Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 470: Wandering Aimlessly

Yue Hongling had already learned from one of her captives where the so-called sword formation cave was located, and she had been lying in wait outside for some time.

Shi Wuding and a few of the Wu sword slaves were inside. Yue Hongling did not dare even peek in, for fear of being discovered, and she carefully concealed herself, waiting for the right moment.

She knew that once Zhao Changhe engaged in battle on his side, Shi Wuding would definitely respond. Whether or not Shi Wuding would leave depended on how well Zhao Changhe performed...

And Yue Hongling had complete faith in him.

No one knew better than her how much Zhao Changhe had progressed in recent times. When Zhao Changhe used Dragon Bird, even she had to put in a great deal of effort to surpass him in combat, with a high chance of getting injured in the process. And that was not even considering the power of his divine weapon—she did not dare test that.

No one understood Zhao Changhe’s strength better than she did...

If Shi Wuding did not come out, no one else could stop Zhao Changhe, not even for a moment.

Sure enough, before long, she heard Shi Wuding’s voice echoing faintly from within the cave, as if talking to himself, “Zhao Changhe?”

After a brief pause, he sounded surprised, “So strong... He’s not much weaker than Wang Daozhong. He truly is worthy of being the strongest hidden dragon in history. He has progressed at such a terrifying pace...”

From this, it was clear that Shi Wuding could fully perceive the battle happening outside. Even if he did not know the exact details, he could at least sense the flow of the fight.

Yet, even Shi Wuding could not recognize Zhao Changhe as having been either Si Laoye or Wang Daozhong.

Zhao Changhe had simply mastered too many different techniques. Once he could truly simplify and refine them into a cohesive whole, it might be his path toward the Ranking of Heaven. Of course, that would be a long-term process, not something easily achieved, but... it was a path!

“Don’t take it head-on!” Shi Wuding suddenly shouted from inside, and in the next moment, a flash of sword light shot out from the cave. “Hold the sword formation steady. I’ll be back shortly!”

This is it!

As soon as Shi Wuding left, Yue Hongling immediately slipped inside.

Zhao Changhe had done his part perfectly. Now, it was up to her to prevent Shi Wuding from focusing all his strength on Zhao Changhe. If she did not act, Zhao Changhe would not be able to handle it alone.

Peering from the dark entrance of the cave, she saw four people inside, all dressed in white like snow. They stood solemnly around a bone sword suspended in the air, forming a peculiar formation...

Then Yue Hongling saw someone familiar. It was Frost Hawk, who had just been defeated by Han Wubing.

Looking carefully, the formation was not actually that strange. It was just a very standard Big Dipper Formation. Since three people were missing from non-adjacent positions, it was not immediately obvious, but a closer look revealed its familiar pattern.

The Big Dipper Formation was a well-used formation, and it was especially favored by swordsmen. It was designed to embody the intent of death, making it particularly fierce and deadly in battle.

There were four people here. With Shi Wuding and Lan Wujiang, that made six... They were just missing Han Wubing to complete the formation.

With the ancient sword in the center, its purpose became clear...

It appeared that the cave was concealing the entrance to a secret realm, and this bone sword was closely linked to it.

So this is a space-breaking formation. They’re using the Big Dipper Formation, utilizing the killing energy of heaven, earth, and man to trigger the object related to the secret realm. They aim to forcibly tear through the void and link the secret realm to the world.

Yue Hongling could almost visualize how the sword qi of the sword slaves forming the formation became the core of the array. The sword qi and sword intent from the daily training of the Sword Hut disciples were gradually absorbed by the formation. The cold, harsh atmosphere of the snowy peaks, along with the swirling snow and frost in the air, all gathered into the formation’s core, forming an intensely frigid and deadly sword intent. It was terrifying beyond measure.

This explained the unnatural cold and the snowfall at this time of the year. This bone sword contained a terrifying energy, possibly far more dangerous than even Dragon Bird.

Yue Hongling had heard about what happened in Gusu back then. This was somewhat similar to the concept of the Sword Emperor’s Tomb, where the terrifying sword of the Sword Emperor forcibly tore through space to reach Tiger Hill. But this time, the direction was reversed; it was pulling downward into the secret realm rather than trying to get out.

The consequences would likely be the same—what had Zhao Changhe and Sisi painstakingly prevented at the Sword Emperor’s Tomb? One, the resurrection of the Sword Emperor. Two, the collapse of the secret realm, leading to landslides and destruction that could turn all of Gusu into ruins.

If Shi Wuding used such an unstable method to forcibly tear open space, and the secret realm was violently pushed out of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, what would the result be?

The snow mountain would collapse, triggering massive avalanches and earthquakes. The entire snow-covered area would be obliterated, and the entirety of Miaojiang would likely experience devastating earthquakes, causing countless deaths!

How dare Shi Wuding! Does he not care about his own life? Even if he can escape into the secret realm in time, wouldn’t all the Sword Hut disciples be doomed?

This was the real reason behind his relocation to this place and his collaboration with the Black Hmong Tribe. The Black Hmong had helped him gather sword slaves like Lan Wujiang, powerful enough to maintain the formation, and they had also identified the approximate location of the secret realm within the snow mountain. Afterward, he no longer needed to continue collaborating with them. If there was any core secret of the sword slave technique, it was most likely hidden within the secret realm!

At that moment, the four sword slaves were fully alert. Yue Hongling could not wait any longer. If she delayed things, Zhao Changhe would likely be killed by Shi Wuding.

She moved swiftly, her sword flashing silently toward the nearest white-clad sword slave.

Clang!

Her surprise attack was blocked by an invisible barrier of sword qi swirling around the formation.

Not only that, but sword qi surged from behind her as well, forming a sword net around the perimeter, preventing her escape.

The four sword slaves turned toward her simultaneously, their longswords almost simultaneously targeting Yue Hongling’s vital areas. “Seeking death!”

Not only was Frost Hawk, someone ranked on the Ranking of Man, present, but the others were not much weaker. The rest were at least at Lan Wujiang’s level, and they were all strengthened by the formation.

Yue Hongling’s battle was going to be even tougher than Zhao Changhe’s.

But there was not a hint of hesitation on her face. Her sword danced like flowing light, clashing with the four opposing swords almost simultaneously. With a subtle shift of her feet, she pressed forward once more.

If the Sword Hut’s swordplay was like a chilling frost, then Yue Hongling’s swordplay was like the glow of sunset—beautiful and graceful.

One of the sword slaves exclaimed, “The Fleeting Beauty Sword Art of Luoxia Mountain Village! Such a low-level sword art, and such a common longsword, yet you can wield them to this degree. Remarkable, Yue Hongling!”

Yue Hongling remained silent, but within the timespan of that single remark, she had already parried over ten strikes from her opponents.

“Yue Hongling being here, isn’t that just perfect?” another sword slave sighed. “Even without Han Wubing, she can be the seventh.”

“Indeed!” The third sword slave seemed almost jubilant. “If we can’t kill Zhao Changhe, capturing Yue Hongling will suffice...”

Yue Hongling could not help but glance at him—Frost Hawk...

Though she appeared to be dancing around them in a graceful fight, in reality, she was constantly observing the sword qi swirling around the formation. As she fought, something clicked in her mind.

All energy flows must follow certain patterns, especially when expressed through sword qi, which would naturally adhere to sword intent.

At first, she could not find the pattern because she was analyzing it through the Sword Hut’s sword principles. But after several exchanges, she noticed that the intent behind this formation felt ancient, with a rugged, primitive quality—quite different from the Sword Hut’s usual style. However, the principles were not hard to discern, as Yue Hongling had absorbed a vast amount of ancient sword techniques from Zhao Changhe. Many concepts were universal and shared across different styles.

Gradually, she maneuvered the four sword slaves away from the formation’s core. Her back was now almost pressed against the swirling sword qi barrier.

“You can’t escape...” Frost Hawk sneered. “Zhao Changhe’s bound to suffer— HEY!”

Suddenly, a deafening explosion resounded from the distance, shaking the heavens, obscuring the sky with dark clouds, and dimming the stars and the moon.

All four sword slaves’ eyes widened in shock. “Zhao Changhe... is actually this powerful?”

Now!

Clang!

Yue Hongling deflected another sword strike from one of the sword slaves. In that instant, her sword energy surged, and she aimed her sword straight at Frost Hawk’s face.

“The Sunset Divine Sword, huh? I’ve been expecting this move...” Frost Hawk confidently and swung his sword toward Yue Hongling’s waist, only to realize that Yue Hongling had rushed past him...

It was a feint!

As Frost Hawk moved aside, that same Sunset Splitting the River strike shot directly toward the core of the formation. The sword qi that had previously blocked her attacks did not react at all this time, allowing her sword qi to pierce straight through the core without any resistance.

“Not good!” the sword slaves cried out in unison. They rushed toward the center of the formation.

But it was too late.

Yue Hongling’s sharp sword energy struck the bone sword viciously.

The bone sword trembled and, with a crisp sound, shifted from its original position.

The energy flow of the formation suddenly halted, and even the chilling cold in the air diminished significantly. The swirling sword qi that had surrounded the area dissipated almost entirely. Yue Hongling stepped forward again, attempting to seize the bone sword.

At that moment, Shi Wuding’s furious voice echoed simultaneously in the minds of the sword slaves, “Who is attacking the sword formation?!”

Outside, sword qi howled through the air. Shi Wuding, completely ignoring Zhao Changhe, was now racing back like a madman.

Zhao Changhe heard Dragon Bird’s voice in his mind, “Are you sure his name doesn’t mean ‘wandering aimlessly’? Whether it’s his subordinates like Frost Hawk or himself, they all seem quite directionless.”

Zhao Changhe did not have time to humor the saber’s commentary. He sped toward the mountain, chasing after Shi Wuding.

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