Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 786 (1): The Blood of Our Enemies Shall Be Our Nuptial Wine

Chapter 786 (1): The Blood of Our Enemies Shall Be Our Nuptial Wine

Amidst the evening glow, the western horizon stretched for a thousand li.

The wounded Timur fled north with Lady Three and Ying Five in relentless pursuit, gradually closing in on the Golden Wolf Royal Court.

It was impossible for the royal court to mobilize all its forces; powerful figures would inevitably remain behind to guard against a potential ambush. Among them, there were even hidden experts at the level of the Ranking of Earth. If he could reach them, he would at least have a moment to catch his breath and shake off the persistent pursuit of Lady Three and Ying Five.

He would decide his next move then.

In the distance, the royal court was already visible. The military formations remained intact, unaffected by the chaos at the front lines. That was only natural. Battles at the Profound Control Realm unfolded at lightning speed, and news of the rout had yet to reach this far.

Just as he was thinking this, the sky fell.

Eternal Blue Sky collapsed.

The winds howled, the qi veins shifted, and across the entire Grasslands, all eyes beheld the Sacred Mountain’s wolf transforming into a soaring dragon. At that moment, Zhao Changhe’s voice echoed in the ears of every living soul.

Panic erupted within the royal court.

Timur’s heart clenched. That brief hesitation allowed the space ahead of him to be locked once more.

Ying Five was at it again, weaving spells in secret to obstruct his retreat.

Enraged, Timur lashed out with a furious sweep, shattering the distorted space with a thunderous crack. “Ying Five! You and I have no irreconcilable blood feud! You’re neither Zhao Changhe’s subordinate nor bound to me by any eternal enmity! Must you truly hunt me to the bitter end? Are you so willing to be a lapdog for the Han?”

Ying Five nearly burst into laughter. “How childish, Khagan... You, of all people, should understand the wisdom of striking a snake dead before it can bite back. I’ve already made my move. If I let you live, when you regain your strength, my brothers in the Western Regions will have no walls high enough to keep you out. The first thing you’d do is skin us alive. As long as you breathe, I will never be able to sleep soundly.”

“You son of a...” Timur snarled, viciously thrusting his spear backward. A torrent of vigorous qi ripped through space, surging straight for Ying Five.

He did not care that Lady Three’s snake whip had already coiled around him. He was determined to make Ying Five suffer!

The smirk vanished from Ying Five’s face. Suddenly, a radiant copper coin appeared in his hand.

In the next instant, a dazzling golden light erupted as countless coins whistled through the air, piercing into the raging vigorous qi, racing toward the very tip of Timur’s spear.

This was his ultimate technique: Money Can Move Gods, Wealth Can Break Qi. It was a technique intertwined with spatial manipulation. If Zhao Changhe had been present to witness it, he would have undoubtedly exclaimed, “Holy shit, it’s an actual All In!...”

And the effect was no less formidable than All In. Timur, a warrior through and through, had never encountered such an inexplicable power. The force seemed weaker than his own, yet it completely bypassed his supposedly indomitable vigorous qi. With a sharp clang, the blade’s point pierced through the hole of a coin[1] with eerie precision, as if he had been aiming for it from the get-go, and the coin was instantly glued to the blade. That very same instant, an uncanny force clamped down on the weapon, trapping all his vigorous qi within a confined space and sealing his attack!

Yet, although the golden coins pierced through the vigorous qi and sealed most of it, “most” was not “all.” There was plenty of residual energy, and this energy still surged toward Ying Five. He hastily raised a hand in defense, but the impact sent him reeling, his entire body becoming drenched in blood as he was violently flung backward.

With Timur’s spear momentarily restricted, Lady Three’s snake whip wound around him in layers, aiming to capture him. Once he was ensnared, no matter how many lives he had, he would die today.

But Timur was not one to let himself be captured without a fight. Vigorous qi exploded outward, breaking free from the whip’s grip. At the same time, a massive fist imbued with the essence of Black Tortoise smashed toward his face. Timur retaliated with a punch of his own, meeting Lady Three head-on.

Just then, several spears suddenly lunged toward Lady Three’s ribs from the side. They belonged to the strongest warriors of the Golden Wolf Royal Court, who had rushed in to aid Timur in his aerial struggle.

Boom!

The two fists collided, sending shockwaves through the air. Blood trickled from the corner of Lady Three’s lips, yet Timur fared far worse. He was already wounded, and he had never expected this woman, who seemed to specialize in entangling and grinding down opponents, to possess raw force that surpassed his own.

Black Tortoise’s Fist, second to none in sheer might!

The violent clash sent both combatants flying backward. At that moment, the incoming spears struck Lady Three’s body, but the faint image of a tortoiseshell flickered around her. Not a single spear could so much as scratch her.

Black Tortoise’s Shield, peerless under the heavens!

As Timur tumbled through the air, blood spraying from his wounds, an intense sense of dread suddenly gripped his heart and every hair on his body stood on end.

Far away, deep within Tngri’s secret realm, Yue Hongling abruptly opened her eyes. A sharp light flashed within them.

It was the sword qi she had planted near the Golden Wolf Royal Court long ago. She had assumed it would serve no purpose, yet now, to her surprise, it was revealing its true utility amidst this chaotic battle.

As the sun dipped beneath the western horizon, sword energy flared.

A merciless, piercing sword light emerged from nowhere, streaking straight toward Timur’s back!

Timur was utterly bewildered. What the hell? Even an ambush from Snow Owl would leave some trace. What is this? It was like the setting sun’s golden rays, falling naturally upon the battlefield—seamless, traceless, yet with a lethal edge.

Having just been sent flying and coughing blood from Lady Three’s blow, Timur had no strength left to defend against this sudden, inexplicable strike!

The sword qi tore through his back, piercing his heart and bursting out from his chest before vanishing into the wind.

Timur let out a pained, guttural roar, staggering as he twisted away from the chaos of the royal court, fleeing northeast, his blood painting the sky.

Lady Three’s whip lashed out, shredding the experts of the royal court who had attempted to ambush her into pulp. But then, she also coughed up a mouthful of blood. Timur was indeed worthy of his title as the world’s strongest warrior. Even a goddess like her had suffered severe injuries in this battle.

Turning to look at Ying Five, Lady Three saw him sprawling on the ground, looking as if he’d just taken a bath in the pool of blood. Resigned to his state, he simply spread out his arms and legs, completely surrendering to exhaustion. Noticing Lady Three’s gaze, he grinned and said, “I’m out of strength. But no worries, your man now controls Langjuxu[2]. With the qi veins within his grasp, he’ll handle everything. Just trust him.”

Lady Three let out a weary sigh and plopped down onto the ground some distance away. “Thanks for this...”

Ying Five chuckled. “We’re like family. There’s no need for such words... But after this, I’ll need Zhao Changhe’s help with something. Do you think he’ll oblige?”

Lady Three sighed again. “I knew you had ulterior motives.”

“What kind of talk is that? I’ve always seen him as an investment, and naturally, investments should yield returns...”

* * *

Zhao Changhe stood atop the sacrificial altar, gazing at the turbulent skies above.

Within the shifting clouds, he could faintly perceive another sky beyond, the so-called “Eternal Blue Sky.” In truth, it was simply a fragment of the heavenly realm.

Through this firmament, he sensed the interwoven threads of the Dao—the world as a single body, the mending of the Heavenly Dao, and the gradual restoration of its order.

Zhao Changhe had expected to sense the presence of the blind woman, but she was absent.

When she was not physically by his side, she simply ceased to exist within his perception. She was not some omnipresent force of heaven and earth. She had not yet reached that level... She was not the Heavenly Dao itself.

For the first time, Zhao Changhe realized with absolute clarity whether she was present or absent. He had grasped the essence of her existence. Her presence was something tangible, and it was not boundless as he’d once believed.

She was not here. She was at Hangu. And as for the so-called Heavenly Dao, it did not seem to truly exist. It was shattered and fragmented, unable to manifest as a singular entity. However, with this sealing of Langjuxu, the fractured essence of the world was beginning to mend. A spark of unification had been ignited.

He could distinctly feel the qi veins of the Central Plains and the Grasslands converging into a singular flow. Though invisible and intangible, the trend was unmistakable. It needed only to be guided and seized. The response was immediate and undeniable.

He even understood, with striking clarity, how he could replace Tngri and become the faith of the Grasslands himself... The path lay before him.

Of course, he had no intention of doing so. If he were to establish a faith, it would not be one under the name of Eternal Blue Sky but as the Night Emperor.

Snapping back to reality, Zhao Changhe turned his gaze toward the warriors of the Grasslands kneeling across the mountains and plains. He let out a long breath. freēwēbnovel.com

From this vantage point, he had witnessed the moment when Yue Hongling’s hidden sword qi struck Timur across a thousand li. Damn, she really is heaven's chosen daughter... She nearly claimed an enemy leader’s head from a thousand li away.

In fact, she had succeeded in a way. Timur’s presence was now completely within Zhao Changhe’s perception. As long as he remained in Mobei, he would not escape.

His gaze swept across the battlefield. The Golden Wolf Army was in complete disarray under the relentless pursuit of Batu and Wu Weiyang. Meanwhile, Huangfu Yongxian’s main forces were steadily advancing. The vanguard had already caught sight of the royal court.

The thirty-year reign of the Golden Horde Khaganate over the Grasslands had come to an end. There was no longer any suspense. All that remained was tying up the loose ends.

1. This refers to traditional Chinese cash coins, which have a square hole in the middle. ☜

2. Just a reminder that this refers to the Khentii Mountains. ☜