Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 324: Into the Belly

Zhao Changhe was stunned.

From a distance, he thought that such a powerful fire-attributed female expert had to be Vermillion Bird.

It’s actually Huangfu Qing?

Oh right, Vermillion Bird did mention that she might send the Fire Serpent of Yi or the Fire Tiger of Wei to this place, so I guess her being here isn’t entirely unexpected.

Her current attire was vastly different from Vermillion Bird’s, and it was even unlike the ceremonial robe that he knew the Fire Serpent of Yi to wear. She was wearing an extravagant mink coat in blue and white, resembling the noblewomen seen in the capital.

I feel like the ceremonial robe she used to wear looked quite good, why did she change to this? Of course, if she wore something like Mai Shiranui’s outfit[1], that would look even better...

Wait, was Huangfu Qing always this powerful? That combat power is far beyond someone at the ninth layer of the Profound Gate! It feels as if she’s at least on the Ranking of Man, maybe even higher. She seems even stronger than Vulture Beak.... Is she on the Ranking of Earth?

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Huangfu Qing sensed someone approaching and abruptly turned around.

Her blazing eyes locked onto Zhao Changhe’s face, her expression violent and cruel, her hands still dripping with blood.

Zhao Changhe’s heart sank, and he turned to run.

She’s gone mad! It would be ridiculous if I ended up dying at her hands!

Zhao Changhe had plenty of experience with such states. When the vicious blood qi took over, he would not be able to recognize anyone. In such moments, his combat power was significantly heightened, but he would be left severely weakened afterward. It was essentially the stimulation of one’s potential. At the moment, Huangfu Qing’s berserk state appeared even more intense than his own, so her combat power was probably double the usual, if not more.

No wonder she was so formidable!

Those attacking Huangfu Qing were the same. Otherwise, Zhao Changhe, who was now infinitely close to the Ranking of Man, would not have been able to find so many people stronger than him. They had all entered a berserk state, their strength far exceeding normal. None fled and all fought to their last breath, determined to tear apart every living being they saw.

Actually, Zhao Changhe had not dared to get close, and so he failed to realize that Huangfu Qing had not reached the same level of madness that the others were under. She still had some sanity and could recognize people. However, her killing intent was just that overwhelming at the moment, and Zhao Changhe did not evoke enough goodwill in her to quell her inner demons. On the contrary, she recalled the times she had thought about killing him, and those thoughts became increasingly prominent. Her mind was clouded and she began thinking about whether or not she should seize the opportunity to kill him.

In other words, her power had not actually increased. The power that she had been displaying was simply her actual power as Vermillion Bird...

Her natural strength allowed her to slaughter this group of madmen like chickens and dogs, effortlessly taking them down. Even if there were a hundred of Zhao Changhe, she could take them all down by herself.

She was Vermillion Bird, the legendary demon who almost single-handedly upheld the fearsome reputation of the Four Idols Cult! The slacking Back Tortoise was hardly worth mentioning in comparison.

Zhao Changhe initially thought that the Fire Serpent of Yi had undergone an increase in strength as a result of the berserk state, but he was mistaken. However, his sense of danger was spot-on. Huangfu Qing could not be reasoned with at the moment. If he did not run, he would surely die. As long as he ran, the group of madmen would come at her, allowing him to put some distance between them.

As expected, even though Huangfu Qing was about to chase after him and kill the loathsome scoundrel she most wanted dead, when the attacks of the madmen came at her from all sides, she was forced to stay. She abruptly deflected a sword with her hand, smashed another person’s head into mush, then casually twisted another head off a body. “Fuck off!”

When she turned around to look for the scoundrel, he had already vanished.

Enraged, Huangfu Qing roared, “Die!”

Boom!

Flames surged into the sky, melting away the snow completely.

Fuck, she’s strong... Seizing the opportunity, Zhao Changhe pulled out the sword pellet and used it like a compass, following the direction pointed out by the sliver of sword qi and heading straight for the secret realm.

It was impossible for him to outrun the rampaging lady. Entering the secret realm was his only chance for survival.

As long as he could hold out for a while, from his experience with berserk states, he believed that Huangfu Qing would inevitably fall into a weak and exhausted state, and then she would gradually regain her sanity. If he could endure until then, he believed that he would be safe.

The sword qi spun around and pointed to the peak.

Isn’t that the volcano’s crater?

Without further thought, Zhao Changhe dashed straight toward it.

“Die!” Huangfu Qing had finished off the last madman and was swiftly closing in.

Zhao Changhe pushed himself to the limit, using Traceless Soaring Blood and the Water Treading Art with all his energy, racing toward the peak. Along the way, he was surprised to see more corpses, which he quickly judged to have been killed by Huangfu Qing as well based on their wounds.

Just how many people did she kill...

Fortunately, the volcano was not that tall. Surrounded by various perilous peaks, it was just a small hill in comparison. This was why the volcanic eruption had not covered the surrounding peaks and was instead confined to this small area.

A shorter volcano meant a shorter distance. By the time Huangfu Qing had slaughtered all the madmen and reached halfway up the volcano, Zhao Changhe had already arrived at the crater. And when he peered down, his heart tightened.

Zhao Changhe had explored many secret realms and could sense that this volcanic crater had a spatial barrier. Normally, jumping down would only lead him into the belly of the volcano. But in this case, there was an independent space he could instead enter. To his surprise and confusion, however, it seemed like the spatial barrier had already been partially breached.

He felt an aura similar to the fiery and violent demonic qi emanating from Huangfu Qing. It was clear that both Huangfu Qing and the madmen had been affected by this demonic qi, which then triggered their inner demons and led to their rampage.

Curiously, Zhao Changhe found himself barely affected by this demonic qi. Using the Moonglade Sutra taught to him by Tang Wanzhuang, he was able to resist the effects of the demonic qi. If I can resist it, then why couldn’t someone like Huangfu Qing? Could it be because I’ve entered berserk states from vicious blood qi and developed an immunity?

No, that isn’t it...

Zhao Changhe recalled the old woodsman’s words again.

External demons can simply be killed, but inner demons are difficult to restrain.

They must have been affected by the demonic qi because of the violent and murderous intent within their hearts. The demonic qi should pose an even greater danger to someone like Huangfu Qing, who practices fire-attribute cultivation. She was always just a step away from becoming a demon, even without this demonic qi. The reason I’m barely affected is probably because my heart is calm and free of malicious intent, and there’s also the Moonglade Sutra.

Zhao Changhe could now piece together what had happened here.

Due to the rumor surrounding Fiery Kun Ridge, Huangfu Qing should have been sent here by Vermillion Bird to investigate. Because of her alignment with fire and her extensive knowledge, she probably found the secret realm and figured out how to open it.

However, it probably required some time and effort, and just then, a group of thugs from Kunlun seeking treasure stumbled upon her. They probably attacked her when she was preoccupied.

There’s no way that she would not have erupted with her temper. The external demonic qi must have triggered her inner demons, causing her to go berserk. At the same time, those thugs with evil intentions were also tainted and affected by the demonic qi. They all succumbed to madness.

Zhao Changhe hesitated for a moment.

If this was what had actually happened, then the berserk state that Huangfu Qing had entered was different from the one he would enter as a result of his vicious blood qi. Huangfu Qing might not be able to regain her sanity on her own. It was possible that she would remain in this state indefinitely, eventually becoming an irredeemable and senseless demoness.

As he hesitated, Huangfu Qing had already caught up to him. “Die!”

Zhao Changhe could have broken through the barrier and jumped into the secret realm but chose not to. Instead, he rolled to the side to dodge.

Huangfu Qing’s hand smashed into the spot where he had been crouching, shattering a piece of the volcanic rock.

Clang!

Dragon Bird flew out from the ring in his hand, and he gripped its hilt and swiftly swung it.

He did not swing it toward Huangfu Qing but behind him.

A poison dart silently emerged from the snow-covered rocks, aimed at Huangfu Qing’s throat, but Zhao Changhe’s saber deflected it, sending it flying far away.

Simultaneously, Huangfu Qing’s hand embedded itself in Zhao Changhe’s shoulder.

Zhao Changhe let out a muffled grunt, blood gushing out from the wound.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Huangfu Qing’s fingers, embedded in Zhao Changhe’s shoulder, did not move further. Her eyes, now almost fully resembling flames, flickered slightly, as if in surprise.

Despite the pain he was in and the sweat streaming down his forehead, Zhao Changhe was actually smiling.

She still has some sanity left... That’s good.

Swish!

He hurled Dragon Bird from his hand.

From behind a rock, a figure tried to sneak away, but Dragon Bird flew straight at him and pinned him to the ground.

It was a hoodlum from Kunlun who had not been tainted by the demonic qi and had been waiting for a good opportunity to strike.

Even in his dying moments, he could not understand why the man being chased by the terrifying woman would protect her by blocking the dart, nearly getting himself killed in the process.

The sun had set, and the wind and snow swirled lightly. The mountain air carried the distinct scent of sulfur and stone, mixed with the overpowering stench of blood. Blood continued to flow from Zhao Changhe’s shoulder, quickly dyeing half his body red.

Everything was clearly in motion, but it felt as if time stood still.

Huangfu Qing stared at Zhao Changhe for a long time before she finally, with great difficulty, managed to say something other than “die” or “fuck off.”

“Why?”

Zhao Changhe smiled in pain and took out a pig mask from his chest, trembling as he put it on his face. “I wanted to see... If you could actually bear to kill me.”

Her flaming eyes flickered again, like a candle about to go out.

But in the flames, no image was reflected. What did she see in his eyes?

External demons can simply be killed, but inner demons are difficult to restrain.

Vitality silently seeped from Zhao Changhe’s wound into her fingertips, mingling with her blood and spreading into her heart.

It was the Rejuvenation Art. He was not using it to heal her wounds but to deal with her inner demons.

Who knew if it would work? After all, inner demons were not a physical injury. But according to Lady Three, the vitality of the Azure Dragon and the fiery rebirth of the Vermillion Bird were fundamentally similar, so perhaps... it could allow her to be reborn.

In any case, this gentle vitality should help soothe her temper, right?

In the distance, a breeze seemed to rise.

Ye Wuzong, chasing someone he considered a mere child, naturally would not conceal his presence too much.

Huangfu Qing, who had been silently watching the Rejuvenation Art take effect, suddenly turned her head, her eyes filling with killing intent once more.

Zhao Changhe did not have her heightened senses, but he could guess that Ye Wuzong must have arrived. He sighed, “You can’t beat him. Let’s go hide.”

He cautiously reached out to grasp the wrist of Huangfu Qing’s hand that was still embedded in his shoulder.

Huangfu Qing, lost in thought, watched as he slowly moved her hand away. Then, staggering, he walked over to Dragon Bird, retrieved it, and dragged the corpse to the edge of the volcanic crater before tossing it in.

He explained, “We can’t leave any corpses here. Otherwise, it would be too easy to figure out where we are.”

Huangfu Qing seemed to understand. In the next moment, all the corpses on the mountainside burst into flames, turning to ashes.

Zhao Changhe grabbed her hand and leaped into the crater.

The corpse he had thrown in earlier went into the volcano’s throat, but they landed somewhere else.

Huangfu Qing, still mid-air, suddenly flicked her finger upward.

A wisp of flame shot out, masking the demonic qi with normal fire, and temporarily concealing the partially-open spatial barrier.

Almost simultaneously, Ye Wuzong appeared at the foot of the volcano, looking at the aftermath of the battle, and feeling a huge headache about to ensue.

1. Mai Shiranui is a character in the Fatal Fury and the King of Fighters series of fighting games by SNK. ☜