Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 769 (1): Omnipresent

Zhao Changhe had broached this topic countless times before, but the blind woman had always either ignored him completely or flatly stated that he lacked the qualifications. It had been maddening.

This was the first time she had ever implied that cooperation was a possibility. More importantly, she had given him a concrete condition.

It was not arrogance on her part. Anyone with sense knew that “cooperation” was just a nice-sounding word that did not necessarily mean anything. Zhao Changhe’s question had essentially been: What the hell do you actually want? Just tell me already.

Whether or not they could truly work together was another matter. In all likelihood, that was not yet a possibility. More than that, this conversation would probably be the prelude to an eventual confrontation, maybe even total fallout.

The blind woman was obviously not going to lay out her ultimate goal this early on.

As for why Tngri’s Temple had to be demolished first before she would reveal more, Zhao Changhe was not sure. Maybe it was connected to the nature of the page of the Heavenly Tome that was there, or maybe it had to do with the divine axe and its link to the land of the Spirit Tribe. Whatever the case, it was bound to involve the ultimate secrets of this world.

Knowing this, he did not press further.

The northern barbarians were definitely not the final enemy, no matter how vast their power might be. Even in terms of individual strength, Tngri himself was merely at the second layer of the Profound Control Realm, on the same level as the Sea Emperor and the Dao Lord. He had been suppressed by Xia Longyuan for decades. Even if he were to fully recover, he would, at most, be at the peak of the second layer, which was not even near the level of a final boss.

At present, he only knew of three who were at the third layer of the Profound Control Realm: the Night Emperor, Jiuyou, and Piaomiao. He had previously assumed the Sword Emperor to be at the second layer, but now it seemed possible that he was actually at the third layer as well, bringing the count to four.

Among them, Piaomiao had already reincarnated, and even in her prime, she was considered slightly inferior to the Night Emperor. If there were distinct stages within the third layer, then Night Emperor would undoubtedly be at the middle or even late stage, while Piaomiao had likely only just entered that realm. Jiuyou, at best, was slightly weaker than the Night Emperor.

Based on the blind woman’s past descriptions of Jiuyou, Zhao Changhe had initially thought she carried the potential to be the final boss. freewёbnoνel.com

Chaos, death, obliteration—her very existence was in the same vein as an apocalyptic demon lord. And the blind woman, of all people, treated her with extreme caution. If anyone was worthy of being the ultimate antagonist, it seemed like it had to be her.

Yet after Chang’an, Zhao Changhe was no longer convinced.

Jiuyou’s display in Chang’an had not even come close to matching the blind woman’s level. It felt like they were not even in the same league. That contradiction shook his previous judgment.

Is it just because Jiuyou hasn’t fully recovered? Will she become much stronger once she does? Or is the Jiuyou I encountered merely a fragment of her soul or a projection? Could her true body be somewhere else? Maybe Kunlun? That could be the case. I hope that’s the case.

He was hoping that to be the case because, if even Jiuyou was not worthy of being the final boss, then there was a much bigger problem: who was the final boss?

And if no other terrifying figure emerged beyond his current understanding, then there could only be one answer to this question.

What exactly are you planning?

Zhao Changhe remained silent for a long time before finally muttering, “I never thought there would come a day when I hoped Jiuyou was actually stronger than she appeared.”

The blind woman “looked” at him, equally silent for a while before finally replying, “She is. What you saw in Chang’an was merely a clone.”

“So that really was the case.” Zhao Changhe let out a breath, almost as if relieved. Then, a smile tugged at his lips. “Since you said clone rather than soul fragment[1], which means she has a physical body. Meanwhile, your physical body is... gone? Or hidden somewhere? I once read a novel where the protagonist helped the female lead rebuild her body—”

The blind woman cut him off with no hesitation. “Who’s the female lead?”

Zhao Changhe blinked.

“And what would I even need a body for? To let you use it?”

He had no answer to that question. Well, he did have one, but it would only ruin the moment.

The blind woman sneered. “A body is nothing more than a shell. My will exists eternally. What meaning does a body hold for me? Only certain people are so obsessed with physical forms.”

“And yet...” Zhao Changhe carefully weighed his words before speaking slowly, “When I brought it up, what I was actually thinking about was why you failed to restrain Jiuyou’s clone. Could it be related to the fact that you lack a physical form? So the one preoccupied with certain things here... is actually you.”

The blind woman’s brow furrowed sharply.

You deliberately mentioned that nonsense about rebuilding the female lead’s body to lead the conversation astray, and now you’re blaming me for it?

Before she could retort, Zhao Changhe quickly shifted the subject. “Anyway, the biggest unknown in our northern campaign is Jiuyou’s involvement. You already said you would keep her in check, but if you can’t, then everything falls apart. Before my fight with the Dao Lord, I never imagined the one to drop the ball would be you.”

The blind woman’s voice was ice-cold as she responded, “Because that was merely a clone. She can destroy, reshape, or swap out her clones at will, and it happens so quickly that you wouldn’t even notice it was a different person. The fact that you didn’t see her true strength only proves that your eyes aren’t keen enough. You didn’t even recognize what makes her terrifying.”

“Uh...”

“I also have no interest in venting my frustration on a mere clone. It’s meaningless. If her true body were to face me directly, things would be different. But the real problem is that even if I restrain her true body, she can still deploy another clone beforehand, and that alone could have you crawling on the ground, searching for your teeth,” said the blind woman with a hint of mockery. “And don’t forget that she has a horde of ancient corpse puppets and a bunch of minions like Desolate Calamity in her service. Do you think you can handle all that?”

Zhao Changhe chuckled and said, “She’s that strong, huh? Good. Good. That’s good.”

The blind woman tilted his head in confusion. “Are you insane?”

Zhao Changhe grinned and replied, “You know why.”

Whoever is stronger fits the role of the final boss. I’d rather fight her than fight you.

Of course, he would not actually say something that flattering out loud. Besides, if he really could beat the blind woman, he would have done it already. It was not as if he had any reservations about wanting to punch her.

The contradiction in his own thoughts was almost amusing.

The blind woman did, in fact, know exactly what Zhao Changhe meant. She remained silent for a moment before slowly fading into the void. “Do not underestimate her, or you will regret it.”

Zhao Changhe watched the direction where she vanished, murmuring to himself, “Soul fragment...”

He attempted to separate a fragment of his own soul. The moment he did, an excruciating pain split through his mind. His vision turned blurry, cold sweat poured down his back, and he was forced to abandon the experiment immediately.

Too ambitious... Perhaps I should try something else?

He flicked a finger, and a single drop of blood detached from it. As it fell, it writhed and twisted, transforming into a tiny humanoid figure. The figure’s limbs flailed around and it grinned mischievously. No soul had been infused into the tiny figure; it was being controlled externally.

This is similar to what Hongling did when she embedded her sword qi across the land. That wasn’t a soul fragment either, just an extension of her will.

Zhao Changhe flicked his finger again, sending the tiny blood-formed figure zipping into the subterranean sky.

* * *

Snow drifted over a thousand li across a vast expanse of yellow sand.

Third Lady Yuan stood at the edge of a frozen lake, hands clasped behind her back, watching the mist of ice rise from the water. Her gaze was contemplative.

She had been the first among them to break through to the Profound Control Realm. Much like her reputation in the jianghu, she had done so quietly. There had been no grand battles or dramatic feats, but her strength was undeniable, and her talent unparalleled.

The Sea Emperor’s divine authority had been passed down to her. The faith of countless ocean-dwelling people fueled her cultivation. She was also the chosen vessel for the faith directed toward the Four Idols Cult’s Black Tortoise. If Xia Chichi could not directly channel the dragon qi of the mountains and rivers, then in terms of pure faith-based cultivation, no one in the world could match Lady Three, not even Zhao Changhe.

But talent and faith alone were not enough; understanding was crucial.

To ascend to the second layer of the Profound Control Realm, she was missing something. She was missing a key insight that eluded her.

Lady Three extended a slender finger and flicked it lightly. The frozen lake beneath her instantly melted into rippling water, skipping the usual transition process entirely. This was an act that seemed nothing short of divine. In the distance, many of Batu’s tribesmen fell to their knees, pressing their foreheads to the ground in reverence.

The tribe lacked water. With a flick of her hand, she had granted it in an instant. If she was not a god, then who was?

Among them, Batu puffed out his chest and proudly declared, “See that? That’s my godmother!”

Yet, Lady Three herself shook her head slightly. She was not satisfied.

The conversion between ice and water was what she once believed to be the key to her advancement, but time had proven otherwise. While the hardness of black ice[2] enhanced her defense, the simple transformation between water and ice was something even mortals understood. Such a basic exchange could not be the threshold for ascension.

If there was something that was relevant to breaking through... then it would be the resilience of ice, the adaptability of water, the endurance of the Black Tortoise, the ever-changing nature of the Black Snake, the intertwining of the tortoise and the snake, and the eternal cycle of yin and yang.

The Four Idols always had a hidden fifth aspect, did they not? Did she need to consider the concept of splitting her soul? Could the path to the third layer lie in separation and reunification?

As she pondered, a tiny red figure suddenly plummeted from the sky, spinning in midair. With an impish grin, the tiny figure beamed up at her.

What manner of evil demon dares to mock me?

Instinctively, Lady Three smacked the tiny blood figure out of existence with a single slap.

“Shit...” Beneath the subterranean sky, Zhao Changhe clutched his face. “Stupid tortoise...!”

While it might not have been a soul fragment, the clone had still been under the direct control of his soul. The impact felt exactly as if he had been slapped across the face.

But then again... This was not quite like his previous attempts at purely splitting his soul, either. It was soul infusion into an external vessel—a step closer to true separation. His body remained intact, capable of independent action, while a part of his awareness extended into another form. At the very least, this was a demonstration of dual-consciousness processing. A step forward.

He was beginning to grasp that feeling, the sensation of being everywhere at once.

1. The words being used here are basically “a split of the body” and “a split of the soul.” We’ll just be making the distinction by using the terms “clone” and “soul fragment” respectively. ☜

2. This ice should be something of the nature of the Black Tortoise. However, I’m not sure if there is any cultural significance involved. ☜