Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 642: Should the Heavens Be Void of Sun and Moon, I Shall Take Their Place
Chapter 642: Should the Heavens Be Void of Sun and Moon, I Shall Take Their Place
Zhao Changhe’s consciousness within the sword began to waver.
Igniting the conceptual stars was far more than a mere outburst of sword qi. The sword qi itself was merely the outward expression, the ignition key. The essence lay in pouring one’s spirit and sword intent into the sword blank to resonate with the astral foundations within it and locate the corresponding stars to light them. The mental exertion required was nothing short of staggering.
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The more significant the stars—such as the four idols—the greater the strain of forging that connection. When the moment arrived that all four idols were illuminated, Zhao Changhe teetered on the brink of collapse.
But just the four idols was not enough. What of the myriad lesser stars? Their sheer number was staggering, and he was already nearing exhaustion.
With such meager power, did he truly dare to claim the mantle of emperor?
Beyond the forge, Zhao Changhe’s physical eyes turned bloodshot, a sign that he was pushing his power to the very limits. The underground chamber flared with brilliance, a galaxy brought to life, violent power surging in every direction, making the flames of the forge flicker and waver.
Lady Three’s eyes widened in astonishment.
Is he... attempting a breakthrough? Is he really pushing for the third layer of the Profound Mysteries right now?
I mean, he has indeed already met the prerequisites for the third layer. He's even a godslayer, no less. What remains is merely the refinement and accumulation of power. But are the days he's spent cultivating in the second layer truly enough? Perhaps his dual cultivation with Tang Wanzhuang and Xia Chichi helped, or reforging Dragon Bird played its part in advancing his cultivation....
All of that mattered, but it was not enough. The key lay elsewhere.
Beneath the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the heavens above mirrored the mountains and rivers below. Lady Three observed closely, seeing streams of dragon qi converge upon Zhao Changhe, coiling around him to form a phantom dragon not unlike Xia Chichi’s.
Zhao Changhe had always possessed dragon qi, though he had once carelessly bestowed it upon his steed, Snow-Treading Crow. However, after aiding Xia Chichi’s rise and becoming the acknowledged heir apparent, the dragon qi once again gathered around him. To Tang Wanzhuang and others, Zhao Changhe was a ruler in all but name.
He understood fate and faith, and he knew how to wield them. He had grasped the significance of this subterranean sky.
Outside, the members of the Four Idols Cult were stunned to sense the dimming aura below surge with renewed vigor. It was as though a sky and an earth existed beneath their feet—a complete miniature world where fate converged, the mountains and rivers were one, and heaven and earth resonated, centered upon the true dragon roaring between them.
A tide of immense power swept through Zhao Changhe’s body. The strength of the mountains and rivers surged like myriad rivers flowing into the sea, merging with his Six Harmonies Art. Vicious blood qi surged and spiraled, rising skyward.
Boom!
Star-like sparks burst around Zhao Changhe, scattering before sinking into the Night Emperor's sword.
One by one, countless stars began to shine within the sword.
Zhao Changhe's cultivation at the third layer of the Profound Mysteries ignited. Within the Night Emperor’s sword, a starry brilliance was ever resplendent. In the subterranean sky, the stars of the Milky Way shined ever so bright.
Lady Three’s eyes shone with admiration, almost star-struck.
So handsome...
“Chichi,” said Zhao Changhe, his breath ragged.
From above, Xia Chichi drifted gracefully into the chamber. She whispered, “I’m here.”
“Lend your Aunt-Master a hand. Use the wood element to feed the fire element. Keep the flame steady.”
“Yes.”
The way Xia Chichi responded with a simple “yes” was almost instinctual; to Lady Three’s ears, it felt completely natural.
The Azure Dragon’s power infused the forge fire, and what had been a flickering flame roared back to life.
Zhao Changhe’s consciousness once again plunged into the sword.
The stars above shimmered, the expanse now truly resembling a starry sky. Beneath the astral dome, spirit qi swirled, and a spirit body was beginning to take shape.
A sword spirit was about to be born.
If he continued along this path, he could complete the process. But aside from a few adjustments—whether he followed the path of the Milky Way first or that of the four idols—it was difficult to claim he would surpass the Night Emperor. At best, he could say he was refining the approach.
For Zhao Changhe, only when his blade was forged with the vicious blood qi of his will did it truly become his weapon. How, then, would he make this sword unquestionably his?
What else had the Night Emperor overlooked in his quest?
Beyond the lesser stars, there were greater ones—like the seven luminaries[1], particularly the one celestial body ignored by both the Night Emperor and Xia Longyuan: the Sun.
During the day, no one could ignore the sun. But at night, people simply did not think of it, even though they knew the Sun had not just vanished into nothingness, but merely dipped below the horizon. For all intents and purposes, the night sky was devoid of the sun.
But was the Sun not one of the celestial stars? Modern minds would say, without question, that it was a star—a blazing, irreplaceable beacon. How could it thus be disregarded?
Even if, at the final moment, the Night Emperor had shattered the limits of his framework, he likely had not considered the Sun. Without the Sun, he could only claim the title of Night Emperor and not Heavenly Emperor.
Everyone, even the mightiest of gods and Buddhas, had their blind spots. In the ancient era, there may have been figures like the Sun Emperor—entities unseen and unconsidered in their path to power, regarded as rivals rather than allies.
But Zhao Changhe, who had meditated under the blazing sun for a month in the secret realm of the Spirit Tribe, would never forget what he had seen in those countless days and nights. Whether at dawn or dusk, there were moments when sun, moon, and stars shared the same sky.
Yet could the Sun be so easily ignited? The forge within which the sword was being forged likely did not even contain the essence of the Sun. How could he hope to ignite it? Where could he even begin?
If it did not exist within the sword—how could he set it alight?
If it isn't there, then why can't I just make it so?
Zhao Changhe reached into his ring and pulled out a leaf.
It was a Solaris Nimbus Leaf, obtained from the Spirit Tribe and once used to nurture Tang Wanzhuang’s soul. The leaf’s essence—clouds embracing the warm sun—contained the concepts of blazing sunlight and spirit-nurturing energy.
He cast the Solaris Nimbus Leaf into the forge. A faint sizzling sound echoed as the leaf was quickly consumed, its essence absorbed into the forging process.
Zhao Changhe watched the absorption closely, his mind stirring. “Dragon Bird.”
“Master.”
“Do you know what to do?”
The saber spirit, connected to its master’s thoughts, hesitated for the first time. The Solaris Nimbus Leaf alone could not create a sun. It served only to lay the foundation, guiding the nascent form toward solar essence rather than something else.
To truly manifest the sun required the ancient practice of tempering the sword with one’s own body. And this was no mystery: Should there be neither Sun nor Moon, the King shall make his own![2]
The moment to realize this had finally arrived.
Without warning, Dragon Bird swung itself, slashing at Zhao Changhe’s chest.
As Lady Three and Xia Chichi cried out in horror, a torrent of blood spurted forth, drenching the flames of the forge. Yet instead of being extinguished, the fire roared, swelling with renewed ferocity!
Zhao Changhe’s face turned pale, yet his voice remained calm. “Vermillion Bird.”
Huangfu Qing had long since arrived, silently observing. She nodded and answered softly, “I’m here.”
“The Southern Li Fire—the fire of the Vermillion Bird. Channel the fiercest point of the fire to the center of the blade. That will infuse it with solar essence.” Zhao Changhe’s gaze was steady. “This is the Night Emperor’s sword. You will not refuse such an honor, will you?”
Does blazing sunlight really belong to the night? Vermillion Bird wanted to ask. But looking at Zhao Changhe, his body soaked in blood, she held back the question and simply said, “Very well.”
Her slender finger traced the air, and the core of the flame condensed to a searing point.
Within the sword, Zhao Changhe’s consciousness could see his flowing blood and vicious qi fusing with the Solaris Nimbus Leaf’s essence, coalescing into a thick, crimson mist. The mist ascended, lingering in the eastern sky, like a scarlet sun emerging from the horizon, while stars and the moon still lingered.
But this sun held no warm radiance of dawn. It was savage, filled with vicious qi that overflowed.
This was not the sun—it was Zhao Changhe’s blood. He was tempering the sword with his body, in the truest sense.
Should the heavens be void of Sun and Moon, I shall take their place!
Rumble!
The firmament shuddered as if in acknowledgment of a ritual complete. Sun, moon, and stars shone together, stabilizing into a unified sky.
A crimson, infant-like spirit curled in the void, knees hugged to its chest—the sword spirit was being born.
This was true fatherhood, in the most visceral sense, with even his own blood forming its essence.
“Come out of the forge.” With a sweep of his hand, Zhao Changhe moved the blade to the anvil. The hammer fell heavily onto its edge.
Clang!
In the void, the infant spirit slowly uncurled, limbs stretching as it drifted, lying upon the Milky Way. Its head rested on the blazing sun, and its feet touched the full moon.
A name gradually etched itself onto the sword’s gleaming surface: River of Stars.
Black Tortoise was tasked with surveying the mountains and rivers for the forging of a divine sword. Upon completion, it shall be called the River of Stars.
As decreed in the previous era and accomplished in the current era, the sword reflecting the heavens was to be named River of Stars.
Thus was the accomplishment of Zhao Changhe: an earthly river giving rise to a river of heaven.
Zhao Changhe looked up. Lady Three, Xia Chichi, and Vermillion Bird had all ceased their work, their expressions a tangle of awe and uncertainty as they gazed at him.
Emerging from the underground chamber, Zhao Changhe stepped into the dawn’s embrace. The sun rose on the horizon, yet stars and moon still lingered in the sky.
The sword’s power radiated across the entire palace. Outside the entrance to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, a sea of the Four Idols Cult members knelt, shoulder to shoulder, their foreheads pressed to the ground. Silence reigned as none dared lift their heads.
The heavens themselves seemed to bow to the birth of the divine blade.
1. This is just another term for seven celestial bodies, namely the Sun, Moon, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Saturn. These are the classical planets that are visible to the naked eye. ☜
2. This is from the ancient Black Tortoise’s records quoted in chapter 341. ☜
