Chapter 677: A Scarlet Sun Rises, as High as Heaven Itself

The moment Zhao Changhe dodged the wind blade, he was already mentally communicating with Dragon Bird.

“Hey, you little brat, how’s your recovery coming along?”

Dragon Bird replied irritably,

“Almost there... just a little more.”

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

“Damn, you’re useless at everything except showing off!”

Dragon Bird roared back in anger,

“Do you think River of Stars alone can handle this mess?”

River of Stars:

“...”

Zhao Changhe didn’t have time to bicker further with Dragon Bird. The next wind blade was already slicing toward Snow-Treading Crow.

While he could dodge, his steed was not nearly as agile. Hidden Wind’s earlier fascination with the horse during their conversation had clearly been a setup. It was clear that he was now planning to take down the horse before the rider.

Without hesitation, Zhao Changhe condensed a barrier of vigorous qi to protect Snow-Treading Crow, absorbing the brunt of the attack. At the same time, he leaped off the horse and charged downward.

Snow-Treading Crow, unbothered by sentimentality, immediately changed direction and bolted, showing no inclination to stay behind. Seeing this, Hidden Wind could not suppress a chuckle. “It seems you care deeply for your horse, but the feeling doesn’t appear to be mutual.”

Zhao Changhe could not be bothered to respond.

What the hell does an old corpse like you understand? A horse being practical and knowing when to run was far better than some overly sentimental nonsense. What, did you expect a sappy “we live or die together” drama? Not even humans are that reliable. Well, I suppose a horse might be, but why demand it?

With Hidden Wind still closing in, Zhao Changhe accelerated his descent and, with a splash, dove into the sea below.

Hidden Wind paused momentarily, surprised. He had not noticed during their prolonged chase that they had already reached the Eastern Sea.

The intention behind Snow-Treading Crow flying southward earlier was simply avoiding the northern battlefield. But this course would lead them to the Cao Gang’s territory, and it was not a suitable place to fight either. After deducing that his pursuer had wind-attribute abilities, Zhao Changhe ultimately decided to head eastward to avoid causing any collateral damage and lead him to the sea. The sea was the perfect battleground to counter his opponent.

Above water, the wind was an advantage; below the waves, it was another story.

Once beneath the waves, Hidden Wind’s capabilities would undoubtedly be diminished.

As Zhao Changhe plunged into the depths, even Hidden Wind felt a hint of admiration.

His fame truly isn’t undeserved. His combat instincts are truly remarkable. Though he has only been in the jianghu for just over two years, it seems unthinkable to deem him a novice. He’s much more like a seasoned veteran who’s fought constantly for decades.

But admiration did not mean hesitation. Without delay, Hidden Wind dove in after him.

The underwater environment did hamper his abilities, but that did not mean Zhao Changhe was immune to its effects either. Judging by Zhao Changhe’s earlier battle with the Desolate Calamity, there was no indication he had any affinity with water-based techniques. Killing the Sea Emperor did not necessarily mean he was strong underwater—it was an entirely different matter.

If anything, the underwater environment should be even more disadvantageous to Zhao Changhe than to him. After all, Zhao Changhe had not reached the Profound Control Realm. His understanding of its nuances was still shallow.

If simply diving into the sea could nullify wind-based techniques, what would be the point of calling it the Profound Control Realm?

Thus, to Hidden Wind, Zhao Changhe seemed to simply be leading him to his own grave.

Hidden Wind plunged into the water, showing no signs of being slowed by its resistance. Moving as gracefully as a swimming dragon, he closed the distance behind Zhao Changhe even faster than before.

Zhao Changhe suddenly spun around and slashed backward, unleashing a crescent-shaped blade of energy that cleaved through the water, aimed straight at Hidden Wind’s face.

Hidden Wind simply waved his hand, and the blade of energy veered off course, deflected by an unseen force that felt like a breeze brushing past.

Even in the windless depths of the sea, Hidden Wind’s every motion embodied the essence of wind. Wind was not just a physical phenomenon; it was the very essence of his mastery, the core of his profound control.

Zhao Changhe let out a silent “hmm” of intrigue. This was something new. Compared to the brute force that Desolate Calamity displayed, Hidden Wind’s abilities were much more refined, elegant even. There was something about it that reminded him of Ye Wuzong—perhaps Ye Wuzong had inherited part of this man’s legacy?

As their strikes clashed, the surrounding water erupted into streams of bubbles, a natural reaction to the collision of their energies. It seemed like a normal consequence of their clash.

However, Zhao Changhe’s eyes narrowed. He suddenly raised his broad saber vertically in front of him as though turning it into a shield.

The seemingly harmless bubbles surged violently, crashing into the saber and erupting in a cascade of deafening explosions.

“Impressive, truly impressive. Such keen instincts!” Hidden Wind’s laughter rang out amid the chaos. Unnoticed, a skeletal hand, dry and withered like that of Desolate Calamity, had somehow slipped behind Zhao Changhe and landed lightly on his back.

Zhao Changhe shifted his torso slightly, trying to trap the hand under his arm. But Hidden Wind, as slippery as his namesake, twisted his hand in an eerie, unnatural way, continuing to press toward Zhao Changhe’s heart. No matter how Zhao Changhe moved, he could not shake him off.

Meanwhile, the exploding bubbles multiplied, growing stronger and spreading to all sides. Even Dragon Bird was struggling to hold them back.

From every angle, it appeared Zhao Changhe had led himself into a trap. The underwater battleground seemed to be Hidden Wind’s domain. Meanwhile, Zhao Changhe’s movements were hindered by the surrounding water, making evasion increasingly difficult.

To make matters worse, neither Dragon Bird nor River of Stars was ready to unleash their full power—they were still on cooldown, so to speak, after the battle with the Desolate Calamity. He could not rely on his divine weapons’ overwhelming strength this time.

How could he possibly win?

Pch!

Distracted by the relentless explosions, Zhao Changhe finally failed to dodge Hidden Wind’s attack. The withered hand pierced cleanly into his side, sending a torrent of blood surging into the water, staining it a vivid red.

Hidden Wind’s lips curled into a satisfied smile. But in that very instant, as his hand was lodged in Zhao Changhe’s side, unable to withdraw quickly, Zhao Changhe seized his wrist with lightning speed. Letting go of Dragon Bird, Zhao Changhe twisted his upper body with ferocious force, delivering a devastating punch straight at Hidden Wind!

Hidden Wind’s smile froze, and his expression twisted in shock.

At this moment, Zhao Changhe was a far cry from his earlier state of struggling against explosions or being hindered by the underwater environment. The punch he delivered was as overwhelming as a tidal wave, fierce and unstoppable. It seamlessly blended the trajectory and characteristics of the surrounding seawater into his own power, making the strike more than twice as potent as it would have been on land.

It embodied the essence of both the Black Tortoise’s Fist and the Heavenly Sea-Supressing Palm—two of the most powerful fist and palm arts, both ranked second in the world—and both were related to water. In the sea, this punch was no different from Xia Longyuan’s My Fist on land!

At such close range, with his wrist locked in Zhao Changhe’s iron grip, even Hidden Wind’s exceptional agility and evasion could not save him. He managed to shift slightly, allowing some of the force to dissipate, but he could not prevent the fist striking him square in the ribs.

Hidden Wind immediately shifted his internal energy to soften the blow, preventing his chest from being shattered outright. Even so, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, his heart shaken.

Now, both of them bore nearly identical injuries, despite Zhao Changhe having relied on pure strength and technique without the aid of any divine artifacts.

“A punch for a punch. It’s only polite to return the favor...” Zhao Changhe’s eyes glowed blood-red, his twisted smile revealing savage intent. “Now... this is my domain!”

As he spoke, the blood that had spilled in the water—whether from Zhao Changhe himself, Hidden Wind, or the marine life slaughtered by earlier explosions—mixed with the suffocating vicious qi to transform the entire sea into a crimson abyss. The ocean itself became a blood-stained hellscape, filled with boundless vicious qi.

When the ocean turns red, there’s no escaping the vicious blood.

Bloodies Mountains and Rivers! Hell on Earth!

Even without his saber, Zhao Changhe’s understanding of and mastery over vicious blood had nearly reached the level of the Profound Control Realm.

Now, the relentless explosions turned against Hidden Wind.

As Hidden Wind endured the onslaught, the long-absent River of Stars silently emerged from the seabed, slipping through the sand. With eerie precision, it stabbed into the sole of Hidden Wind’s foot.

At the same moment, Zhao Changhe gripped Dragon Bird with both hands and unleashed a devastating downward chop, splitting the sea with the force of his strike.

Hidden Wind, overwhelmed by the combination of pressure from the vicious qi and Zhao Changhe’s relentless assault, had no choice but to break away. Ignoring the surrounding vicious blood, he mustered his strength to deflect the slash and retreated in a desperate flight.

He clenched his teeth, thinking with bitterness,

I still have so many moves I haven’t used, and yet here I am, forced to retreat. Well, I’ll be damned.

If this had been a battle on the surface, things would have played out differently. What he had initially perceived as Zhao Changhe digging his own grave by entering the ocean was now revealed to be a meticulously planned trap. From the moment Zhao Changhe chose to dive in, he had manipulated the entire flow of the battle to his advantage.

Splash!

Hidden Wind burst out of the water, soaring into the distance toward the open sea. As long as he stayed above the sea, Zhao Changhe would not dare to approach.

Or so he thought—until he heard the resounding neigh of a horse.

Snow-Treading Crow, seemingly out of nowhere, galloped through the air to his aid. At the same time, Zhao Changhe surged out of the water, leaping onto the horse’s back. He lightly kicked the horse’s belly and pointed at the fleeing figure.

“Go!”

He’s actually chasing me?

Hidden Wind could hardly believe it. For a moment, he wanted to turn back and fight, but when he glanced back, what he saw froze him in place.

The gaping wound in Zhao Changhe’s side, which should have incapacitated him, was healing itself, at a speed visible to the naked eye. Within but a mere minute, the only evidence of the injury left was the tear in his clothing. Beneath it, Zhao Changhe’s skin gleamed perfectly unscathed. Not even a scar remained.

Hidden Wind lowered his gaze to his own injuries, feeling as though he had stepped into a nightmare.

Just who is the god between us, really? How the hell are you supposed to fight such a man?

“Chase!” Zhao Changhe shouted, spurring Snow-Treading Crow forward. Bow in hand, he nocked an arrow, aiming directly at Hidden Wind.

Panic swept through Hidden Wind as he broke into a cold sweat, fleeing wildly in a serpentine fashion to avoid being hit.

Whoosh!

Unable to resist, Zhao Changhe shot another arrow, the sound cutting through the dawn air.

Dragon Bird exploded with anger.

“You missed! Why are you wasting precious arrows?”

Zhao Changhe coughed inwardly.

“I just couldn’t resist putting the x axis through that sine wave.”

Dragon Bird:

“Putting the what through the what now?”

Internally rolling his eyes, Zhao Changhe explained,

“Look, healing the wound is just a bluff. I’m completely wrecked on the inside. This is all an act to scare him off. If he realizes the truth and turns back, he’ll beat us both senseless, and you’ll end up having to look for a new master.”

Dragon Bird, playing along perfectly, flared with a dramatic crimson glow as if to say,

“My ultimate attack is ready!”

In the distance, the sun rose over the horizon, casting golden light across the sea and sky. Dawn brought with it the splendor of day and the lingering brilliance of night, as if the sun and moon shared the heavens. River of Stars shimmered in response, glowing faintly as if resonating with the celestial dance.

Hidden Wind glanced back again, only to find the scene even more overwhelming. His spirit all but shattered at the sight. Without sparing a thought for his worsening injuries, he unleashed every ounce of his remaining power, vanishing without a trace in a desperate bid to escape.

“Pfft...” Zhao Changhe coughed up another mouthful of blood and slumped against Snow-Treading Crow, utterly motionless.

Even his blood-spattered coughs seemed like they were laced with laughter.

After a moment of silence, the blind woman’s voice broke the silence,

“Want me to lend you a hand?”

Zhao Changhe, barely holding himself upright, replied weakly,

“How?”

“Beg me.”

“Cut the nonsense. If you’re offering, it means you think this is something you should do anyway.”

The blind woman fell silent again. Moments later, a golden light flickered across the sky.

This time, the Tome of Troubled Times displayed a message unlike anything before.

The twelfth month. Zhao Changhe defeated Desolate Calamity at Tancheng, and forced Hidden Wind to retreat into the Eastern Sea. His might shook the heavens, rivaling even Emperor Xia.

Desolate Calamity and Hidden Wind—whether ancient demons or ancient gods, both were forced to flee before him!

The arrival of gods and demons marks an era of unprecedented chaos. The Rankings of Heaven, Earth, and Man shall be reorganized soon.

A scarlet sun rises, as high as heaven itself!