Chaotic World Book

Night fell, a warm bonfire crackled.

The noisy wind had passed, and the family of three were once again gathered together for a peaceful domestic evening.

Arguing was no longer an option; whoever wanted to leave couldn't escape this situation anyway. It was better to join in rather than sulk alone like a defeated dog.

Sitting to either side of Zhao Changhe, both were helping him sharpen arrowheads while occasionally throwing wary glances at each other, signaling, "Mom's watching, don't you dare cheat."

Guigui didn't know how the situation had turned out like this; by the time he realized, it had already happened.

Then he thought it might not be so bad. He had always known about their relationship, and a confrontation was inevitable. Given Chichi's abilities, becoming the Sect Hierarch was probably just a matter of time, and not even Vermilion Bird could obstruct her forever. Facing it earlier rather than later seemed better because no one knows how it would end up later...

No need to sneak around; he could freely express his emotions.

Thinking along those lines, San Niang's gaze maliciously shifted towards Chichi's chest. The small White Tiger, though not completely flat, was quite ordinary—below average. Allegedly, she used to pass off as a man, which was obviously no match for her own proud and imposing stature. The envy in her eyes earlier was so intense she felt like cutting hers off.

"What use is that physical appearance of yours? Men don't love washing their faces there, nor is it useful for bearing children! If you hadn't known each other from earlier, who would be interested in that?"

Proudly, Guigui raised his head.

Chichi secretly ground her teeth and pulled out a small mirror from nowhere, touched her face, and seemed to check for crow's feet at the corners of her eyes.

San Niang understood the implication and ground her teeth in anger too.

This little charmer was mockingly asking if the old woman had crow's feet yet.

It's undeniable that the allure of youth is invincible. It didn't matter who found her attractive; just about any young girl of her age, even if as ugly as a pig, would find someone interested. Moreover, this little White Tiger was beautiful to a fault, captivating hearts across the Worldly Society, with Wang Zhaoqing, Yang Bugui, and even Huangfu Shaozong rumored to never forget her.

Little temptress, always attracting bees and butterflies.

San Niang snorted as she sharpened the shafts, choosing to remain silent. As long as she was around, Chichi couldn't take advantage of her youthful body. So what was there to be smug about!

It was quite a pure tragedy that the usually united Four Symbols Sect was now internally discordant due to such matters, with the Holy Daughter and the Venerable glaring at each other.

Caught between the two in a deadly silent vortex, Zhao Changhe kept mum about his earnings, but silence too had its limit. When he mounted the bowstring on the bow, adjusted it, and tested the sound that emerged, the nighttime silence shattered.

Both women turned to look at him, simultaneously asking, "How is it?"

"The string is too tight; I feel like it could snap if pulled too hard... Let's just use it for now, better something than nothing. We'll find a more suitable string later," Zhao Changhe forced himself to focus on the main topic, diverting the eerie atmosphere. "San Niang mentioned opening the furnace for hardening, can we do that here? We don't have the tools, right?"

San Niang had previously bragged, indeed without the means to start a furnace here, but after whittling so many arrows, she found it unnecessary: "This wood's hardness far surpasses that which you described before, sharpening the head makes it a fine arrowhead, even superior to metal. Also, these arrows lack feather fletching. Can your archery still be stable and accurate?"

Zhao Changhe hesitated a bit: "I'll have to try."

Quite pleased with herself, San Niang said, "My father gave you a ring that contains a book on bow skills; see if it's of any use to you."

Chichi turned her head, a hint of a smirk on her face. Her master was essentially comparing the contents to a dowry.

Very well, when I become the Sect Hierarch, I'll take the entire Four Symbols Sect as my dowry, including Xuanwu Venerable. How's that for a plan?

Far away in the Capital, Huangfu Qing sneezed again.

Meanwhile, Zhao Changhe took out the archery book and briefly studied it, ecstatic: "Good stuff, good stuff."

He took a bare arrow lacking both head and feathers, nocked it and aimed at a distant treetop: "I'll shoot at the branch curved like the character 'Yi.'"

Both women turned to look, but the so-called Yi-shaped branch was hundreds of steps away in the darkness, nearly invisible. They struggled to locate it when the bowstring twanged, and the arrow had already hit the target.

The proximity of the bowstring's sound and the arrow striking its distant target felt nearly simultaneous, almost as though the latter occurred slightly quicker.

That shot definitely surpassed the speed of sound, reaching the speed level of Cui Wenjing's sword when first witnessed.

Upon inspecting the distant branch, from the struck treetop, it began wilting and spreading until the entire tree gradually dried up and died.

Despite the tree having no soul, this arrow could annihilate souls.

San Niang and Chichi exchanged a glance unconsciously, both inhaling sharply in shock.

Such an arrow... If he found an opportunity for a long-range sneak attack, even figures from the Heavenly List would be doomed! Even a mere graze would prove fatal!

Featherless and headless, still it in no way affected the strength of this arrow! If only he could replace it with a better bowstring...

Zhao Changhe couldn't let go of the bow and arrow in his hands, smiling as he said, "The wood of this bow can destroy souls, and if the leaves are picked for making medicine, they can also nourish souls. Besides, the treasures here are not limited to this; many items are of Creation level. You all rest for a while, I'll go look for more."

The two chorused, "Why should we rest?"

Zhao Changhe's expression froze for a moment. Naturally, it was to seize the opportunity to escape the Chaotic Scene... Did they not realize that sitting between them, the vortex of Qi could grind a person to pieces?

He also knew in his heart that avoiding them was unrealistic, especially since this place should be a Holy Land for Xia Chichi, perfectly suited for her spiritual training. Previously, everyone was clueless about the specifics and simply started practicing and comprehending at random. However, from the Heavenly Book's cheat guide introduction, there should be specific locations they could rely on.

Zhao Changhe steeled his heart and decisively reached out both hands, grabbing one person with each hand: "Follow me."

After saying this, he ran with them in tow.

This indeed created a scene of urgent haste, and neither of them threw a tantrum but simply looked at their own hands being held, then at each other, their expressions indescribable.

…

The island was not too large; if one were to walk around the coastal edge of the forest, it was estimated that one could traverse the whole island in a day and return to the point where the sea met the sky. But the dense forest in the center made the Eastern and Western aspects multifarious, understanding what existed here and the uses of various plants and trees would likely require a few months of staying here permanently.

Previously, San Niang, filled with anxiety, had suggested leaving early because she knew there were truly many treasures here. She was worried that Zhao Changhe and Chichi would become engrossed in treasure hunting and spiritual training, giving the Sea Emperor a chance to revive. She felt it would be better to deal with the Sea Emperor first and then return later.

But now it seemed that this so-called dense forest was like a backyard to Zhao Changhe, familiar with every twist and turn. He easily identified the value of different items, picking them directly.

In a moment, several categories of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures had been stuffed into the ring, leaving San Niang feeling as if she was in a dream.

If only I knew your nose was as sharp as a dog's, I would not have bothered with earning money the hard way!

In reality, Zhao Changhe's nose was not keen at all; he still couldn't differentiate the brands of perfume used by the two women.

The cheats from the Heavenly Book could point out what plants were here and their uses or their special effects on certain injuries or spiritual training, but they couldn't show where the items were.

However, Zhao Changhe had another cheat tool, the "Mountain and River Atlas" from the Ancient Xuanwu. The "Mountain and River Atlas" also recorded the uses of items, not as detailed as the Heavenly Book, but it was far more detailed in terms of its map value.

Since the Ancient Azure Dragon had once been here, the Ancient Xuanwu was also familiar with it, having maps for this area. Thus Zhao Changhe easily found types of items in the layers of dense forest, which San Niang and Chichi were still clueless about.

Including right now.

Emerging from a densely covered forest area, a pond suddenly appeared ahead.

In the center of the pond, there was also a statue of the Azure Dragon, but it was much larger than the ones they had seen before. The Azure Dragon seemed to be soaring out of the water, roaring towards the sky, unseen by people due to the concealment of numerous towering trees around.

The strong wood-element energy here was so intense that Xia Chichi almost felt intoxicated by the oxygen, and even San Niang felt suffocated.

The statue they had fought before was clearly a reflection of this one... which meant that the path that the earlier statue should have truly led to was here. However, due to the distortion by the Heavenly Book, it had first led people to the edge of the sea and sky instead.

If they wanted to leave, they should probably start here.

But the Azure Dragon Seal was outside, so what would open this place?

As Xia Chichi was pondering, she heard Zhao Changhe say, "Stop looking, this statue isn't the way out; it's not here... I told you this place is for finding treasures."

"Which one is the treasure?"

"Have you noticed that all types of plants and trees should be present in the forest, except for one thing?"

Xia Chichi blurted out, "Fruit."

"Correct," Zhao Changhe pointed at the pond, "Everything here cannot bear fruit, because all the energy needed for bearing fruit is ultimately intercepted and absorbed here, transforming into the fruit of this place."

Xia Chichi looked intently, and scattered across the water were five lotus-leaf-shaped plants arranged in a very common plum blossom pattern, she could not tell what kind of Mystical principles they contained.

On the central lotus leaf, there was a lotus root-shaped fruit, only it was not as plainly sectioned as a regular lotus root, but twisted and winding, resembling a dragon's form.

Zhao Changhe was explaining, "This is called the Eastern Extreme Fruit. It doesn't heal wounds or improve spiritual training. Its functions are two-fold: one is to extend life and preserve youth, and the other is that after consuming it, the laws of this place become clearer and easier to comprehend, avoiding the awkward struggle of desperate intuition. In essence, it helps you control the Eastern Extreme, carrying a hint of the essence of this domain. With this fruit here, other plants can't bear fruit. Both the Ancient Azure Dragon and Emperor Ye have eaten it, and now it's your turn."

San Niang and Xia Chichi were staring agape, "How do you know this much? You even know what Emperor Ye has eaten, isn't that a bit outrageous…"

Zhao Changhe paused for a moment, "If I said I was Emperor Ye's cook, would you believe me?"