Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 918 (2): A Saber Descends With a Starry River in Tow

Chapter 918 (2): A Saber Descends With a Starry River in Tow

The fleeting thought flashed through Luo Chuan’s mind, but now he had no time to ponder. Desperately suppressing his grievous injuries, Luo Chuan found it nearly impossible to handle the combined attack from the Ye sisters. He hastily discarded his flying sword, narrowly evading by darting aside, but the palms still grazed his side, tearing a gruesome wound deep enough to expose bone. Violent energy surged into his body, instantly wreaking havoc within his organs.

Yet this was not the end of it. With Luo Chuan fully occupied by the Ye sisters’ ferocious assault, he had no strength left to counter another minor nuisance.

Dragon Bird swept mercilessly across his throat, cleaving through half of it and leaving only his spine barely holding his head in place.

By the time he fled, Luo Chuan was already a horrid mess. His head dangled grotesquely, his chest was torn open, and his internal organs were shredded. He was hanging on by a single thread of life.

This body could no longer be used.

Luo Chuan howled bitterly, “There’s always a next time! We’ll settle this in the next era!”

Without hesitation, he detonated his body.

A cultivator of his level detonating himself unleashed power akin to a supernova. Observing from afar, Sovereign Withered Wood and his companions did not dare approach, and they even retreated further. They could not fathom how Zhao Changhe and his allies, standing so close to the epicenter, would be able to withstand such a devastating explosion, much less interfere with Luo Chuan’s primordial spirit escaping.

Indeed, cultivators of this caliber were notoriously difficult to kill. Perhaps their next decisive battle truly would be reserved for another era.

But just as the thought occurred, Luo Chuan’s astonished and enraged voice echoed from the heart of the explosion, “How is this possible?!?!”

Sovereign Withered Wood’s divine sense swept over, seeing clearly as the aftershocks dissipated. A girl brimming with vital qi stood calmly in the center of the devastation, grasping a black sword. The sword had formed its own world, altering reality around it, capturing Luo Chuan’s fleeing primordial spirit as if it had been waiting there all along just for this exact purpose.

The girl swiftly kept her sword, muttering with annoyance, “My sword had several of my best outfits stored inside, but now they’re all ruined.”

Sovereign Withered Wood: “...”

Is this really the time to be complaining about a few outfits?

Who is this girl? She isn’t even in the Profound Control Realm, yet she’s able to stand so effortlessly amidst the cosmic chaos. She’s even got such an extraordinary divine sword capable of trapping Luo Chuan’s primordial spirit?

Who exactly is she?

In the next moment, the young girl turned anxiously toward Zhao Changhe, shouting, “Dad, what do we do now...?”

Sovereign Withered Wood: “...”

The so-called “Dad,” her pillar of strength, was currently nestled protectively in Ye Jiuyou’s arms. Ye Jiuyou had shielded him from the devastating blast, but the entire family was now battered, exhausted, and utterly spent.

With a weary glance toward Sovereign Withered Wood, Zhao Changhe swiftly transmitted a thought to Ling Ruoyu, “Luo Chuan’s fate isn’t sealed yet, and outsiders are watching hungrily. We can’t linger here. Return to the Heavenly Tome. Grab the prize and run.”

Ling Ruoyu instantly understood, slipping back into the Heavenly Tome with her sword.

From Sovereign Withered Wood’s viewpoint, it appeared the young girl had dashed straight into her father’s embrace.

In the next heartbeat, Piaomiao and the other women similarly vanished into Zhao Changhe’s embrace.

The spectators watching: “...”

Ye Jiuyou shot a chilling glance at the observers before rapidly fleeing with Zhao Changhe in her arms.

She could clearly sense the ill intentions directed their way. Right now, their family was gravely injured, and Luo Chuan was still trapped but might escape at any moment. If battle erupted again, unless Sovereign Withered Wood absolutely took their side, which seemed utterly unrealistic, their family could easily perish here.

The only reason no one had attacked yet was that events had unfolded too rapidly for anyone to react. The observers still hesitated, unsure if Zhao Changhe’s party retained any real fighting strength. Each had their own calculations and doubts, none daring to rashly move. Thus, they could only helplessly watch as Zhao Changhe and his family swiftly departed.

However, this affair was far from over.

At this moment, everyone was severely injured. They could not flee very far carrying such trouble. If the three great forbidden zones reached any kind of agreement and converged to pursue the Heavenly Tome, how would they handle the ensuing chaos?

Feeling the rapid, shifting sensation of space while cradled in his wife’s arms, Zhao Changhe could not help but chuckle softly. “Just find a random pocket of space to hide in for now. Each side has its own concerns, and they won’t reach a consensus soon. We should be safe for the time being. Let’s first finish off Luo Chuan before worrying about anything else.”

Ye Jiuyou halted her frantic flight. “Alright.”

As long as Zhao Changhe gave his assurance, Ye Jiuyou felt immediately at ease. He was her unshakeable pillar.

She quickly carried Zhao Changhe into the Night Palace within the Heavenly Tome. Ling Ruoyu was crouched anxiously beside River of Stars, hugging her knees and shivering, surrounded by a circle of concerned aunts watching on.

River of Stars trembled violently, and Luo Chuan’s trapped primordial spirit was threatening to break free at any second. If he escaped, River of Stars would be utterly destroyed, and that was a disaster Ling Ruoyu could not bear.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Changhe’s first thought was that Luo Chuan had been repeatedly trapped within worlds conjured by River of Stars. Perhaps this sword truly is just his destined nemesis. Blindie probably never imagined that the sword would be used like this when she first forged it.

Seeing Ye Jiuyou carrying Zhao Changhe inside, everyone collectively released a sigh of relief. Ling Ruoyu sniffled anxiously. “What do we do now?”

Ye Wuming effortlessly detached herself from Ye Jiuyou’s body, slipping back into her own previously inert form and sitting upright with ease. “Didn’t you notice? It’s your Aunt Jiuyou who’s hurt, not your mother.”

Ling Ruoyu: “...”

Inside the sword, Luo Chuan sensed this and nearly vomited blood in frustration. You can be this shameless?

He had barely escaped with his primordial spirit, utterly exhausted and vulnerable. Outside, however, stood Ye Wuming, uninjured and in peak condition!

He could almost feel Ye Wuming’s malicious eyes gleaming as they stared at the sword, savoring the moment. This grudge spanning millions of years, crossing two entire eras was now firmly within her grasp. Just the thought of it made Luo Chuan shudder to his very core.

The sword began trembling even more violently as though it would burst open at any second. Luo Chuan’s voice roared defiantly, “Ye Wuming, even at your peak, you could not erase my primordial spirit! By the time your family recovers, I’ll have shattered this sword—”

Before he could finish speaking, a delicate finger gently tapped the blade. Ye Wuming’s voice floated lightly, “I decree that within this world, no bodiless spirit can touch physical matter, pass through barriers, or escape confinement.”

Luo Chuan: “???”

Suddenly, he realized the borders of the space within the sword had become intangible. No matter how desperately his spirit attempted to strike or escape, he could touch nothing. His presence had been rendered utterly incorporeal.

And the moment he tried to bring that barrier back to a tangible state, it only resulted in him slamming into an absolutely unbreakable wall.

Despair sank heavily into Luo Chuan’s heart.

This is what being the genuine Heavenly Dao of a world truly meant. A single sentence was all it took to rewrite the fundamental laws of existence. Any being inside was forced to comply. No brute force was even necessary to imprison or erase him. Though theoretically, Other Shore cultivators could defy rules, in his weakened, injured state, Luo Chuan was utterly incapable of challenging world-level definitions.

Ye Wuming’s voice resonated once more, “Within River of Stars lies a self-contained world. As the sun rises and the moon sets, it shall refine everything within it.”

At this moment, the sisters’ minds aligned perfectly. Ye Jiuyou exhaled slowly, feeling deeply relieved.

In the past, the Heavenly Dao had attempted something similar, burning and tormenting countless beings. Now, karma had returned in full measure.

This was poetic justice at its finest.

Luo Chuan shrieked in agony.

Within the once-dark, lifeless River of Stars, a sun-like radiance suddenly exploded into brilliance. Luo Chuan’s primordial spirit was thrust into a fiery furnace. His demonic qi was as though it had been trapped in purifying Buddhist light, and his soul was hammered relentlessly. This was an unbearable torment.

Even Piaomiao allowed herself a vengeful smile. She, too, had once descended into darkness, suffering greatly in the Buddhist pagoda, and her suffering was traceable directly back to Luo Chuan. Now, even that karmic debt had been repaid.

Ye Wuming turned calmly toward Ye Jiuyou and asked softly, “Is this enough?”

Ye Jiuyou paused, then slowly replied, “Accelerate the time inside the sword. We shouldn’t delay.”

Ye Wuming smiled faintly, “The rules within the sword are not set by me.”

All eyes turned simultaneously toward Ling Ruoyu.

Ling Ruoyu pointed to herself incredulously, “Me?”

Zhao Changhe nodded seriously, “You caught Monk Tang and his disciples[1].”

Ling Ruoyu had no idea who Tang Sanzang and his disciples were, but Luo Chuan indeed had been captured by her. As for defining the laws within River of Stars... She had recently been studying the Heavenly Tome under her mother’s guidance and had learned the Dao of time. Her proficiency was still rather limited, but as the spirit of River of Stars, she embodied its Heavenly Dao. If she willed it, she could accomplish anything within its bounds.

Placing her palm against River of Stars, Ling Ruoyu quietly declared, “Inside the River of Stars, time accelerates ten thousandfold.”

Luo Chuan emitted an earth-shattering wail. This was not merely due to the accelerated flow of time, but also because the refining torment had increased by ten thousand times.

Everyone stared blankly at River of Stars, experiencing a surreal moment of disbelief.

The false Heavenly Dao once viewed as the greatest enemy, the adversary who had exhausted countless generations of heroes across two eras, the manipulative Demon Sovereign once believed defeatable only at the cost of mutual destruction, had been dealt with right before their eyes. The price they had paid was limited to a number of minor wounds, and nobody was even suffering that badly.

But then, Zhao Changhe turned slowly and deliberately toward Ye Wuming.

“As I said before... To me, he was never the final boss. You are.”

Ye Wuming continued gazing indifferently at River of Stars as she softly asked, “And what do you plan to do?”

Zhao Changhe stood firmly amidst Luo Chuan’s increasingly faint cries of anguish. He raised his saber, pointing its tip at Ye Wuming. “You are at your peak; I am not. However, I formally issue you a challenge right this moment. Your Majesty the Night Emperor, please grant me your guidance.”

1. This is a reference to the Journey of the West; Monk Tang (aka Tang Sanzang, aka Xuanzang) is one of the central characters. ☜