Chapter 839: The White Tiger's Rebellion

Ye Jiuyou’s arrival brought a distinct change in the expressions of both Snow Owl and Han Wubing.

They were still swordsmen striving to break through to the third layer of the Profound Control Realm, whereas Ye Jiuyou had long since gotten to the third layer and was clearly in its late stages. Wherever she appeared, she held dominion over the entire battlefield. Her very presence exerted a pressure that was almost suffocating.

Snow Owl took a deep breath and said in a low voice, “Not long ago, this subordinate of yours finally discovered the location of the White Tiger. I haven’t had time to report to you, revered master...”

Ye Jiuyou responded with a gentle, charming smile. “Mm-hm. You’ve done well. Go now, bring White Tiger out.”

Snow Owl could only reply, “A mere underling like me lacks the strength to do so.”

Ye Jiuyou’s smile faded slightly, and her voice turned cool as she said, “Isn’t it already a bit too late for theatrics? Dark Oblivion, these are not things you could have done or dared to do on your own. Speak, who is behind this? Ye Wuming? Or the Sword Emperor?”

Snow Owl fell silent. After a moment, he asked instead, “You’ve been watching me all this time?”

Ye Jiuyou replied, “I’ve been watching Papiyas. You just happened to be nearby... But sometimes, it’s amusing to watch a monkey play its part. You and Papiyas never once came to meet with White Tiger. I never saw what I was looking for. But the moment you absorbed Papiyas, you appeared at once. A pleasant surprise... Was this the moment Zhao Changhe had been waiting for? He certainly knows how to gamble.”

Why is it Zhao Changhe again?

Snow Owl remained silent, but within moments, he had pieced things together. It was now clear to him that Papiyas must have been deliberately released by Zhao Changhe. The man must have long suspected a link between the ancient White Tiger and Papiyas, and this had been a trap all along.

Trap or not, this was a step he would have had to take regardless. Snow Owl did not dwell on it and asked, “You’ve known I was deceiving you since the last era?”

Ye Jiuyou replied coolly, “To be honest, I didn’t know that at the time. Or rather, I simply never imagined you’d dare. With your strength, how could you dream of shaking a mountain? Even if I hadn’t figured it out now, what would your scheming have ever amounted to? It’s honestly laughable.”

Snow Owl gave a faint smile. “Well, not everything is pointless. Some things may have turned out better than I expected.”

Ye Jiuyou said, “Are you referring to the Soul-Capturing Mirror? It doesn’t harm me in the slightest. It’s a plaything I gaze into for amusement. Surely you understand that.”

Snow Owl smiled and said, “But has it truly not affected you? You’ve already begun to destroy yourself. The impulse has been in you since the previous era. You simply weren’t aware of it. But now, you’re acting on it. More resolutely and more madly than ever.”

Those eavesdropping all exchanged looks, struggling to follow. Even Han Wubing lifted his head and glanced at Ye Jiuyou.

Ye Jiuyou sneered coldly but offered no denial.

Snow Owl continued, “You’ve never accepted the role destined for you. You reject the idea of being born to act as some representative. That’s why you always strove to compete with Ye Wuming. But what does her position have to do with you? Has anyone ever considered that what you represent is not about some throne at all? That your struggle with her only looks like a contest for power because it leaves a trail of slaughter and ruin? Others might not see the difference... but those of us who’ve stayed by your side know it’s not the same.”

He paused, then continued, “The laws that govern me and Underworld Guide are merely offshoots of yours, much like the Four Idols under the Night Emperor. But while the Four Idols are mighty... what about us? We’re nothing in comparison. I used to think you were leeching off our strength, but now I understand. No, it’s that you simply never cared for these laws. Since you’ve never regarded them as your core, how could we ever become to you what the Four Idols were to the Night Emperor? In this life, I let myself be absorbed by Snow Owl, and Underworld Guide was slain by Zhao Changhe... and you didn’t so much as react. Others might call it cold-hearted, but we know the truth. You never wanted us in the first place.”

At last, Ye Jiuyou laughed. “I wanted tools, but you were all useless. Who wants useless tools? Are tools without use still even tools?”

Snow Owl sighed. “Even Papiyas saw it clearly. He said we were the rotting flesh you intended to cut away. Are you still unable to acknowledge it yourself? Back then, it was unconscious. Now, the Soul-Capturing Mirror has made it visible to you, and you’ve started acting on it willingly. Why still pretend otherwise?”

The hidden onlookers were finally beginning to understand. They had thought it strange how Snow Owl’s cultivation had surged so wildly after absorbing Papiyas. After all, Papiyas had been weakened, devoid of much energy, so how could he have offered such a leap? But now it made sense: Ye Jiuyou had already split off the law of darkness, relinquishing it entirely to Dark Oblivion. At the time, Snow Owl had hidden this from her, wary of her discovery. But now, with Papiyas’ essence, he had shattered his former limitations. He now stood on equal footing with the ancient Four Idols, and thus no longer felt any need to hide.

Ye Jiuyou smiled sweetly. “And what of it?”

“Have you never thought that what you’ve done is nothing short of severing your own limbs?” Snow Owl asked coldly. “Your strength may appear unchanged, but your nature has begun to shift. You no longer resonate with the laws you once embodied. You can’t wield them as easily. The law of darkness is no longer wholly yours, so you can’t suppress me anymore. You look the same, but beneath that surface, you’ve become a hollow shell. You’ve become someone that can now be challenged by those beneath you, and yet you remain unaware.”

It sounded dire, but Ye Jiuyou only chuckled. “Do you seriously think yourselves my hands and feet? Are you worthy?”

“Worthy or not, we’ll find out soon enough.” The fear that had shadowed Snow Owl’s gaze since Ye Jiuyou’s appearance finally faded, replaced by a growing killing intent.

At the same time, he transmitted a message to Han Wubing,

“Whatever your thoughts, you shouldn’t have any qualms about striking Ye Jiuyou... If you don’t cooperate now, you’re as good as dead. You know what you must do.”

Clang!

A streak of sword light flashed, and Snow Owl’s sword abruptly thrust toward Ye Jiuyou’s face.

Perhaps this was the first time he had directly confronted an opponent, and it happened to be the very former master whose power considerably exceeded his.

Zhao Changhe had claimed Snow Owl lacked the courage for direct confrontation, but he was not entirely right. It was merely a matter of dormancy, of sheathing one’s claws, only unleashing ferocity when the moment truly required.

Ding!

Ye Jiuyou calmly lifted a single finger, effortlessly catching the sword tip.

At the same instant, sword light surged violently beside her.

If Snow Owl’s sword could be likened to a sudden lightning strike, then the attack from the other side was a thunderstorm bearing torrential rain. Sword qi blotted out the sky and covered up the earth, carrying with it the image of a roaring tiger baring its sinister fangs.

The King of a Hundred Weapons, the sword of the White Tiger![1]

Xia Chichi and Yue Hongling simultaneously drew sharp breaths.

Putting aside cultivation levels, Han Wubing’s comprehension of the White Tiger’s essence far surpassed theirs, and it was vastly more authentic.

Yet, once again, Ye Jiuyou seemed completely prepared. She simply raised her other hand, catching this second sword tip between two fingers.

Judging solely by this display, this was in no way an inferior opponent challenging above his league; rather, the scene resembled an adult casually toying with children. However, the keen-eyed observers realized in an instant that Snow Owl had spoken some truth.

Dark Oblivion and Ye Jiuyou were governed by the laws of the world. Under the suppression of higher laws or the superior representative, Snow Owl theoretically should not even have managed to extend his blade, let alone come close. He should have crumpled instantly, yet he had not only approached but forced her to physically parry his strike. This was already proof enough.

Moreover, Ye Jiuyou’s death qi was no trivial matter. When Zhao Changhe prepared to face Ye Jiuyou, Ye Wuming sternly advised him to spend the night meditating in a burial ground to better understand death qi. This qi had little meaning to primordial demon gods such as those of Dark Oblivion, but for mortal bodies like Zhao Changhe and Han Wubing, it was a terrifyingly lethal force. Without adequate preparation, mere contact could mean instant annihilation.

But as her fingers gripped the sword, Han Wubing showed no signs of contamination by the death qi. His sword qi had effortlessly dissipated it. Ye Jiuyou’s mastery over these particular laws was clearly inferior.

While the observers’ minds raced, ready to see what would unfold next, a sudden, fierce killing intent erupted from the horizon.

The image of an ancient, heavy long sword swept across the sky, splitting heaven and earth.

Had Zhao Changhe been present, he would have recognized the simple horizontal and vertical sword strikes he had once seen within the Heavenly Tome. This was the ultimate, returning-to-origins mastery of the Dao of the sword.

It was the figure ranked third among demon gods, the Sword Emperor!

His rank surpassed Piaomiao’s; the Tome of Troubled Times had placed him just below Ye Jiuyou.

At the moment Ye Jiuyou faced simultaneous attacks from Snow Owl and Han Wubing, at a time when her control over the laws she supposedly represented was seemingly weakened. Could she truly withstand this sword strike capable of sundering heaven and earth?

In the face of the attack, Ye Jiuyou calmly pushed both Snow Owl and Han Wubing several chi away and let out a soft chuckle. “I knew you’d come...”

Ding!

Her slender hand reached behind and met the enormous sword image head-on.

The snow-capped mountain abruptly collapsed. It did not explode or crumble, but instantly disintegrated into oblivion.

Meanwhile, the repelled Snow Owl and Han Wubing surged forward again, their swords targeting Ye Jiuyou’s exposed back.

Ye Jiuyou paid them no heed. With a flick of her hands, the massive sword image spiraled, morphing into the figure of an elderly man clad in white robes.

It was the Sword Emperor himself.

Yet, directly in the path of Snow Owl and Han Wubing’s attack, a man dressed in imperial dragon robes suddenly appeared. His features were withered and deathly pale.

Both halted abruptly, stunned. Snow Owl gasped, “Azure Dragon!”

The hidden observers’ faces darkened drastically.

The corpse of the ancient Azure Dragon... The Four Idols Cult had respectfully interred it within the Capital, so how could they have ever imagined that Ye Jiuyou had long transformed it into a corpse puppet? Not even Zhao Changhe had anticipated this.

If this corpse puppet had woken up within the capital during their absence, the ensuing chaos and destruction would have been catastrophic. And truthfully, it would not have taken long for it to even wipe out everyone. In the blink of an eye, every living being in the capital would have ceased to exist.

Yet, Ye Jiuyou had not taken that path. Instead, she had directly transferred the Azure Dragon corpse puppet to Kunlun.

Viewed differently, Ye Jiuyou seemed to lack confidence facing the Sword Emperor, Snow Owl, and Han Wubing alone, as she was mobilizing her forces. This fact again validated Snow Owl’s earlier claim, as she did seem to be weaker than she had been in the past.

A tense silence settled. The Sword Emperor’s gaze passed over Ye Jiuyou, lingering briefly on the corpse puppet behind her. He finally said slowly, “Your Highness Jiuyou, were you originally intending the same fate for my body?”

“Yes, precisely.” Ye Jiuyou smiled enchantingly, not bothering to deny it. “In my realm, death has never truly been death. It’s eternal life. Though few are fortunate enough to be chosen, you, Sword Emperor, were undoubtedly the most qualified.”

The Sword Emperor chuckled softly without responding.

Ye Jiuyou asked lightly, “Collaborating with others to kill me, is this revenge for that trivial matter? You didn’t seem to be such a petty man.”

“That’s something you’d consider trivial?” The Sword Emperor smiled in spite of himself. “Perhaps it is. After all, I was never reduced to a corpse.”

“Then why are you determined to kill me?” Ye Jiuyou smiled, amused. “Apart from that, I don’t recall any grievances between us.”

The Sword Emperor’s gaze shifted to Han Wubing, then drifted toward the depths of the cave behind them. “Because you and I, Your Highness, harbor irreconcilable differences regarding that matter.”

Ye Jiuyou chuckled and said, “So you sought White Tiger? Indeed, your intentions align. If you could merge, perhaps you might break through your own barriers.”

The Sword Emperor replied evenly, “And what about you, Your Highness? Would you simply turn the White Tiger into another corpse puppet like Azure Dragon?”

Ye Jiuyou snapped her fingers lightly.

Two shadows swept forward from behind the Sword Emperor. One took the shape of the Vermillion Bird, yet its fiery scarlet flames had turned ghostly pale, burning with underworld ghastly fire. The other clearly represented the Black Tortoise, its form as cold and motionless as a carved stone statue.

“The corpses of the ancient Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise were never preserved,” Ye Jiuyou explained with a charming smile. “Fortunately, the new Night Emperor is a good person. He neither destroyed Azure Dragon’s corpse nor obliterated the Southern Li Fire and Northern Ming Water, but simply took away their cores. This allowed me to refine their remnant essences and build my own corpses, so to say. Now, among my Four Idols, I lack only the White Tiger to complete my own Underworld Four Idols Formation.”

The Sword Emperor chuckled lightly. “So you’ve discarded your laws of shadow and oblivion simply to make a poor imitation of Ye Wuming’s methods?”

“Imitation?” Ye Jiuyou sneered coldly. “These powers were always mine. I’m merely reclaiming what was lost. Whatever, it’s pointless explaining things to you. In short, I shall have the White Tiger. You should leave.”

The Sword Emperor sighed softly. “If you’d already secured the White Tiger and completed the Four Idols, indeed, you’d make up for the crippling loss from abandoning your original laws. Unfortunately, you haven’t acquired his corpse yet. These corpse puppets can’t mutually activate spiritual resonance; they’re mere clay statues. They hardly represent the true Four Idols. Moreover, this world grows increasingly harmonious, and this is directly clashing with your chaos and oblivion. For some reason, you’ve failed to unleash the death and destruction you need. With things as they are, you’ve lost the harmony of heaven, earth, and man. You are no longer my equal.”

Ye Jiuyou smiled faintly. “Shall we put that to the test?”

Whoosh!

The Sword Emperor’s wrist moved subtly, the ancient sword thrusting forward in what looked like a perfectly simple line toward Ye Jiuyou’s face.

Yet, the sword stopped a chi from her. It was blocked not by a wall of qi but by distortion and chaos. It had pierced into another unknown space-time, no longer present in the here and now.

Ye Jiuyou’s hand pressed lightly into empty space, and the Sword Emperor’s figure fragmented like a painted scroll torn apart by a tiger’s claws.

Though she had abandoned darkness and oblivion, distortion and chaos remained.

Yet the strike failed; the seemingly shattered Sword Emperor reappeared several chi away, and sword light sliced downward again, splitting heaven and earth once more.

The hidden observers, still stunned by the profound collision of supreme laws in these two moves, failed to notice Han Wubing quietly moving to retreat, intending to take the imprisoned White Tiger away into the distance.

“You cannot escape.” Amidst the fierce clash of powers, the Sword Emperor’s sword suddenly split off a streak of sword light toward Han Wubing’s back.

Ye Jiuyou’s face darkened gravely. A troubling realization dawned upon her. The Sword Emperor only needed to kill the ancient White Tiger to claim the essence of the White Tiger, but she had to protect him. Killing was far easier than saving...

Space rippled gently. Ye Jiuyou instantly appeared in the path of the sword light, blocking the attack for Han Wubing.

Han Wubing glanced back in astonishment.

In the instant Ye Jiuyou intercepted the sword qi, the Sword Emperor’s sword swung horizontally again. At the same time, the Azure Dragon, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise corpse puppets simultaneously struck at the Sword Emperor’s back. Meanwhile, an extremely sharp and silent sword qi arose from the flank—Snow Owl had stealthily launched an attack at Ye Jiuyou’s neck.

In the chaos, Ye Jiuyou swiftly leaned back, dodging the combined strikes of the Sword Emperor and Snow Owl. Suddenly, behind her erupted a fierce roar, and a wave of sword qi surged again.

It was the maddened ancient White Tiger. He had escaped Han Wubing’s grasp to viciously attack Ye Jiuyou from behind. Han Wubing, too slow to react, could only watch helplessly as the ancient White Tiger slipped past him.

Ye Jiuyou was at a loss at the turn of events.

Good deeds truly don’t pay. I saved you, yet you turn on me?

Abruptly, stars shone brightly in the night sky, illuminating the heavens with the silhouettes of the Four Idols.

Starlight cascaded down, passing through space and time itself, landing forcefully upon the ancient White Tiger. With a roar, it was hurled violently aside by the celestial radiance.

The Four Idols Formation? From where?

All of those present turned in shock to witness four stunning women arriving, surrounding and protecting Ye Jiuyou. Encircling the ancient White Tiger, one of them said bluntly, “Pardon us, seniors, but this is our Four Idols Cult’s internal affair. We’ll be taking the White Tiger.”

Xia Chichi turned her fierce glare toward the silent Han Wubing, her voice sharp and accusing as she demanded, “Whose side are you on?”

Han Wubing cracked a rare smile, pointing his sword at Snow Owl. “I don’t know much else, but at the very least, this outsider has definitely been meddling too much. Let’s emove him first, and we can sort the rest out later.”

Snow Owl: “...”

How did this all descend into a chaotic melee between innumerable sides, each with their own hidden intentions? It’s unclear just who exactly is friend or foe, even I don’t know who I should be fighting anymore, so how exactly did I end up singled out as the outsider?

1. Normally, the sword is known as “the gentleman of a hundred weapons,” while the spear is known as the king. ☜