Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 361: Breakthrough, First Layer of the Profound Mysteries

I wonder why I’m seeing this story... It could have just been a phantom or projection of the demonic god demonstrating martial arts, couldn’t it?

Maybe it’s related to getting the second page of the Heavenly Tome. It’s possible that the addition of that page has made it so that I become immersed in the environment of the target, thus revealing the history of the artifact?

I must admit, Cult Leader Xue does not lose any face by worshiping the Blood God. He truly was someone who deserved the reverence of future generations. Of course, faith is another matter. I’m still more willing to accept the role of a successor. I’m quite fond of what he said. “Then I shall make it so that those who come after me can use my blood to tear open the sky...”

The Blood God wanted his successors to inherit this heaven-rending will, but what has the Blood God Cult inherited?

Violence, bloodshed, and slaughter...

Perhaps those indeed reflect the Blood God’s temperament, but they are definitely not his essence, or rather, they’re a bit outdated.

Well, this isn’t really significant to my purpose. I have my own path. Tearing open the sky and defying gods and demons might be what Xia Longyuan and others aim to do, and perhaps it is the path Cult Leader Xue will pursue in the future. However, it does not match mine... at least not for now.

I seek only that one slash.

The slash that the Blood God had unleashed was far beyond Zhao Changhe’s current level and it would require him long-term contemplation and comprehension. It encapsulated everything he had learned so far. The entire Vicious Blood Saber Art was derived from it. If he wanted to advance his saber arts to the level of the Profound Mysteries, studying this was certainly the right path.

Zhao Changhe closed his eyes and stood there quietly, repeatedly reflecting on that slash.

He realized that he had two major issues he had to overcome.

First, he was not yet at the stage where he sought to revert complexity to simplicity, becoming one with his saber. He still needed to build a complete system of saber arts from the basics to the advanced levels.

Everyone knew that due to the lack of advanced manuals for the Vicious Blood Art, he was stuck with techniques at the Profound Gate level. It was because of that that he lacked a true understanding of saber arts.

Speaking of techniques themselves, the problem was not just having few moves, but also few ultimate techniques—only three in total. Among them, Scattering the Gods and Buddhas and No Man’s Land had become passive buffs, meaning the only active technique he had was Hell on Earth.

This left him with a limited moveset, forcing him to incorporate the Sword Emperor’s ultimate techniques as well as other stolen techniques to make up for his lack of techniques. But the issue was that most of the techniques he acquired were sword techniques, with only Hu Lie’s Yellow Sand Saber Art being somewhat compatible with his path.

Previously, Cult Leader Xue was limited by his strength, and he couldn’t yet use saber techniques at the level of the Profound Mysteries. Because of that, he was using the same techniques as me. However, he has already seen the advanced techniques, or at least gotten an idea of them, understanding a bit of their essence, and his system is complete and coherent. His use of the lower-level techniques is far more refined; how could I even compare?

But now, with the Heavenly Tome, I can study this slash, turning it into a complete saber art even more comprehensive than the manuals compiled by generations of the Blood God Cult.

With just one glance, Zhao Changhe saw the move that followed after Hell on Earth.

Hell on Earth was a horizontal slash, silent and void. The move that followed it was at the Profound Mysteries level, and it was a move that transformed the saber into countless drops of blood that rained down from all over the sky.

That one slash from Lie that decapitated several people simultaneously was the culmination of a group battle technique. In order to have his single saber be able to take on multiple people at once, he first needed to split it up so that it could deliver that attack to multiple targets.

It was also the process of transforming Hell on Earth into myriad forms. And mastering it was the step to reach the Profound Mysteries.

If the empty world was Hell, then this slash made Hell display its true hideousness and horror, with blood covering the mountains and rivers.

This move was called Bloodied Mountains and Rivers. Compared to the previous three ultimate techniques, its name seemed much simpler, yet it served as a new foundation. This ultimate technique built upon the hell that had been split apart, aiming to shatter the heavens above. It mirrored the scenes he had seen earlier: the initial environment, a person in the wilderness, the surroundings collapsing, the sea of blood.

Zhao Changhe stood quietly for a moment before suddenly drawing his saber.

It looked like a single slash, but the surrounding blood pool seemed to be simultaneously struck by countless blades, with blood splashing up from innumerable spots. From a distance, it appeared as if waves were rising in a sea of blood, the waves then going on to surge across the mountains and rivers.

Xue Canghai had been silently observing him from behind. At this moment, he let out a sigh. “Who would believe that he isn’t the saint? He doesn’t even need to look at the manuals. Just standing here for a moment, he comprehends the Profound Mysteries-level Bloodied Mountains and Rivers... That’s a move that our predecessors took years to grasp...”

The protectors nearby were absolutely dumbfounded.

They had access to the Profound Mysteries-level saber techniques, but they could not execute them. Yet, Zhao Changhe, after just a few moments in the secret chamber, and despite his cultivation not being there just yet, was actually able to comprehend the move that transformed one slash into countless strikes.

Moreover, Zhao Changhe had still not broken through. They could only wonder as to how he was able to so casually use it.

Wait, didn’t he just see the move for the first time? Even if he gets it, how is he able to use it without even having to practice it? Where did this monster come from?

Meanwhile, the so-called monster sighed. “It’s still not enough... I still can’t break through...”

Everyone felt on the verge of a heart attack.

Xue Canghai said with a blank expression, “I can’t watch this anymore. It’s already more than enough for me to confirm that he’s the saint. I’ll go and deal with that envoy from the Maitreya Cult first.”

After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and left.

He suspected that if he continued watching, he might just vomit blood. You already managed to do something so unbelievable, yet you’re still complaining about not breaking through? Were you actually planning to just close your eyes for a few moments and break through to the Profound Mysteries?

It was normal for Zhao Changhe to not have broken through. Xue Canghai had already pointed out that he was not lacking just the final step as he had initially imagined. His insights in other areas might be very advanced, but those were different and unrelated to the Vicious Blood Saber Art and the Vicious Blood Art.

Zhao Changhe also knew that he had these problems. While he had pretty much dealt with the part involving the Vicious Blood Saber Art, he still had to find what was missing for the Vicious Blood Art.

Of course, it was the cultivation technique.

His vicious blood qi was not as intense as that of Cult Leader Xue and others. After all, vicious blood qi was genuinely meant to be honed through slaughter, or by absorbing items that nurtured vicious blood qi in large quantities, which he lacked. However, the requirement for the Vicious Blood Art was not actually nurturing an infinite amount of vicious blood qi; reaching a certain threshold was sufficient.

As he had said to Cult Leader Xue before, it was harmful to be overly obsessed with killing, and reaching higher cultivation realms was not just about accumulating vicious blood qi. One’s understanding and application of it was what mattered most.

Was Lie’s vicious blood qi very intense in that slash?

Actually, it wasn’t. It was quite calm and composed. It was as if what he was doing was just a trivial task. He was even distractedly carving the array plate when he slashed out.

He did not reveal or display some overwhelming vicious blood qi.

But in the end, he still managed to create a hellish impression with unparalleled ferocity and terror. Why is that?

It’s because of the environment.

Yes, vicious blood qi is not only internal but also universally present externally. The enemy has it, the dead have it, and the bloodier the battlefield, the more of it there is.

It can be drawn upon.

At this moment, his insights suddenly aligned with the previous guidance he received from Huangfu Qing and Yuxu, his insights all converged into a single, unified understanding.

The first layer of the Profound Mysteries involved integrating with the external environment and merging with heaven and earth.

But at the moment, there was no vicious blood qi for him to use to test out his ideas. He was thus missing a catalyst to help him break through.

Should I challenge Cult Leader Xue to a fight again?

Zhao Changhe pondered for a moment and suddenly embedded the blood token into the center of the array plate.

In an instant, the array plate overflowed with vicious blood qi, as if it contained infinite power ready to erupt at any moment.

I got it.

Swish!

Zhao Changhe swung his saber.

His slash did not have an immediate effect, and the blood pool did not splash around like before, but the protectors by the door suddenly felt a suffocating pressure. Their blood and qi surged uncontrollably, their hearts contracted tightly, and an overwhelming sense of terror arose within them.

It felt to them as if the one who had swung the saber just now was not Zhao Changhe.

No... it was the Blood God reborn.

The thud of knees hitting the ground could be heard coming from the door as they all knelt down and prostrated themselves, their foreheads touching the ground as they prayed devoutly, “We welcome our god... May the Blood God guide our way forward...”

Zhao Changhe turned his head, and the blood-red color in his eyes flashed and faded away.

He had wandered and looked for so long... Through the vast desert, to Beimang, to Kunlun, and now into Wushan. From north to south, from winter to spring.

Enlightened by Hongling, instructed by Huangfu, sought advice from Yuxu, and guided by the gods and demons.

Finally, he achieved the first layer of the Profound Mysteries.

It had been a year and three months since he began practicing martial arts.