Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 701: The Long-Lost Hongling

Those two short sentences left everyone at the scene utterly at a loss. Yuan Cheng and Yuan Xing were stunned, while Liuzi and the others from the Blood God Cult were on the verge of kneeling in reverence.

What’s a god or demon? What’s a Buddha? This is it!

A man ten thousand li away, fresh from the monumental battles of the capital and Langya, somehow knew exactly what was happening here with his subordinates. Not only that, but he sent his mount to intervene. How was this any different from the legends of Bodhisattvas dispatching their lions to aid the faithful?

Even if the situation did not align perfectly with the note, the implications were already terrifying enough. And if it did match...

Yuan Cheng and Yuan Xing exchanged uneasy glances before cautiously kneeling beside the corpse to conduct an examination.

The dead monk’s body emitted a faint trace of vicious qi, something that had no place within a Buddhist monk. Although the energy was weak and on the verge of dissipating entirely, to a mid-tier Ranking of Earth expert like Yuan Cheng, it was as clear as daylight.

“It’s... it’s really there,” Yuan Cheng muttered under his breath, his voice tinged with shock.

Hearing their abbot’s confirmation, the surrounding monks collectively sucked in their breaths so sharply it could have cooled the entire atmosphere.

During their earlier debate in the hall, someone had already suggested that the previous incident, where a monk killed a Blood God Cult member, might have been instigated by the manipulation of vicious qi. Perhaps someone had deliberately provoked their follower’s latent aggression. This situation bore an uncanny resemblance, reinforcing the theory of a hidden manipulator.

But here was the kicker: Zhao Changhe’s second line, pre-written and delivered via flying steed—my men here have never learned the Vicious Blood Art.

How could he have foreseen this? The monks, already shivering in the cold night air, now found their hands and feet clammy with sweat. The sheer precision of Zhao Changhe’s message was beyond comprehension.

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Yuan Cheng’s voice trembled as he turned to Liuzi. “You truly haven’t learned the Vicious Blood Art?”

Liuzi puffed out his chest with pride. “Nope! I’m just not good enough! Back when we went up Wushan, Instructor Sun tried to give us a shortcut and teach us, but we could not even pass the basic tests. He got so mad, he slapped me upside down and told me to stick to guard duty.”

“...” Everyone was bewildered as to why he seemed so proud of the fact.

Liuzi’s pride, however, seemed to stem less from how untalented he was and more about having a boss as terrifyingly talented as Zhao Changhe.

For the monks, the horror of the situation deepened. How could King Zhao possibly know all this with such accuracy?

Still cautious, Yuan Cheng asked, “May I verify it for myself?”

Liuzi, chest still puffed out, responded, “Since you claim to be on good terms with Boss Zhao, I’ll grant you this courtesy. Go ahead, verify it for yourself.”

Yuan Cheng placed his hand on Liuzi’s wrist, concentrating.

The results of his examination were undeniable. Not only had Liuzi never practiced the Vicious Blood Art, but he also lacked even the most basic internal cultivation. He seemed to have practiced neither internal nor external arts, only having learned rough saber arts from the jianghu. His long-term practice had given him a decent physique, and his strength barely approached the level of a novice cultivator in a first layer of the Profound Gate. A man like this could be found in droves across the jianghu—a stone randomly thrown into a bar would hit one. It would not be wrong to say he had nothing to do with the Blood God Cult at all.

Yuan Cheng’s instincts kicked in as he abruptly flicked his robes, unleashing a radiant golden light that enveloped Liuzi.

At that moment, a needle as thin as an ox’s hair shot shot toward Liuzi’s back, only to be blocked by the golden barrier with a sharp ding.

As one of the strongest and foremost representatives of Buddhism in this era, Yuan Cheng was no fool. As soon as he realized Liuzi was innocent, he immediately anticipated the possibility of a third party meddling in the situation. He quickly moved to protect Liuzi and managed to intercept the assassination attempt.

Liuzi broke out in a cold sweat. Yuan Xing, who had already realized what was happening, shouted, “Villain! Stop right there!”

He rushed toward the source of the attack, but the shadowy figure had already darted into the darkness, vanishing into the night.

“There’s no need for you to chase after them,” Yuan Cheng said in a voice low but firm as he watched the assassin’s retreating silhouette. “This was carefully orchestrated, and this isn’t the doing of a lone individual. This is a calculated plot to pit us against the Blood God Cult, or with the Four Idols Cult, or even with King Zhao himself. They aim to incite chaos in Jingxiang or to manipulate the situation to eradicate Buddhism under the new dynasty once more. This is the work of an organized force, not just several assassins.”

Yuan Xing asked gravely, “Senior brother, what do we do now...?”

Yuan Cheng turned to Liuzi and bowed, “This was a deliberate attempt to use us. I express my deepest apologies, General.”

Liuzi was practically floating on air—an abbot, an expert on the Ranking of Earth, was bowing and apologizing to him while calling him a general!

Having connections to those at the top really is amazing!

Yuan Cheng, however, had no time to linger. After apologizing, he immediately issued an order to the other monks, “Leave a few behind to take care of the body. Everyone else, return at once—I fear this plot extends to the Buddha.”

The monks collectively felt a sinking feeling at those words. In their haste to resolve the conflict outside, they had left the temple poorly defended. If someone had infiltrated the secret realm...

At that very moment, inside the secret realm, chaos had already erupted.

The wrathful vajra rampaged across the ancient plaza, sending the monks flying like scattered leaves. Even their defensive formation could not withstand the awakened Buddha’s fury. One by one, they coughed blood and collapsed to the ground, paralyzed with fear as the Buddha they once revered advanced step by step, fists raised for another strike.

Just as the Buddha’s massive fist was about to crush one of the fallen monks, the conflict outside had been resolved.

The faith energy streaming into the realm suddenly became calmer, purer, and more tranquil. The wrathful vajra paused its punch, staring at the bald monks before it, the expression on its face shifting to one of confusion and hesitation.

Then, as if overwhelmed by an internal struggle, it clutched its head, roaring in agony. It stomped down hard on the blue stone beneath it, shattering it into dust before fleeing into the mountain forest behind.

Boom!

The plaza in front of the temple was left in ruins, resembling a battlefield ravaged by artillery fire. The surviving monks lay sprawled across the ground, staring in stunned silence at the direction their maddened Buddha had fled, utterly at a loss as to what had just happened.

“What... what just happened?”

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Yuan Cheng and his party arrived at the edge of the temple, urgently asking, “What happened here?”

One of the monks struggled to answer, “The Buddha... went mad...”

Yuan Cheng stomped his foot in frustration. “Search the mountains! Do not alarm or provoke the Buddha, if you find it. Instead, send a signal to alert us and await reinforcements.”

“Yes!”

The monks transformed into streaks of light, chasing after the Buddha into the forested slopes.

However, long before this, Zhao Changhe had already been quietly tailing the Buddha into the depths of the mountain forest, staying a safe distance behind without revealing himself.

If he revealed himself here, he would be exposed to prying eyes, and that would complicate everything. If no one noticed him amidst the chaos, then he could continue to observe further developments, perhaps even find out who the mastermind pulling the strings behind the scenes was.

And sure enough, after trailing from a distance for only a short while, Zhao Changhe saw a shadowy figure dart toward the Buddha, thrusting something at the side of its neck. The once indestructible body of the vajra—having survived through eras—was suddenly corroded by this dark energy, the weapon embedding itself in its skin.

The Buddha roared in pain, its iron-like arm swinging backward in a frenzied manner.

The terrifying force of just the wind that resulted from its swing flattened the trees and crushed the rocks within a dozen zhang of it. It revealed the sheer might of its cultivation. And this was not even its fully restored state, it was just a maddened remnant of what it once was. One could only imagine what a complete vajra would have been like in its prime!

Yet, in its maddened state, it was clearly unable to deal with the assassin. The shadowy figure twisted and bent with the oncoming wind, like a willow swaying in the breeze, avoiding harm entirely. Then, the shadowy figure slithered up along the Buddha’s arm, tightly enveloping about half of its massive body.

The Buddha roared in agony once more, its roar filled with anguish.

Zhao Changhe slowly reached for Dragon Bird, his hand tightening around its hilt. He could almost see the Buddha’s immense power, along with the faith energy it had absorbed, being drained by the shadowy figure, much like a vampire feeding on blood.

Zhao Changhe knew who it was.

It was the demon god that Vermillion Bird had chased away, Dark Oblivion... He never would have thought to run into him here.

If it was Dark Oblivion, then certain things were starting to make sense. Dark Oblivion thrived in chaos, relishing a world in turmoil as it perfectly complemented his cultivation. He could even draw power from the very concept of chaos to grow stronger. Stirring conflict between the Buddhists and the Four Idols Cult would serve multiple purposes. First, he harbored a grudge against the Four Idols Cult after being beaten by Vermillion Bird. Second, the Buddhist sect was inherently opposed to beings like him, and this made him naturally be against the rise of Buddhism. Third, stirring conflict in Jingxiang would create another source of chaos in the world’s power dynamics.

Everything aligned perfectly with his interests.

But as Zhao Changhe watched the scene, he still hesitated. He refrained from rushing in to save the Buddha. Everything pointed toward the assassin being Dark Oblivion, yet for some reason, Zhao Changhe could not shake the feeling that Dark Oblivion was not the true mastermind here. He truly felt that something or someone else was lurking behind the scenes... This may perhaps simply be because Dark Oblivion, having been beaten so badly by Vermillion Bird, seemed too unimpressive to be the final boss.

But then again, he was a demon god at the Profound Control Realm.

Just as Zhao Changhe was lost in thought, a sudden sense of danger surged through him, making his scalp tingle.

He spun around rapidly, just in time to see a sword light shoot toward him from the shadows. The strike was like a divine arrow let loose by Hou Yi[1], shrouded in the somber glow of a descending sun.

Zhao Changhe nearly dropped Dragon Bird after already having prepared to swing it. His eyes widened in shock as the wielder of the terrifying strike also froze mid-action. The deadly sword light abruptly changed direction, the wielder pulling back just in time. But in the process, the other party forgot to halt the momentum of their own body, and with a resounding thud, crashed right into Zhao Changhe’s chest.

The figure raised their hand to rub their head, then looked up at Zhao Changhe’s face, utterly unable to utter a word.

Zhao Changhe, holding the warm, soft body in his arms, was equally dumbfounded and speechless.

It was none other than the long-lost Yue Hongling!

They were both clearly caught off guard, having not anticipated that they would meet again so unexpectedly and in such a bizarre manner.

1. Hou Yi is a mythological Chinese archer portrayed in several ways. He is most known for the tale of him shooting down the suns. ☜