Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 890 (1): Hit Me if You’ve Got the Guts

Zhao Changhe cast a glance at Ye Wuming, increasingly doubtful whether this so-called “relatively peaceful” world of cultivation was ever peaceful to begin with.

By all logic, if magical treasures and conflict existed, and if the Heavenly Sword Venerable had his own history of discord with that weapons store, then war had never truly vanished from this world. Ultimately, this was a world where people defied the heavens for life and power, so there was a limit to any peace.

And yet a top-tier powerhouse of this world was saying that he would personally accompany a child through her trial? Where was his pride?

Ye Wuming’s face remained unreadable, but she quietly opened her mouth and said, “Then Yu’er shall humbly request a few pointers.”

Ling Ruoyu showed no sign of anxiety. On the contrary, her fighting spirit seemed to spark. When she and River of Stars became one, she ceased to be just Ling Ruoyu. She became something capable of threatening the very Heavenly Dao. And now, with a human mind and will guiding the sword, she was even stronger than when she had been a mere spirit.

Even that dumb Dragon Bird can’t beat me now. And this Heavenly Sword Venerable’s even weaker than my dad. I guess he really is a perfect sparring partner.

Taking a deep breath, the young girl offered a solemn salute. “Please instruct me, senior.”

And in the instant those words of courtesy left her lips, Ling Ruoyu felt the Heavenly Sword Venerable “vanish.”

He was still there physically, but it felt as though he had merged with the surroundings, like he had always been part of the architecture, part of the air itself. It felt less like she was facing a person and more like she was facing a space... or even the heaven and earth themselves.

What should she point her sword at? Where was the opponent?

Ling Ruoyu closed her eyes. Her sword swept out diagonally, not toward her foe but toward empty space.

The essence of the starry sky surged within the pavilion, as if another world had been forced into existence, one that disrupted and fragmented the Heavenly Sword Venerable’s union with heaven and earth.

However, his sword was already at her face.

Ling Ruoyu darted backward like lightning. River of Stars slashed upward in response. With her movement came the roar of thunder. It was a mighty rumble that tore the firmament asunder.

The restraints set within the Hall of Heroes trembled violently. Meant to absorb energy and prevent structural collapse, they struggled to contain the overflow from her sword. The etched array lines flickered erratically, some even showing signs of fracture.

The Heavenly Sword Venerable was shocked to his core. This is a teenage girl? Is this really not a manifestation of the Heavenly Dao itself? No... This power isn’t hers alone. It’s coming from that dark divine sword in her hand.

Clang!

The Heavenly Sword Venerable’s sword clashed with River of Stars. Both sides recoiled slightly. Ling Ruoyu retreated a few steps, eyes narrowing in puzzlement.

This man had the title “Heavenly Sword.” It was thus easy to assume that he would be one to wield a sword in battle. Even the guardian on one of the lower floors had commented on how much he would appreciate her sword heart. But during this exchange, his strikes carried no clear sword intent.

Instead, the air had grown hot, oppressively so. She felt as if a blazing fire were roasting her from the inside out, soul and flesh alike.

“You’re not a sword cultivator at all...” Ling Ruoyu suddenly declared. “You’re secretly using a magical treasure. Where is it?”

“To think you’d figure that out so quickly.” The Heavenly Sword Venerable chuckled. “But can you guess where it is?”

“The entire building is the treasure,” Ling Ruoyu said sharply. “You’re trying to refine us alive.” 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The Heavenly Sword Venerable froze, casting a quick glance toward the couple nearby only to see them scratching their heads in perfect unison and looking rather awkward.

Naturally, they had figured it out the moment they walked in. But neither had expected Ling Ruoyu to notice so quickly herself. Now, even her own parents were starting to lose composure at just how massive of a cheat their daughter seemed to be turning into.

And so was the Heavenly Sword Venerable. What the hell is with this family? They saw through the trap and didn’t immediately break it? They just stood there watching? Do they truly believe themselves to be on par with the Heavenly Dao, able to dismantle this heaven and earth?

Finally, Zhao Changhe couldn’t take it anymore. “Well, basically... This so-called Hall of Heroes is nothing but a trap. Those who challenge the nine floors, hoping to meet the heroes you claim to host, end up either refined into puppets or something, or swearing loyalty. I saw a few guards earlier who carried a noble air. I’m guessing they were once like us and they’re now forced to serve under you?”

The Heavenly Sword Venerable dodged Ling Ruoyu’s next strike with a laugh. “I never thought I could trap the two of you. But aren’t you being a little too arrogant? Maybe you don’t fear my Heaven and Earth Hall, but what about your daughter? A few moments ago, you could’ve stepped in to save her, but now, it might be too late.”

As the words fell, Ling Ruoyu let out a muffled groan, and the force behind her sword dropped by nearly three quarters.

The scorching pressure bearing down on her had siphoned off too much of her strength to simply resist it. If there was a weakness in her unity with the River of Stars blade, it was her fragile human body. High offense, high wisdom, low defense, low HP. Normally, her overwhelming swordplay concealed this flaw, but under an indiscriminate assault like this, her body’s inadequacy was easy to take advantage of.

Worse still, this so-called Heaven and Earth Hall magical treasure seemed to grow more potent with each passing breath, its assault doubling in strength over time. The longer one stayed inside, the deadlier it became.

“Shall we talk about that black sword now?” The Heavenly Sword Venerable chuckled pleasantly. “Truth be told, I never expected this treasure to be capable of refining either of you. But holding you here for a few breaths, long enough to reduce your daughter to ash, is well within its power.”

Zhao Changhe gave a faint smile. “So?”

“If you’re willing to hand over the sword and let me bind it to myself right here and now, then the two of you may take your daughter and go. I won’t stop you.”

Zhao Changhe laughed. “And you’re not worried we’ll come back later to take your head?”

The Heavenly Sword Venerable’s gaze burned with fervor as he stared at River of Stars. “With this sword, I’ll vanish into seclusion and cultivate. This sword will help me reach perfection with my Dao! Once I’ve broken through, no one will ever be my equal again!”

“You certainly dream big,” Zhao Changhe said with amusement.

“Well?” the Heavenly Sword Venerable barked. “Decide quickly or there won’t even be a corpse left of your daughter!”

Zhao Changhe yawned. “Sure, sure.”

The Heavenly Sword Venerable was about to reply when his eyes suddenly bulged in disbelief.

The girl who had just moments ago been hacking away at him in a fury... had vanished.

She was gone and nowhere to be seen.

All that remained was the black sword, suspended in the air. Its tip pointed directly at him and glimmering coldly, like a pair of defiant, unblinking eyes.

The Heavenly Sword Venerable rubbed his eyes. Did I just imagine that? That isn’t just some illusion, right? Did the girl just... enter the sword?

Without her present, what was the point of the burning assault?

His reflexes kicked in instantly. He lunged to seize the sword, hoping to erase its former master’s imprint and claim it as his own before the couple could act.

The black sword erupted in a frenzy, howling like a storm as it thrust toward his spiritual platform.

At the same time, a violent gust exploded behind him. Sweeping his divine sense back, he caught sight of a massive saber cleaving straight for his skull.

The saber was not moving of its own accord. It was wielded by the man, who had somehow flashed behind him. “You dare lay hands on my daughter? I hope you washed your fucking neck!”

Clang!

The Heavenly Sword Venerable barely turned in time to meet the blow, their weapons colliding in a deafening explosion. A numbing shock surged up his arm, and he stumbled back several steps.

Zhao Changhe did not press the attack. Instead, he raised his saber and slammed it down into the floor. “You call this rickety hall of yours heaven and earth? Then I’ll show you how I break heaven and earth into pieces!”

Boom!

A terrifying force tore through the ground. Cracks spiderwebbed outward as the surrounding arrays shattered. The entire structure collapsed in an instant.

“You—!” The Heavenly Sword Venerable nearly coughed up blood in rage. That artifact had been a treasure of paramount importance to him, resilient through millennia of spiritual storms. And now, in a single swing, it had been destroyed completely.

“Me what?!” Zhao Changhe’s voice rang out again at his ear, the massive saber once more pressed to the Heavenly Sword Venerable’s throat. “You want to roast my family alive? With that little candlefire of yours?”

Clang!

The Heavenly Sword Venerable barely managed to parry the next blow, and this time, blood sprayed from his mouth. Without hesitation, he turned into a beam of light and fled.

He could not win.

The man fought with a savage momentum that left no opening, wave after wave without pause or respite. In battles like this, even the slightest disparity in power would be magnified a hundredfold. And unfortunately for him, he was slightly weaker.

What made it worse was that Zhao Changhe’s saber art bore no visible lineage—no flaws to read, no pattern to exploit. It had already returned to the most primal state. A simple swing. A single slash. And yet, each bore the power to cleave heaven and earth.

Where the hell did this guy come from? Even the Heavenly Dao’s power isn’t this overbearing...

The thought barely crossed his mind when a wave of alarm surged through his senses.

Right in his path of escape, the black sword floated silently, waiting. It was like he had willingly stuck his backside right onto the sword, begging to be stabbed.

The Heavenly Sword Venerable swiftly summoned a small bronze mirror. This mirror was known as the Spirit-Snatching Mirror. It could daze weapon spirits with a single glance or, in some cases, even extinguish them entirely.

The mirror’s light shone straight onto the black sword.

A girl dropped from the sword the next moment, blade in hand, lunging forward in a deadly thrust.

The mirror’s light had zero dazing effect on the sword spirit. Because there was no spirit inside the sword to daze in the first place.

He had made a fatal misjudgment, and now he had lost his last chance to escape. Behind him, Zhao Changhe had already closed the distance and, with one swing, cleaved off half his body.

Father and daughter exchanged a glance and, in perfect sync, flashed identical grins.