitude were unnecessary. Zhao Changhe handed Yue Hongling a pill. “There will be more chances in the future. Come on, he’s heading to the sacred mountain. If you’ve still got some strength left, let's chase after him.”

Neither said another word as they each swallowed a pill and sprang after Underworld Guide.

Below them, the battle at the foot of the mountain where the burial ground was raged on. Warriors of the Spirit Tribe clashed with an unending wave of resurrected skeletons and corpses. The casualties were mounting, and the undead seemed to grow stronger, with no sign of stopping. Even more unsettling, the skeletal figures continued to claw their way out of the ground as if the mountain had buried an endless army.

But what truly unnerved Zhao Changhe was the persistent tremors, the sense that something far more powerful was still trying to rise from below. How could they stop this? Would killing Underworld Guide bring it to an end?

As they ran, Yue Hongling added, “Before he disappeared, the Black Hmong King said something. He mentioned that Underworld Guide’s ultimate goal was to awaken the land. I don’t know what that means.”

Zhao Changhe’s heart sank, a chilling realization dawning on him. “I do!”

By now, the chaos on the sacred mountain was nearly over. The Snow-Listening Pavilion assassins and rebel forces combined had ultimately failed to take Sisi down. The rebels were either dead or had surrendered, while the assassins had begun to retreat.

As Sisi drove off the last assassin, her focus shifted to aiding Zhao Changhe. She had no interest in lingering further, preparing to rally her forces and head out. But then, Underworld Guide arrived.

Fortunately, Sisi was outside the temple, and Underworld Guide, still under pressure from being pursued by Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling, had no time to deal with her directly. His immediate target was... Ye Wuzong’s coffin.

Why bother suppressing the divine axe when he could take control of its master? Turning Ye Wuzong into a corpse puppet would not only provide a powerful weapon against Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling but also grant direct control of the divine axe itself.

As Underworld Guide began channeling yin qi into the coffin, his instincts screamed a warning. He had not even had time to curse aloud before the coffin shattered, and a pair of skeletal hands struck him fiercely on the chest.

Ye Wuzong was not dead at all! He had been feigning death, lying motionless in the coffin while chaos erupted around the temple—letting the rebels wreak havoc, the divine axe almost change hands, and even his disciple struggle to hold her ground. He had remained still, holding his breath, playing dead the entire time!

How could Underworld Guide have expected such a thing?

And this was not just any master attacking. Ye Wuzong was renowned for his speed even among those on the Ranking of Heaven, and a sneak attack at such close range was no joke. Even Underworld Guide, with his reflexes, could only barely avoid a fatal blow to his heart, taking a brutal strike slightly to the side instead.

Before he could recover, Zhao Changhe’s saber and Yue Hongling’s sword were already closing in from behind.

Realizing he was cornered, Underworld Guide abandoned any thought of continuing the fight and bolted out of the sacred temple, flying as fast as his injured body could manage.

This battle had been a disaster for him. Betrayed by Lie’s legacy, ambushed by Yue Hongling, and now blindsided by Ye Wuzong—this was a lineup of opponents few in history could survive. Escaping with his life was victory enough.

Behind him, Zhao Changhe raised his bow, an arrow already nocked. His gaze was icy, his killing intent blazing.

Though Underworld Guide was stronger than many of his previous foes, Zhao Changhe’s thoughts were resolute. With all this support, if I let you escape like the others, I’ll have failed Yue Hongling, failed Ye Wuzong, and failed myself.

This was not just any arrow—it was the one that had killed the Sea Emperor. Infused with the essence of slaying a god, it radiated such an oppressive aura that even Ye Wuzong, standing nearby, felt a chill. “What is that?”

Sisi glanced at Zhao Changhe and then snapped her fingers.

In the path of Underworld Guide’s retreat, a small insect suddenly exploded, and the surrounding space became frozen.

Ice Silkworm Gu!

Underworld Guide’s movements faltered, his body momentarily trapped by the frost. In that instant, Zhao Changhe loosed the Dragon Soul Arrow. It shot through the air like a meteor, aimed directly at the back of Underworld Guide’s head.

Underworld Guide sensed the impending danger and tried to dodge, but his injuries, combined with the freezing effect, slowed him down. He could not evade completely.

The Dragon Soul Arrow grazed his scalp, leaving only a shallow wound.

Yet, a shallow wound was all it needed.

Underworld Guide let out a blood-curdling scream as he plummeted from the sky, crashing to the ground. He clutched his head, his voice filled with agony and disbelief. “What... what is that?!”

Zhao Changhe’s arrow had drained the last of his energy, leaving him pale and weak as he forced out his words, “I don’t know if you’re worthy of being called the Underworld Emperor, but if you are, this arrow has claimed quite the prestige—first the Sea Emperor, now the Underworld Emperor.”

Before Underworld Guide could respond, Zhao Changhe turned his gaze toward the burial ground, where the tremors continued unabated.

His voice was laced with frustration, “His soul fire has already been extinguished. Why hasn’t the spell stopped?”

Underworld Guide chuckled weakly, his voice carrying a venomous edge as he said, “A spell, once initiated, doesn’t cease just because its caster dies. You... will all die alongside me.”

“Is that so?” Zhao Changhe suddenly turned to Ye Wuzong. “Thief Saint, can you still wield the divine axe?”

Ye Wuzong, battered and barely clinging to consciousness, shook his head weakly. He had been gravely injured even before the fight, and the recoil from his strike on Underworld Guide had left him barely alive. “I can’t. But if you’re willing, I’ll remove my imprint and let you take over.”

Zhao Changhe drew a deep breath, steadying himself, then reached out and gripped the Axe of Tngri. “Then I’ll do it...”

Both Yue Hongling and Sisi cried out in unison, “But you’re already badly injured!”

Ye Wuzong added, “Do you even know how to control lightning?”

But it was already too late. Zhao Changhe pulled the axe free, and a surge of electricity coursed through his body. He gritted his teeth, suppressing a pained groan, then raised the weapon high. “Thank you, Thief Saint, for removing the imprint. Controlling it... isn’t too difficult.”

Ye Wuzong’s eyes widened. “What?”

Isn't too difficult? I’ve spent so long bedridden because of it! And those idiots who tried to wield it earlier? They died on the spot from the backlash!

What Ye Wuzong did not know was that Zhao Changhe was not relying on brute force alone. Though he had no formal training in controlling lightning, he had long since gained insight into its nature through the page of nature of the Heavenly Tome. He simply had not integrated it into his martial arts.

Moreover, lightning was connected to wood[1], and Zhao Changhe’s connection to wood had been deepened through his numerous dual-cultivation sessions with Xia Chichi, who had consumed the Extreme East Dao Fruit that embodied such energies.

While this affinity gave him a natural edge, mastery was still far from easy.

But mastery was not necessary. Zhao Changhe did not need to fully control the divine axe—he only needed to unleash its power in one decisive strike.

Underworld Guide’s soul fire flickered. The last image burned into his consciousness was Zhao Changhe leaping into the air, bringing down the divine axe with wrathful might embodying both the divine and the demonic.

Boom!

Thunder roared across the heavens as lightning tore through the sky. Divine lightning radiated from the axe, bathing the entire Spirit Tribe’s territory in its brilliance.

The ominous yin corpse qi that had plagued the mountain and suffused the air was obliterated in an instant, leaving not even a trace behind.

But the most critical outcome was the quaking of the earth—the unsettling tremors that hinted at something more sinister beneath. With this one strike, they were silenced, completely severed.

If the earth had indeed been infused with a consciousness... If the divine axe could cleave the heavens...

Then when the axe descended, splitting heaven and earth, the land itself could be calmed and restored to its unyielding state.

Underworld Guide’s fading gaze lingered on the figure in midair, cleaving through the void with godlike fury. His anticipation crumbled into despair, and the light in his eyes faded to nothingness as his soul fire was fully extinguished.

All around, the Spirit Tribe knelt in prayer and awe. On the burial ground, in the sacred temple, they prostrated themselves en masse, even wishing to dig themselves a hole in the ground only to be able to prostrate deeper.

Yue Hongling and Sisi, however, looked up, their gazes fixed on Zhao Changhe. There was a faint sparkle in their eyes, though neither was bold enough to voice what they felt.

Thud!

The majestic Zhao Changhe, radiating divine power moments earlier, now plummeted from the sky. Yue Hongling darted forward, catching him mid-fall. She turned and called out, “Sisi, help—uh?”

Zhao Changhe passed out in her arms, and at nearly the same moment, Sisi collapsed as well.

Turning her head in disbelief, Yue Hongling saw that Ye Wuzong had also fainted.

She surveyed the vast crowd of Spirit Tribe members sprawled across the land, all kneeling in worship. The realization hit her like a wave. As the female sacred envoy, she seemed to be the last one standing—the only one in charge.

“Our stronghold...” she muttered, exasperated. “It’s growing bigger by the day...”

1. We are not a hundred percent sure what this statement is based on, but it’s probably because the fourth of the eight trigrams (震 zhèn) represents lightning and is associated with wood of the five elements, as well as with the dragon as an animal—though it’s the zodiac dragon rather than the Azure Dragon. ☜