Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 593: Both Sides Full of Surprises

Clang!

Dragon Bird struck precisely between the prongs of the trident. Zhao Changhe swayed slightly and staggered back, appearing somewhat strained as he retreated across the reefs. However, he ultimately managed to withstand the attack!

He had taken an attack from the Sea Emperor head-on, and though he was forced back slightly, he remained unharmed!

At the same time, his left hand thrust out with Dragon Emperor, sending a twisting arc of sword qi toward the Sea Emperor’s abdomen. Behind him, the wind roared as Lady Three’s fist was already on its way to the back of the Sea Emperor’s head. Meanwhile, from the side, an icy chill swept in as Xia Chichi’s Iceheart aimed straight for the Sea Emperor’s neck.

The Sea Emperor, still in the middle of his threatening speech, was suddenly caught off guard.

What the hell is going on?

We fought just two days ago, and I’m certain I fully understood their level of strength back then. Even if Zhao Changhe managed to slice open the belly of my flood dragon body and turn the tide, his cultivation was ultimately still mediocre. A single swipe of the claw fractured the bones in his arm and tore his muscles. He was clearly far from being this strong. Xia Chichi was even weaker back then. I would have been able to deal with her with a few casual moves. Only the Black Tortoise was even slightly troublesome and would take a bit more effort to subdue.

The Sea Emperor’s previous threats had not been mere posturing—he genuinely believed them. The only one he was wary of was Xia Longyuan, not these three mortals he truly believed to be insignificant.

He had tolerated the three of them lingering above him because he could not predict whether Xia Longyuan would intervene. His plan had been to continue recovering until he reached the Profound Control Realm before emerging, ensuring that there would be no mishaps. Otherwise, he could have struck them down much sooner, eliminating them without a second thought.

Yet, these three had pushed their luck. The poison they used had not harmed him, but it did impede his progress toward the Profound Control Realm—something that tested his patience. And the urine? Such humiliation! If word got out, Xia Longyuan would not need to kill him—he would die a social death among the ancient beings. It was simply intolerable!

Since they were determined to die, he would gladly oblige! No longer caring whether Xia Longyuan would make a move, he lashed out in fury.

Yet now, what met him was utter bafflement as to where Zhao Changhe’s crippling injuries had gone, where the internal damage Xia Chichi sustained from Wang Daoning’s water blast had gone, and how they had both fully recovered in just two days. Internal wounds might be quick to heal with the appropriate medicine and cultivation, but broken bones were not something that would mend in just two days. The Sea Emperor found Zhao Changhe was, in some aspects, more godly than himself!

Even more baffling was the surge in their cultivation.

It would have been one thing if they had simply recovered. But Zhao Changhe, who once feared facing him head-on, could now hold his own against his attacks. Lady Three, who had once been merely a little troublesome, now had a punch as strong as his own.

Even the weakest of the three, Xia Chichi, could pull off a strike stronger than the one Zhao Changhe had unleashed two days ago—the strike that had split his belly open. Her strength was now more than enough to be an actual threat in this skirmish. If he underestimated her, he could very well get wounded by her sword, just as Zhao Changhe’s saber had wounded him before.

For a moment, the Sea Emperor even began to doubt his own recovery. Could I have not actually recovered to the peak of the third layer of the Profound Mysteries? Had I lost track of time while recovering? Have two years actually passed without me knowing?

He realized that perhaps these three had not come seeking death at all. He realized that perhaps they had come genuinely believing that this was the perfect moment to strike—taking advantage of his injured state right while he was yet to fully recover to the Profound Control Realm.

These thoughts flashed through his mind as the battle raged on. The Sea Emperor swung his trident, sweeping Zhao Changhe aside and forcing Xia Chichi to retreat, while the butt of the trident struck back to parry Lady Three’s fist. Facing all three at once, he managed to hold his ground.

After all, even though his cultivation had slipped, his peak was still beyond the norm. He was once a god at the second layer of the Profound Control Realm, his understanding of martial arts and ability to manipulate the environment far surpassed that of mere mortals of the Profound Mysteries.

And, of course, he was not mortal—he could not be killed. Though the state of the battle made it seem as if his foes had the advantage on paper, the Sea Emperor still felt that the upper hand was his.

Yet, Zhao Changhe and the other two actually breathed a small sigh of relief.

Seeing how much the Sea Emperor had recovered, they had initially been concerned. The greatest threat from the Sea Emperor was not his physical strength or martial skills but his pervasive spiritual attacks that were practically the maddening whispers of an ancient god. If they were not careful, their soul seas could be thrown into chaos, driving them mad or leaving them under his control. It was a level of spiritual suppression that felt inescapable.

Two days ago, during the battle, it was only because Xia Longyuan and Hai Pinglan had silently borne the brunt of those spiritual attacks that the others were able to fight effectively. If the Sea Emperor could still make use of such means now, they would be in serious trouble.

But as it turned out, while he was limited to the peak of the third layer of the Profound Mysteries, the Sea Emperor’s spiritual attacks had weakened significantly. With their own now-strengthened souls, they could resist the interference; it was little more than a buzzing fly to them now.

Without that overwhelming edge, the rest of his tricks were within a manageable range.

“No wonder you dare to challenge me. It seems you are somewhat capable, after all. But can you handle this?”

The trident suddenly thrust to the right, aiming straight for Xia Chichi’s abdomen.

Although attacking Xia Chichi last time had stirred up a hornet’s nest, the principle remained—she was still the weakest link, making her the obvious target to break the encirclement.

It seemed like a simple attack, no different from that of any ordinary martial artist. Xia Chichi raised her sword horizontally to block, intending to evade—after all, her role was not to take direct hits.

But the moment the sword and trident made contact, an extremely cold energy erupted inside her body as if it bypassed the weapon entirely. Her blood seemed to dry up, her entire being desiccating, even the water within her body disappearing.

Water Control!

It was the same skill that had once overwhelmed Cui Wenjing, later used by the water constructs against Lady Three—ineffective at that time because Lady Three had been prepared. It has not been used again since.

But now, wielded by the Sea Emperor himself, its potency was worlds beyond what they had faced before!

Zhao Changhe and Lady Three’s attacks arrived just in time, forcing the Sea Emperor to defend. He parried them both and his expression relaxed. He could already see Xia Chichi collapsing from dehydration as a result of the attack he unleashed just now.

Fools! Do they really think that just because they’re also in the Profound Mysteries Realm, we’re equals? Without having ever reached the Profound Control Realm, what can you possibly understand about true power?!

Xia Chichi frowned slightly, then swiftly sprang back into the fray, thrusting her sword directly at the Sea Emperor.

The Sea Emperor was stunned.

Why didn’t it work?

Seeing the faint green glow covering Xia Chichi, he suddenly understood.

The boundless Azure Dragon’s intent! The wood element energy coursing through her is preventing her body from losing moisture. She makes use of a concept akin to the planting of trees to combat desertification, preserving water...

Unbelievable... This young girl is barely at the second layer of the Profound Mysteries, yet she’s already grasped the Azure Dragon’s laws! She even possesses a protective dragon qi, true dragon qi!

As a god who dealt with faith, he recognized it immediately. It had not been as prominent before, but in just two days, Xia Chichi had changed significantly.

The Sea Emperor had made a miscalculation, and it was going to cost him.

His initial offensive had targeted Xia Chichi, which left his follow-up moves against Lady Three and Zhao Changhe lacking power. The tragedy of being surrounded was exactly that—split focus meant weakened strength. When Lady Three’s fist came crashing down, even though he managed to block it, ripples spread across the Sea Emperor’s body, a sign of struggling to withstand the energy shock. He had to use his water body to cushion the impact.

And then there was Zhao Changhe’s dual-blade attack—troublesome enough by itself, but even more so with his style. He fought as if he were two different people: a berserk blade and a shadowy sword. The trident managed to parry Dragon Bird, only for Dragon Emperor to strike his side, emitting a metallic clang as it was blocked by his scales.

Xia Chichi’s sword came sweeping back toward his face, her strikes relentless.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The constant clash of weapons rang out. Tang En, instructed to observe from a safe distance, could not make out the chaotic battle between the four. All he saw were flashes of blades and swords, blood-red flashes of vicious qi, and waves surging into the sky, a visual spectacle that could only be said to be otherworldly.

A fight of this level was not something ordinary martial artists could witness. Trying to get closer would only result in the shockwaves from the battle causing the flagship to capsize.

Tang En, though longing for a closer look, sighed helplessly and ordered the crew, “Keep retreating! The waves from their fight are already reaching us. Damn it, when did martial arts become like this?”

The Sea Emperor also felt like exclaiming that these three were not human. Amidst the chaos, he used his water-controlling technique on Zhao Changhe, yet Zhao Changhe somehow managed to compete with him directly for control of the water in his body.

The Sea Emperor knew he had the upper hand, but to get caught in such a direct contest was a losing proposition, especially with Lady Three’s relentless fists. And using the same trick on Lady Three? It was pointless—Zhao Changhe’s ability to control water had probably been learned from her. It was ridiculous! His seemingly unstoppable technique was completely useless against this family of three!

Switch to a different technique? The Sea Emperor had many, but each one came with its own cost. If his most reliable move was not working, what would be better? At this point, it seemed much more practical for him to conserve energy and focus on direct combat.

While the Sea Emperor was feeling frustrated, the three were not finding it any easier.

This new body of the Sea Emperor was troublesome... even more so than his previous flood dragon body.

Though weaker in attributes and power compared to the flood dragon body, it was far more agile, without the fatal weaknesses of the previous body. He did not need to roll around helplessly when struck on the back, nor had his underbelly exposed and unprotected. Not to mention, his new body still retained the resilience of a dragon...

The fish scales covering his body were not just for show. Even when Dragon Emperor struck them square, nothing happened.

Worse still, his limbs had no joints—his arms and legs could twist freely.

While Zhao Changhe’s sword and saber were entangled with the trident, the Sea Emperor’s left arm bent backward effortlessly, throwing a punch to clash directly with Lady Three.

This was a humanoid creature that also possessed the abilities of water constructs, fishmen, and flood dragons.

Zhao Changhe had never counted on using his saber to kill the Sea Emperor. He had always planned to rely on his bow. But now, there was a problem: how could he possibly hit such a nimble creature?

What could he do to ensure the Sea Emperor could not block or dodge his shot?