Chaotic World Book

"You think you're so noble for not messing with NPCs, but how did you manage to have a half-human daughter then?"

Zhao Changhe inwardly sneered, yet he knew Xia Longyuan was referring to emotions. Throughout, his beliefs had remained unchanging, even his last words echoed the same sentiment.

He brought up nine years of compulsory education as a faux pas, seemingly to lower his own dignity, as an admission of fault? Granted, the absence of industrialized education and a broader cultural mindset was a factor, but it wasn't the key. There were people who started with even less culture and managed fine, Zhao Changhe didn't have any industrialized ideas either. In truth, a high martial arts world didn't need them... He just didn't want to admit that personality flaws had led to this, stubborn to the end, preferring to think of himself as uneducated.

But that wasn't important anymore. The man was gone, and complaining was meaningless.

He actually had been rather good to himself...

To the end, he still worried he couldn't defeat the blind man, leaving a major loose end: "No matter what cheats you started with, don't expect to take them by any means and make them your own, like how the Wang Family seems to be trying to absorb the yin qi of the Sea Race? It's laughable, don't make the same mistake. You must try to expel your cheat, even if it means chopping off hands and feet if necessary."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

So should I behead myself?

"The Six Harmonies Divine Skill was my attempt to merge other families' cultivation techniques for my own use, which I later found works with ordinary techniques but fails with higher-end forces, only capable of coexisting in a spiral form. In other words, don't even think about using this method to snatch the blind man's backdoor. If it's an awkward part you can't give up, then I suggest studying the Wang Family's Qi-suppressing-and Sea-conquering Technique; it's quite hostile to foreign entities, which might help... The best part is that the blind man probably wouldn't expect you to delve deep into the Wang Family's techniques, which might catch him off guard."

"Daoning, bearing this skill, instead went to merge it with others, I really don't understand his thinking. Maybe he thought he could try to follow my example, Six Harmonies as the means? It feels like his mind has a problem... I wonder if it's because he saw me enter the Imperial Realm and a fixation was born, an over-eagerness for this state that became a Heart Demon."

"Finally, don't rely too much on the Heavenly Book, otherwise, you might become its slave before you can complete it."

"I'm off, I feel that even in death, I might not truly be dead, maybe my soul will return..."

The words stopped there.

Starting from "I have a vague premonition," the latter part was likely added later—The former was probably just a note, thought up to annoy the blind man and then casually added to the Heavenly Book, but this latter part already had the significance of a will, aimed at Zhao Changhe as the reader.

Anyway, it was the same for anyone else... To the end, the person Xia Longyuan cared most about was actually the blind man... even in death, he wanted to spite him.

This was a soul communication; it appeared long, but was actually just a moment. In Vermilion Bird Xia Chichi's eyes, Zhao Changhe only held the Book Pages, skimmed them quickly, and stuffed them into his bosom, without knowing what was seen... Then with a flick of his wrist, the Dragon Soul Bow suddenly appeared in his hand.

Vermilion Bird Xia Chichi was stunned for a moment, then saw Zhao Changhe draw the bow and shoot angrily at the sky: "You dare call yourself a God Demon? Take my arrow!"

—Xia had said that if his real body left, others might take advantage. It proved that there had always been those spying, so much so that he dared not leave the Capital City easily.

—Wang Daoning was dead, but the Chaotic World Book only flashed back to the Battle of Puyang discussed in the backdoor conversations; the battle here had yet to be revealed, indicating it wasn't over!

—Combining these facts, it was clear that God Demons were still spying, uncertain whether Xia Longyuan was feigning death as bait, waiting. Now that he had the Heavenly Book in his bosom, he must dare to conclude and make a move!

"Swoosh!" The Divine Arrow shot straight towards the only underground entrance, and just as a figure was diving down, it was as if they were intentionally colliding head-first onto the arrow.

The newcomer had not anticipated Zhao Changhe to shoot an arrow so unexpectedly at the entrance, nearly colliding with it unawares. The reaction was swift, barely managing to deflect the arrow and followed by a muffled grunt; the haste of the collision left them somewhat at a disadvantage, with a slight shoulder scratch.

This tiny scratch was deadly serious—it was a Soul-destroying Arrow. In an instant, the Soul Sea churned in chaos, nearly feeling the brink of Silent Annihilation.

Simultaneously, Vermilion Bird Xia Chichi also reacted, attacking in unison while Zhao Changhe's next arrow was already nocked.

The stranger decisively fled into the sky, coughing lightly: "Very well, very well... impressive! The legacy of the Human Emperor is exceedingly hard to sever, truly embedded deep in the spirit of this land."

Zhao Changhe frowned up at the sky.

This God Demon was unknown to him, not any that he had seen previously.

There were many God Demons lurking in the shadows, each with different motives—some were killers, others sought evil sacrifices, some aimed to set up a puppet ruler as the National Religion, yet others simply sought chaos for amusement, and some, comparatively noble, showed little interest in the mortal realm, and so on. From this person's words, it seemed they had no desire for an emperor in Divine Continent, always spying on the Capital City for unclear reasons...

In any case, not every God Demon would act against this nation; to most of them, the significance of a mortal kingdom wasn't that great. It was not that Xia had blocked many of them, but this one, wounded and retreating, seemed key among those Xia guarded the Capital City against. They retreated with an injury, seeming like there might be a period of calm, a focus shift to the mortal realms' affairs.

But Zhao Changhe couldn't calm down... There was one thing he could be sure of, no matter the God Demon's nature or pursuit, the vast majority would want the Heavenly Book!

Previously, others might not have known who held the Heavenly Book, not even sure about the Sea Emperor's page, but virtually everyone could guess Xia Longyuan had one!

Once the Chaotic World Book proclaims Xia Longyuan's death, whose hands would his Heavenly Book fall into? At the same time, it would lead to speculation—Zhao Changhe had killed the Sea Emperor; did he have a page? Zhao Changhe's rapid cultivation, did he already have one? So how many pages of the Heavenly Book does he have on him now?

From then on, it would surely be a free-for-all, with himself as the target of all!

"Is this what you wanted?" Zhao Changhe asked the blind man.

The blind man was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "From my perspective, I definitely hoped you would prosper in silence. The current chaos is not my desire; you should believe that."

"Hmm..."

"So although I also wished for Xia Longyuan's death, I didn't want it to happen so soon. I didn't want this to happen at all, and it has nothing to do with me. I know you and he still shared some hometown sentiment and a father-in-law to son-in-law bond, just don't pin this on me, that's all."

Zhao Changhe was silent. The death of Old Xia couldn't indeed be directly blamed on the blind, but do you truly bear no responsibility...? You arbitrarily dragged a minor into this world, to say nothing of his death, the chaos he wreaked and the many deaths it caused in this land—I see that you must bear some responsibility for that too.

Of course, these words would not be said outright, instead stating, "Since you want me to keep quiet and prosper, shouldn't this matter be broadcasted?"

"Cannot be," came the reply, "I have said, these are the rules of the Heavenly Dao, beyond my control. I can only craft the wording."

With that, golden light finally flashed in the sky.

"Initially, Xia Longyuan returned from sea, wounded. A Heavenly God from Longevity Heaven exposed flaws in his cultivation foundation, overheard in secret by Daoning. As the Sea Emperor fell, Wang Daoning let the masterless Water Soul enter his body to break through the Imperial Realm."

"The people have long suffered under Xia. With the Xia Emperor injured, hearts grew restless. Wang Daoning having broken through the Imperial Realm, he widely invited Aristocratic Families and secretly allied with various heroes to conspire a grand strike of Boe."

"The eleventh month, Winter Solstice."

"At that time, all under heaven turned against him, no one recognized the sovereign, and the Dragon Energy shook. Yuxu cut off Beimang's Qi Veins, ended the life force of the Capital City; the pretender emperor issued a disorderly decree to exterminate the Tang family, as the last wisp of imperial energy faded to nothing. The foundation of the Xia Emperor greatly damaged, his cultivation regressed."

"Li Shentong, Ying Wu, Vermilion Bird, Li Gongsi, and Yang Jingxiu, besieged the Xia Emperor at the Temple. Qinghe's Mountain and River Four Swords formed the formation of mountains and rivers, trapping the dragon in the deep."

"Wang Daoning assassinated Tang Wanju, and in the midst of the struggle, Zhao Changhe arrived on a Flying Horse. With Daoning's concern over the battle at the Temple, he had no desire to entangle further, used a Qi Wall to bind Zhao Tang, and returned to the Temple."

"In the chaos of the battle, Zhao Changhe made his way back, turned the Vermilion Bird against Daoning to fight together. Snow Eagle and Bo'e launched a surprise attack on Xia Long Yuan; Li Gongsi's collusion with Bo'e was exposed, Li Shentong stood firm against Bo'e, Ying Wu mercilessly killed Li Gongsi. Amid the chaos, Xia Long Yuan, Snow Eagle, and Bo'e were all injured in defeat, and Ye Wuzong stole the God Axe of Longevity Heaven in a split second."

Everybody under heaven was bewildered.

The report was cursory enough, yet what was the actual situation of who fought whom, how could sides suddenly change, allies fighting each other, unexpectedly another person added here and there? This battle report was not up to standard at all; it felt like a perfunctory write-up, merely to acknowledge the event and who had clashed with whom.

If not for the fact that these clashes affected the rankings, perhaps the blind wouldn't even bother to write who fought, but just list the names and call it a day—it was what she most wanted to do.

What she truly wanted to write was just the last few concluding sentences and her Judgment: "The Xia Emperor's foundation is destroyed, already aged and injured, unwilling to cling to life, he chose mutual destruction with the Mountain and River Four Swords. For the next thousand years of this epoch, the transmission of Martial Arts and knowledge from the Aristocratic Families to Ancient Times is hereby severed."

"The Xia Emperor has passed away. Number one on the Heavenly List, fallen."

"The God Demon is beyond, the common folk weep without regret. The one who brought chaos to the world, slew for the world; what use is the God Demon?"

"He severed the roots of the Aristocratic Family, eradicated others and himself, a reflection on his own faults, thus the Xia Emperor removed two evils, still not devoid of heroism."

"If only to be a true peerless Martial Artist, why bother to become an Emperor."

"With the fall of the Xia Emperor, the rest dispersed, Xia Chichi disrupted the Water Soul of Wang Daoning, the Vermilion Bird struck him down with one blow and Daoning fled, only to be killed by Xia Chichi."

"Number ten on the Heavenly List, fallen."

"Those who sought power over heaven, have had their roots cut by the sons of heaven; those who sought to pacify the sea, have had their souls disturbed by the Sea Emperor. A single thought of greed and attachment, a waste of Divine Skill."

"The Chaotic World List changes."

"Though the Xia Emperor is dead, not slain by Bo'e, suffered injuries and relinquished the Axe, left behind a mocking smile upon the Divine Continent; unworthy of being first."

"Number one on the Heavenly List, Golden Horde Khan Tie Muer! Those following will be promoted accordingly."

Zhao Changhe couldn't help but glance at the blind, thinking to himself, "Thanks."

It was a blatant provocation, just unknown if it had any effect...

"The one who disturbed Daoning's soul, Xia Chichi; however, her strength was insufficient. It was only the Vermilion Bird's strike that broke him, and the Third Layer Secret Treasure is sufficient to take his place."

"Number ten on the Heavenly List, Four Symbols Sect's Vermilion Bird! Due to the fall of the Xia Emperor, promoted to number nine."

"The Thief Saint Ye Wuzong, though not having clashed, stole the God Axe during the battle of the Imperial Realm, his achievement was magnificent, promoted to number ten on the Heavenly List."

"Number one on the Earth List, Head of the Demon Suppression Department Tang Wanju."

"Zhao Changhe, with the body of the Second Layer Secret Treasure, twice was a match for Wang Daoning before his Water Soul was disturbed, cleaved Bo'e with his blade, and shot the Ancient Imperial Realm with his arrows, all formidable enemies of the Imperial Realm. With the death of Li Gongsi, his position vacant, Zhao Changhe shall take his place. Xia Chichi, also with achievements against enemies of the Imperial Realm with the Second Layer Secret Treasure, is to fill Changhe's former position."

What was Li Gongsi's position?

In the first version, it was number six on the Earth List, but after Maitreya died, he became fifth. Now the ones ahead were Vermilion Bird Tang Wanju, Xuanwu Ye Wuzong, but with all of them promoted, Zhao Changhe's position would be...

"Number two on the Earth List, Zhao Changhe!"

"Number thirty-six on the Earth List, Xia Chichi!"

"The dreams come to light beneath the autumn blanket, a thousand miles of lands and rivers before one's eyes."