Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 730 (1): The Blind Womans Revenge

But the fact of the matter was that Zhao Changhe was not just probing anymore; he was throwing fastballs straight down the middle.

He knew that the blind woman had her own motives. Even though her way of pulling him into this world was far from humane, it was not purely malicious. He was just a chess piece in her grand game. To her, he was simply a pawn to be used.

In other words, her objectives and his desire to “go home” did not fundamentally conflict. At worst, they might clash in terms of timing. Theoretically, they could work together honestly and achieve mutual benefits. There was no need for all this cryptic behavior that only bred resentment or resistance—whether from him or Xia Longyuan. Such mistrust would only make achieving any goal harder.

But no matter how bluntly he tried to ask, she refused to be transparent, refusing to speak plainly. Even direct and candid words from him failed to break through her veil of secrecy.

The frustration gnawed at Zhao Changhe. He ground his teeth in irritation, tempted to take out the Heavenly Tome and mess with it again.

Forget it.

Suppressing the urge, Zhao Changhe instead opened the foundational Spirit Control Technique the Spirit Tribe maid had delivered. With a major battle looming, his immediate goal was to focus on training.

The steel-like resilience and immense strength of the revived corpse puppet had left a deep impression on both him and Yue Hongling. If those qualities were the result of absorbing metal and earth qi over centuries underground, it meant that incorporating such elements into one’s body could theoretically strengthen it. In essence, this could form the basis for an active technique—intentionally absorbing the energies of the five elements to reshape and enhance the physical body.

It was even plausible that many of the world’s body cultivation techniques originated from this principle.

While others might focus on absorbing the elements of metal or earth, Zhao Changhe’s Blood Asura Body would likely follow a different path.

The Spirit Tribe’s cultivation techniques were divided into two main branches. The first resembled the methods of Lie, centered on tempering one’s own blood and flesh to establish a foundation. Ancient shamans all practiced similarly. The key difference was that the Spirit Tribe’s cultivation techniques did not incorporate vicious qi. Blood qi and vicious qi were distinct—many practiced with blood qi, but vicious qi was Lie’s defining trait. In fact, rather than the Blood Demon or the Blood God, it was much more apt to call him the Vicious Demon.

As Zhao Changhe studied, he glanced at his own arm. As he circulated his energy according to the technique, vicious qi surged and overflowed. If it were to be named as it looked, what would his arm be called?

The second branch of the Spirit Tribe’s techniques focused on spirit control. The term “spirit control" in this case referred specifically to taming beasts by controlling their spirits. In essence, gu were a type of beast. The later separation of beast masters and gu masters made sense, but in ancient times, those who controlled beasts likely surpassed those who controlled gu in power. After all, ancient beasts were extraordinary—only their extinction diminished their significance. Meanwhile, gu survived the collapse of an era and evolved into the foundation of modern gu mastery.

The Spirit Tribe had long been adept at controlling various exotic beasts and forming contracts with them. Sisi’s control of the Blood Ao, goshawk, tigers, and leopards during the rebellion at the sacred mountain demonstrated her strength clearly.

What the Spirit Tribe had lacked was not the method to control beasts but techniques for channeling the beasts’ power into their own bodies. Without this enhancement, they relied solely on external forces. If the master was taken out in one fell swoop by a surprise attack, even a whole army of beasts would be unable to bring them back to life. Thus, the development of methods to draw on the power of beast spirits and enhance one’s body became essential. By doing so, practitioners could gain the strength and resilience of beasts themselves.

However, such an approach still required a strong physical foundation. Without a sufficiently tough physique, the process could lead to catastrophic failure and one’s body directly breaking down.

As a slave, Lie had obviously been denied access to any advanced beast-controlling technique. Yet through his unparalleled understanding and control of blood qi, he forcibly stripped power from beasts and absorbed it into himself, forging the infamous Blood Demon Body. This was the ultimate step in Lie’s path of body cultivation.

In truth, Zhao Changhe’s earlier development of the Eternal Blood Demon Body, which utilized the recovery ability of the Blood Ao, already followed this line of thinking. However, at the time, he had only grasped the surface concept—using the Blood Ao’s regenerative traits as if it were a natural treasure. He had not understood the underlying principles, nor had he recognized the essence of controlling the blood and qi of myriad beings. As a result, he could only harness the Blood Ao’s recovery abilities and was unable to access its other powers.

But now, with access to the Spirit Tribe’s main techniques and knowledge of Lie’s mastery of blood and qi, Zhao Changhe saw the potential to merge the two approaches. He could avoid the Spirit Tribe’s reliance on nurturing a host of beasts and temporarily channeling their power during battle. Likewise, he did not need to forcibly strip and transfer power like Lie. Instead, he aimed to absorb and emulate these energies, transforming them into a permanent part of himself.

If he could cross this threshold, his mastery over the blood and qi of all beings would reach its peak, allowing him to wield the unique traits of myriad beings at will. This, he realized, was one of the essences of the page of life that he had obtained.

After pondering over the Spirit Tribe’s techniques for half a day, Zhao Changhe suddenly stood up and headed to the Ao Pool.

Despite its name, the Ao Pool was more than just a pool—it was a mountain where the Spirit Tribe raised the Blood Ao alongside other exotic beasts. It was one of their most sacred sites.

As Zhao Changhe approached, the guards stationed at the Ao Pool saluted in unison. “Greetings, Sacred Envoy.”

He waved a hand dismissively. “Take me to see the Blood Ao.”

In the Spirit Tribe, Zhao Changhe’s status was nothing short of divine. Even the queen herself had once jokingly referred to herself as his servant. If Zhao Changhe wanted to take a Blood Ao away, no guard would dare utter a word of protest.

The guards quickly led Zhao Changhe to the Ao Pool. One of them explained, “We currently have two Blood Aos. One guards the sacred mountain, while the other protects the ancestral burial ground. Both are only around three months old and aren’t very strong yet.”

Three months old, and they’re already the size of an apartment block...

Zhao Changhe activated the Spirit Control Technique and quickly sensed Sisi’s imprint on both Blood Ao. He could not help but marvel at her abilities. According to what he had learned of the Spirit Tribe’s techniques, there was a limit to how many beasts one person could control. The stronger the beasts, the fewer one could command. In the past, even someone like Xue Wu could only manage a single Blood Ao. Yet Sisi controlled both of these simultaneously while also commanding other creatures. Her talent was absurd.

You were practically born to be the Spirit Tribe’s saintess. Why even bother running off to the Central Plains to steal sword arts? And look at you now—after all that effort, your tribe hasn’t even adopted the Sword Emperor’s techniques. Even you’ve set them aside. In fact, I’ve used them more than anyone else. In the end, your tribe’s rise still relies on your ancestral methods.

As the two Blood Ao belonged to Sisi, and thanks to the bond created by the Heart-Bonding Gu, they were naturally close to Zhao Changhe. He did not need any additional techniques to win them over. As he approached the pool and stroked the head of a Blood Ao, the beast actually displayed a pleased expression, like a little pampered cat.

The guards stood frozen. “...”

The sacred envoy truly lives up to his title. He doesn’t need any techniques—sacred beasts simply adore him.

Zhao Changhe ran his hand along the shell of the Blood Ao’s back, activating the Spirit Control Technique to analyze its essence.

The foundation of channeling the energy of a beast into one’s body was, of course, the ability to analyze and understand the composition of such energies. Only by comprehending their structure could one successfully integrate them. With the aid of the Spirit Tribe’s techniques, the structure of the Blood Ao’s shell seemed to unravel before Zhao Changhe’s eyes, its biological makeup laid bare like a diagram of a dissected lab rat.

Rather than directly channeling the beast’s energy into his body, Zhao Changhe opted to follow Lie’s methodology. He manipulated his own blood qi, temporarily adapting the composition of his skin to emulate the structure of the Blood Ao’s shell. This process also served as a demonstration of mastery over his own flesh and blood—if he could not reshape it, how could he claim to control it?

Absorbed in the process, he didn’t even notice when his skin began to emit faint cracking sounds. In the eyes of the nearby guards, the sacred envoy’s arm transformed entirely. The blood-red hue of his skin took on a strange geometric pattern, resembling an intricately carved surface that appeared almost otherworldly. His arm had become something far from human.

Gradually, the sharp angles smoothed, and his arm reverted to its normal appearance, resembling a muscular human limb once more. Yet despite its outward restoration, the hardness it now possessed remained unmistakable.

“Cut me,” Zhao Changhe suddenly said, turning to the guards.

The guards froze in terror and instinctively stepped back.

“Why are you all so nervous?” Zhao Changhe scolded them in an exasperated tone. “Can’t you tell that I’m training? Just do it.”

Still, none of them dared.

With a sigh, Zhao Changhe drew Dragon Bird and tossed it lightly into the air. “Come on, little bird. Cut me.”

“Are you insane?” Dragon Bird sneered. “If I cut you, you’ll drop dead on the spot, you puny fish!”

Rolling his eyes, Zhao Changhe retorted, “Can’t you just take it easy for once?”

“Fine, I’ll humor you. But don’t start crying if you get hurt, you...”

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing against metal reverberated. The saber struck Zhao Changhe’s arm, leaving a gash from which blood immediately began to flow. Even so, the injury was far less severe than the force of the clash would have warranted.

“Weakli—?” Dragon Bird faltered mid-sentence, her tone shifting from disdain to disbelief. The girl within the saber stared wide-eyed, stunned.

She had not even swung with full force, assuming her master would dodge at the last moment. But not only had he taken the blow head-on, the result was nothing short of shocking.

The guards stood speechless, their eyes wide with astonishment.

Zhao Changhe had been cut

Obviously, it’s perfectly normal for a sharp edge to cut into bare flesh, should they ever meet. A cut was to be expected. But a saber like Dragon Bird was perfectly capable of severing an arm cleanly if it so much as casually dropped upon it, and yet Zhao Changhe’s arm bore only a minor gash, even after a proper swing. If it had been an ordinary blade instead, would it have even left a scratch?

Zhao Changhe glanced down at his arm. The gash began to close rapidly, his formidable recovery ability restoring the damage almost instantly. Within moments, there was no trace of the wound at all.

The scene fell into absolute silence.

He had not channeled beast energy into his body, nor had he stolen the power of the Blood Ao. Instead, he had studied the Blood Ao’s composition and used it as a reference to forge his own steel-like body!

This was not merely a matter of innate talent. The Heavenly Tome itself had played a critical role. Within the page of life, the text that described the control of life glowed brilliantly, listing every detail with unparalleled clarity.

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The Blood Asura Body had reached perfection, now no longer bearing any weaknesses!

Almost simultaneously, Zhao Changhe felt an explosive sensation in his mind. It was as if a barrier in his spiritual platform had been shattered, the overwhelming feeling of a breakthrough washing over him.

It was the door to the Profound Control Realm... He was now only half a step away from truly stepping into the Profound Control Realm.

The blind woman hovered nearby, arms crossed, watching the scene unfold. She could not help but let out a soft “tsk.” She knew that what Zhao Changhe had was no longer merely the Blood Asura Body—it was becoming something entirely unique to him. He was not simply mimicking the Blood Ao, turning himself into some kind of turtle. This method, this path, was his alone. With it, he would one day be able to observe any extraordinary lifeform, replicate its traits, and make them his own.

Most importantly, with such an advanced understanding of life, he now stood a chance against Jiuyou—at the very least, he would not be annihilated instantly.