Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 413: The Fire of Vermillion Bird, Incinerating the Spiritual Sea

The city gates were engulfed in battle.

Tang Buqi had arrived with his forces and, together with Xue Canghai and Wan Dongliu, launched simultaneous attacks on three of the city’s gates.

In a world where there was not an insurmountable gap between individual and army strength, military forces still played a decisive role. Just as Zhao Changhe needed to hold off Fa Chi and the other protectors, Tang Buqi also needed to launch a fierce assault to suppress the over ten thousand warrior monks within the city. If one or two thousand fanatical believers managed to overwhelm them, then even if Zhao Changhe brought along numerous Ranking of Heaven and Ranking of Earth experts, they would be forced to retreat. If the Bodhisattva managed to block them a few times, they might not even be able to retreat.

Likewise, the warrior monks could not let Tang Buqi’s forces breach the city walls. Otherwise, no matter how powerful Maitreya or the Bodhisattva were, an overwhelming army would crush them. No god or demon could withstand such a force. So, even though Fa Zhen had not yet fully organized the defenses before Tang Wanzhuang decapitated him, the various levels of followers that the cult still had spontaneously formed a resistance.

However, due to the lack of organized leadership, no one was able to allocate forces to manage the situation inside the city. They were blindly focused on holding the defenses, leading to a highly fragmented battle between the inside and outside forces. Tang Wanzhuang’s beheading of Fa Zhen not only drew Maitreya out but also significantly disrupted the city’s defenses.

Those who remained steadfast in defending the isolated city were all fanatical believers who had been thoroughly brainwashed. As long as they had the invulnerability blessings, they truly feared nothing.

Even though there was precedent showing that the thousand warrior monks who had been blessed in this way were rendered cripples afterward—this stemming from the fact that that average follower’s body could not withstand such Buddhist blessings—that did not matter to them.

They all believed that they had passed the tests of the Buddha, and if they died, they would certainly enter the Realm of True Void.

The brainwashing of a cult could make otherwise shrewd individuals appear like lunatics in the eyes of others. Zhao Changhe had seen many such cases even in the modern world, including celebrities.

However, faith could not be eaten, and with all the main generals and their deputies dead in the council hall, this completely unorganized resistance, impervious to weapons or otherwise, was of little consequence.

Tang Buqi had braced for heavy casualties, but instead, the siege turned out to be far easier than when they had gone to “rescue” Zhu Huan at dawn.

Back then, there were only a thousand warrior monks, but they were in proper formation and struck with precision. Now, the city walls were filled with glowing, invulnerable monks, but they were a disorganized mess, each of them fighting independently without any cohesive strategy or tactics. To a military commander like Tang Buqi, this was as easy as picking fruit from a neighbor’s tree. No matter how troublesome individual soldiers were, they were not a real threat.

Amidst the thunderous battle cries, the scaling ladders were smoothly set against the walls. There were no arrows, rolling stones, logs, or hot oil. It felt so easy that Tang Buqi wondered if it was a staged fight.

General Wu Weiyang of the Demon Suppression Bureau, clad in armor and wielding a saber, was the first to scale the wall.

It was only then that the disorganized monks seemed to snap into action, shouting in unison as several jiedaos simultaneously slashed toward Wu Weiyang.

Wu Weiyang did not rush to kill them. With a sweep of his long saber, he deflected several jiedaos at once.

In the next moment, several more soldiers climbed up behind him. They thrust their spears simultaneously into a single warrior monk, yet it only resulted in a loud, metallic clang.

As expected, their spears could not penetrate the monk’s body.

The soldiers remained calm and withdrew their spears. They then cast a noose over the monk’s head and simply yanked him off the wall.

Other soldiers had not scaled the wall and were waiting below. They jabbed their spears in a chaotic flurry, producing a cacophony of clanging sounds. They poked the monk so many times that he may as well have become a pincushion.

While Tang Buqi’s forces methodically tested various approaches, the Blood God Cult was presenting an entirely different spectacle.

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This side was filled with true martial arts experts!

Xue Canghai did not even need a scaling ladder. He ascended the wall with ease using Traceless Soaring Blood, and with a sweeping move, he unleashed Scattering the Gods and Buddhas, slashing three warrior monks in front of him into six pieces.

The surrounding warrior monks were stunned.

They had heard of this saber art.

Could this be Blood Asura Zhao Changhe?

Before they could react, several elders and protectors of the Blood God Cult had already leaped onto the wall, each executing the same Scattering the Gods and Buddhas.

In no time, the wall seemed to be overrun by several blood-red figures, leaping like frenzied frogs, causing blood to spray everywhere as warrior monks were sliced cleanly in two.

Where did all these Zhao Changhes come from?

“Leave some for us!” A chorus of Blood God Cult members clamored as they scrambled up the ladders. “We couldn’t break through before, but these guys with special blessings might help us break through! Leave some for us...”

Even the fanatical monks could not help but feel a twinge of fear at these maniacs.

Who are the real cultists here?

On Wan Dongliu’s side, their approach seemed like a blend of Xue Canghai’s ferocity and Tang Buqi’s organization. Their individual combat skills were formidable, but they also maintained high levels of organization and tactical execution. Although their methodical advance did not look quite as spectacular as Tang Buqi’s, before anyone realized, the city walls were already swarming with the Cao Gang’s members.

The battle reports might require a bit of literary embellishment, but the battlefront did not.

Seeing the three forces breach the city in no time, those from aristocratic families, who had planned to sit back and watch, grew restless.

If these three forces take the city alone, what will be left for us? There won’t even be a scrap of glory to claim!

One of them rode up to Tang Buqi, “Young Master Tang, your Tang Clan’s soldiers have fought hard all morning and are now engaging in a fierce battle once again. Allow us to share the burden and contribute as well...”

Tang Buqi thought to himself that although these people were somewhat opportunistic, consolidating Jiangnan after the war would require some degree of unity. Letting them earn some credit might have its advantages, so he nodded and said, “Then I shall thank you for your willingness to help, Prefectural Governor Zhang.”

Prefectural Governor Zhang thought to himself that Tang Buqi was quite savvy in handling people.

Eager to solidify his role before Tang Buqi could change his mind, he rushed to lead his troops to the city wall. However, no sooner had they engaged the enemy when the situation took a sudden and ominous turn.

The warrior monks, who had been glowing with golden light, suddenly had their golden radiance inexplicably turned into a dark mist. Initially, they had merely received Buddhist blessings, retaining their own thoughts and even making sarcastic remarks about how there could be so many Zhao Changhes. But now, their eyes had fully glazed over, and they began to resemble a horde of mindless corpses.

When Cui Wenjing and Yang Jingxiu examined the bodies earlier, they had remarked that the blessings would not have too many variations. Their assessment was correct, but also incorrect. When it came to the blessings provided by Buddhist teachings, that was true; there was not much more to it. However, once the nature of the Bodhisattva herself began to change, the nature of the blessings followed suit.

Prefectural Governor Zhang’s men attempted to use Tang Buqi’s strategy of casting ropes around the monks’ necks and pulling them down, but as soon as their ropes made contact, they disintegrated into ash. The once-defensive nature of the blessings granted to the monks had transformed into something... corrosive.

In the next moment, one of the monks pushed his left hand against a soldier’s chest. Normally, even a martial arts expert would not be able to do much with just a bare-handed strike on armor. However, with this palm strike, a strange, deathly qi seeped through the armor, and the soldier’s heart stopped instantly, causing him to collapse lifelessly from the wall.

Both those on the wall and those below were struck with terror.

The oppressive death qi was palpable even at the central command. Despite being in the heart of a battlefield brimming with vitality, it suddenly felt as if they had stepped into an ancient, desolate graveyard.

At the west gate, Xue Canghai’s voice boomed, “Those whose cultivation is below the third layer of the Profound Gate, retreat to at least one li away! Those with cultivation at the third layer and above, protect your heart with internal energy!”

The third layer of the Profound Gate...

Although Zhao Changhe often encountered people who were at least at the ninth layer of the Profound Gate, in reality, martial artists below the third layer of the Profound Gate were still the majority of the world. Those who reached the third or fourth layers of the Profound Gate were already significant figures, so how many of them could there be?

Tang Buqi ordered his soldiers to retreat, his mind suddenly fixated on a thought.

This might be the first time in history where sheer numbers are useless. Perhaps this marks a pivotal moment that could fundamentally alter the conventional military wisdom of the entire world.

* * *

Meanwhile, the battle of Tang Wanzhuang and Vermillion Bird against Maitreya was reaching its conclusion.

Although multiple battles were occurring simultaneously, only a few moves had actually been exchanged in total.

Maitreya had been retreating while fighting, desperately trying to return to the safety of the secret realm. He did not understand why the Bodhisattva was unwilling to reveal her full power in the mortal world, but he knew that only within their “Realm of True Void” could he truly unleash his full potential.

In his current state, even though he believed he had been empowered to the level of a Ranking of Heaven expert, the reality was that he was barely managing to stay alive. Let alone a combined assault, the truth was that even against Vermillion Bird alone, he could not win. Even among practitioners of the same level, there were differences in combat skill; otherwise, why would the rankings exist?

But Maitreya still had a plan.

The key difference between the second and third layers of the Profound Mysteries was in the comprehensive development of the spiritual sea, in other words, the comprehensive application of divine sense[1], as well as mind and spirit.

According to Vermillion Bird and Tang Wanzhuang’s understanding of Maitreya, he had some knowledge of these techniques, but not at a high enough level. For example, Zhao Changhe could use a simplified version of the Maitreya Cult’s bewitchment techniques, but it was only on weaker opponents, indicating a lack of mastery over these techniques.

However, the empowerment that Maitreya received was not limited to physical power.

He could genuinely bewitch and capture souls.

Of course, he could not directly control these two women, as they were both formidable. His only hope lay in launching a surprise attack during his desperate retreat, hoping to catch them off guard.

His target was Vermillion Bird, who he believed to be more susceptible due to her fiery temperament.

He had tried to use this technique on Tang Wanzhuang before, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea—there was no effect at all. Not only was Tang Wanzhuang’s spirit at the level of the third layer of the Profound Mysteries, but her practice of the Moonglade Sutra made her especially resistant to such attacks.

But Vermillion Bird was different. Her cultivation was fiercely aligned with the fire element, making her potentially more susceptible to mental influences.

He did not need to control her completely—just enough to cause a momentary lapse, which could be the opening he needed to turn the tide or at least escape.

His plan seemed solid, but his current strength did not allow him the luxury of careful execution. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he was already exchanging a powerful blow with Vermillion Bird. Her fiery, unstoppable energy surged through his veins, almost forcing a mouthful of blood from his throat.

Behind him, Tang Wanzhuang was relentless, thrusting her sword straight at his back.

Maitreya could no longer afford to be subtle. He quickly lifted his gaze.

A ripple spread through his eyes, his gaze meeting Vermillion Bird’s.

Vermillion Bird seemed to freeze for a moment, the cold, murderous intent in her eyes slipping past Maitreya and focusing instead on Tang Wanzhuang behind her.

Maitreya was ecstatic. His guess was right! Vermillion Bird harbored resentment toward Tang Wanzhuang, and provoking her latent hatred and anger toward Tang Wanzhuang had worked! Willing to take Tang Wanzhuang’s sword strike, he fully activated his bewitchment technique, aiming to direct Vermillion Bird’s next attack at her.

But as soon as he tried to exert the technique, he noticed the corners of Vermillion Bird’s red lips curl into a smile beneath her half-mask.

Maitreya’s heart sank.

In the next moment, his spiritual platform felt as if it was scorched by fire. It was as if flames had erupted directly from his spirit, turning his entire soul sea[2] into a raging inferno.

At the same time, Tang Wanzhuang’s sword pierced his heart.

Time seemed to freeze.

Maitreya looked down at the sword tip protruding from his chest, then up at Vermillion Bird, who seemed utterly unfazed. He wanted to speak, but no words came out—he had lost the ability to speak as his spiritual platform was engulfed in flames, his soul ablaze.

Vermillion Bird, as if understanding his unspoken thoughts, kindly explained, “Unlike some women who simply defend their spiritual platform, I also retaliate. You aren’t qualified to control me.”

Maitreya could not utter a word. His eyes slowly lost their spark, his heart filled with regret...

The secret realm was so close, just a few li away—a distance he could have crossed in mere moments before, yet now an insurmountable chasm.

His dreams of dominating Jiangnan and the countless beauties he envisioned all turned into nothingness.

Tang Wanzhuang turned to Vermillion Bird and said, “Why waste time talking to him? We need to hurry and support the attack on the secret realm.”

Vermillion Bird was about to retort with a “why don’t you ask nicely again,” but before she could speak, her expression suddenly changed.

In the distance, the aura of the secret realm underwent a bizarre transformation, and even Maitreya, who was standing before them with his head drooping, began to transform.

His head drooped to his chest, and the once-fat back of his neck started to swell, growing larger and larger. His body bent forward, making it appear as if a new head was sprouting from the back of his neck, while the original head now appeared to be cradled against his chest. The transformation was so grotesque that it was clear he was no longer human.

1. I’m still not sure if this is any different from spiritual sense, but the author specifically used the character for divine here. ☜

2. At this point, I am almost certain that the author is using soul sea (魂海) and spiritual sea (精神识海) interchangeably. ☜