Chapter 500: Tell Him Later

Chapter 500: Tell Him Later

Zhao Changhe got up from the pool and directly used the Six Harmonies Art to dry his clothes.

With a loud boom, his clothes were almost turned to ash by his true qi.

Even Zhao Changhe was startled. Upon inspecting himself internally, he saw vast and boundless true qi surging like a rushing river, almost creating an illusion of roaring waves.

He had grown several times stronger than before!

The once weak and secondary Six Harmonies Art had now risen fully, standing toe to toe with the power of the Blood Asura Body.

He had already cultivated the Blood Asura Body to the second stage, yet it could not suppress the Six Harmonies Art. The intent to break free and claim dominance over the vicious blood qi was apparent.

But for now, neither could fully suppress the other. They were evenly matched, caught in a stalemate, intertwining and even beginning to spiral together.

Zhao Changhe clenched his fist and then opened it, staring at his palm in a daze. He could feel the surging power within himself. He had never felt this strong before.

In terms of sheer power, he was likely already comparable to those at the second layer of the Profound Mysteries, or at least very close.

All that was left was that final insight, the last step before breaking through to the second layer. His current state was similar to Yue Hongling’s before she defeated Shi Wuding.

Previously, the gap had seemed immense, but in just two days, he had reached this point.

I should be half a step into the Ranking of Earth now, right?

If Wang Daozhong were to come now, Zhao Changhe felt that he could take him on even without relying on Dragon Bird’s power, though whether he could kill him was another matter.

He let out a long sigh and began descending the mountain.

Figuring out how to take that final step was not something to worry about now. For the moment, he needed to find Yue Hongling. What happened last night? Why did she leave like that?

* * *

Yue Hongling was not resting in her room.

After Zhao Changhe had completely reshaped his meridians and fallen asleep in exhaustion, Sisi quietly left. Halfway down the mountain, she saw a figure in a red dress standing silently, as if waiting for her.

The guards at the foot of the mountain had been ordered not to let anyone up, but that meant nothing to Yue Hongling.

However, she had stopped halfway up the mountain, not proceeding further. It was as if she understood what was happening above and chose not to interfere, choosing instead to stay and keep watch.

Sisi hesitated slightly, then eventually lowered her head and walked over. “Big Sis Yue... I didn’t use any gu.”

Yue Hongling felt a pang of heartache upon hearing this. She looked at Sisi for a while. There were a thousand things she wanted to say but found herself unable to voice them out. Finally, it all condensed into two words, “Thank you...”

Sisi was surprised. “You’re thanking me? Does disguising myself as you give you some sense of participation? Is that really fine with you? Well, I guess you once pretended to be me and, well, hmm-hmm-hmm with him.”

“...” Yue Hongling’s sympathy almost vanished at that moment. She did not know whether to laugh or cry. Even now, Sisi could not help but be provocative.

Nonetheless, it did not change the fact that the first time she gave herself to him, Zhao Changhe did not even know it was her.

She could have taken the opportunity to use a gu to control him, but she did not do anything of the sort—she gave up her purity for practically nothing.

Watching Sisi remove her disguise, Yue Hongling sighed. “When he wakes up, should we tell him?”

Sisi looked up, considering it. “Can you do me a small favor?”

“What is it?”

“Tell him after you two leave.”

Yue Hongling was puzzled. “Why? We’re clearly going to stay here for some time. Do you really want to remain in a position where he hesitates and only sees you as a servant?”

“I’m fine with it.”

“...”

Sisi pouted. “It’s not like I’m asking you to lie to him forever, just tell him a few days later. Can you do me this favor?”

Yue Hongling felt that even if Sisi were to make a mistake in front of her at this point, she would still indulge her. This small request seemed harmless, so she nodded.

Sisi smiled and finally changed back into her royal attire, gracefully passing by Yue Hongling as she descended the mountain. “It’s settled then—don’t spill the secret just yet... Ah!”

Am I seeing something wrong?

Wait... Last night... Maybe that really wasn’t Hongling?

—————

Overview of Zhao Changhe’s current state and abilities:

Overall Cultivation Level: Half a step into the second layer of the Profound Mysteries, just one final push away from breaking through.

External Arts: Vicious Blood Art and Blood Asura Body (second stage) External Traits: Greatly enhanced strength and slight improvement in durability. High offense, moderate defense. The previous focus on raw destructive power has been refined into a sharper, more concentrated force (related to mastery of the sword). Recently, after integrating the Eternal Blood Demon Body, Zhao Changhe has also gained a much faster recovery speed.

Internal Arts: Six Harmonies Art (second layer of the Profound Mysteries) Internal Traits: High compatibility with other energies, strong ability to simulate various energy types, great endurance, and strong resistance to abnormal states (such as poisons). The simulation and endurance traits, previously underdeveloped, are now beginning to show their full potential.

Skills:

Saber Arts: Vicious Blood Saber Art (Second Layer of the Profound Mysteries)

Scattering the Gods and Buddhas A jumping chop. High power burst with a fear effect. This move has gone from having to be carried out with a “frog jump” to being usable in normal attacks, though the jumping strike is still the most powerful form. A con: Dragon Bird complains that it makes Zhao Changhe look like he has pink eye.

No Man’s Land A power-boosting buff that enhances all stats and greatly reduces pain sensitivity. Previously, it caused Zhao Changhe to lose control of his mind, but now he is able to retain full clarity while using it. At the second layer of the Profound Mysteries, it can even affect the opponent, causing them to lose focus. Zhao Changhe often feels weak and fatigued afterward, and it makes him susceptible to backlash from vicious qi. Dragon Bird mocks him for looking bloated and paralyzed after using it.

Hell on Earth A horizontal slash. A surprise attack skill, fast and silent. When combined with the Spring Water Sword Intent, Zhao Changhe unleashes his self-created move, humorously named Listening to the Spring Rain in a Little Pavilion at Night, though it’s essentially just a variant of Hell on Earth with the brutal nature concealed, allowing him to launch stealthy attacks.

Bloodied Mountains and Rivers An area-of-effect attack that manipulates surrounding vicious qi to form a mountain of blades and a sea of blood. The more hostile the environment, the greater the power that’s unleashed. It can also be used to target a single individual and force their internal blood and qi to violently rupture, displaying better effects on those filled with intense hostility.

Army Breaker A technique taught by Dragon Bird. It involves a crescent-shaped saber slash with immense power, requiring the support of Dragon Bird to be effective.

Yellow Sand Saber Art and Spirit Fox Saber Art Only the intents of these saber arts were taken, learned through the Heavenly Tome by secretly observing Hu Lie and Chi Li.

Sword Arts: His sword arts mainly come from the Sword Emperor’s legacy.

Underworld River Surges Each strike drains part of the opponent’s energy. The longer the fight lasts, the more Zhao Changhe's power builds up like a raging river.

Sword of Primal Slaughter A focused, high-speed thrust that is nearly unstoppable. Note: Zhao Changhe has distilled three techniques from this legacy. Tang Wanzhuang incorporated them into her saber techniques, leaving only two sword moves. These have been passed on to Yue Hongling.

Spring Water Sword Art A technique learned through the Heavenly Tome and taught by Tang Wanzhuang. He hasn’t learned the sword moves themselves, only the sword intent, particularly the reflective and refractive nature of water. This intent is now infused into Listening to the Spring Rain in a Little Pavilion at Night.

Sunset Divine Sword Taught by Yue Hongling during their dual cultivation in Miaojiang, though Zhao Changhe hasn’t used it yet. It is believed to be part of the Sword Emperor’s later legacy. Additionally, Yue Hongling passed down a large collection of basic sword arts from Luo Family Village, which Zhao Changhe has mostly learned.

Sea-Suppressing Sword Art A technique stolen from the Wang family via the Heavenly Tome. Zhao Changhe has only grasped the basics, primarily using it when impersonating Wang Daozhong.

Fist and Palm Arts: These are rarely used due to him always having a weapon

Azure Waves Clear Ripples A graceful grappling technique taught by Tang Wanzhuang. It's difficult to defend against but comes across as somewhat feminine.

Divine Brilliance Wind and Lightning Palm A defensive palm technique taught by Situ Xiao, capable of generating a mighty thunderous burst upon impact.

Heavenly Sea-Suppressing Palm The Wang Clan’s palm art, said to rival the ferocity of the Black Tortoise’s fist art. Unfortunately, Zhao Changhe only knows the basics and uses it when impersonating Wang Daozhong.

Crane Controlling Art A method of manipulating objects from a distance, taught to Zhao Changhe by the Thief Saint.

Movement Arts: Zhao Changhe makes use of all three of the below movement art, though he has yet to develop his own unique style.

Blood God Cult’s Traceless Soaring Blood

Tang Clan’s Water Treading Art

Thief Saint’s movement art

Special Abilities:

Rejuvenation Art A healing art originally belonging to the Azure Dragon. It makes use of the fundamental principles of the world. Zhao Changhe’s recent improvements, especially after integrating the Eternal Blood Demon Body, have significantly advanced his mastery of this art.

Astral Resonance Art A secret method from the Four Idols Cult, passed down by Vermillion Bird. It involves harmonizing all the body’s acupuncture points. It was initially used to break through bottlenecks but may have other future applications.

Disguise Art Taught by the Thief Saint

Pure Bliss Art’s Dual Cultivation Technique: Self-explanatory

Pure Bliss Art’s Women Observation Technique: Self-explanatory

Pure Bliss Art’s Bewitchment Technique: Self-explanatory