FVN Chapter 643: Black Tortoises Objective Judgment
Chapter 643: Black Tortoises Objective Judgment
Chapter 643: Black Tortoise's Objective Judgment
Tonight was originally meant to mark a grand ceremony for the Four Idols Cult. But as dawn broke, it seemed the ceremony’s purpose needed revision.
It was supposed to be a ceremony for the ascension of a cult leader—yet now, that title felt woefully insufficient.
The Night Emperor had truly descended to the mortal realm...
No one needed to explain what this sword was. Every person who practiced the cultivation techniques of the Four Idols Cult could feel the potent energy radiating from it—a boundless aura encompassing all their individual cultivation. It embraced everything, vast and limitless.
This was undoubtedly the unfinished divine sword spoken of in the cult’s ancient texts—the one the Night Emperor once sought to forge. And now, it was complete.
This sword was not a mere symbol. It was a tangible, undeniable reality.
From the aura of the sword alone, it was evident that no one other than the Night Emperor could wield this sword—let alone forge it with their own hands. Even the Night Emperor himself had not managed to complete it. The records were clear: he had only crafted the sword blank and left it unfinished.
Yet now, before the gathered members who had come for the ceremony, they witnessed the sword’s completion with their own eyes.
No one needed to say a word. The disciples instinctively regarded Zhao Changhe as the incarnation of the Night Emperor.
Some of the more perceptive followers were already pondering the deeper meaning behind certain events.
No wonder the venerables always acted oddly around Zhao Changhe. If it had been anyone else entangled with the saintess, the venerables would have flayed him alive. Yet with Zhao Changhe, all they did was punish the saintess by making her copy some scriptures. Hell, the two venerables actually collaborated with Zhao Changhe when they fought Maitreya, and then the Sea Emperor... much like trusted allies, really.
Maybe they always suspected Zhao Changhe was the Night Emperor. If that’s the case, then the saintess has just been fulfilling her role as the servant of our god, so why would they punish her? The only reason they even punished her at all was because the identity of the Night Emperor was not yet certain, so they couldn’t just randomly throw around titles like that.
At the same time, the key players in this game knew the truth: Zhao Changhe was not the Night Emperor.
Their cultivation techniques were not merely divergent—they were wholly unrelated.
Even Vermillion Bird’s suggestion that Zhao Changhe revisit the Four Idols Cult’s cultivation techniques when he reached a bottleneck had never been acted upon. Beyond the foundational method of resonating with and igniting the stars, which he had learned early on, his cultivation had nothing to do with the Four Idols Cult.
In fact, his astral intent surpassed the Night Emperor’s. Choosing to forge the Milky Way before the four idols might have been a matter of direction, but when it came to uniting the sun, moon, and stars, his vision fundamentally diverged from that of the Night Emperor. The blazing sun had no place in the night. With this, he could no longer be called the Night Emperor.
And yet, the sword blank dictated that he must operate within its framework. If his astral intent actually contradicted the essence of the stars within the sword blank, the forging process would have failed—the sword spirit would never have been born. The fact that he succeeded proved that his vision was, in fact, aligned with the stars of heaven.
In other words, there was no contradiction, and his path was valid.
It seemed that Zhao Changhe’s wild declaration had indeed come true. He would not follow in the steps of the Night Emperor, but neither would he head somewhere else entirely; rather, he would walk that path further than the Night Emperor ever did.
For a moment, the people in the underground chamber stared at each other in silence. This brought them to the very question Zhao Changhe had raised earlier: Did they worship the Night Emperor as a figure or the concept of the myriad stars? If it was the former, they had to rethink their ideas of heresy. If it was the latter... then perhaps it was time to kneel.
But it was bizarre. He did not practice a single cultivation technique from the Four Idols Cult. His martial arts had nothing to do with them. To call him the Night Emperor seemed as absurd as calling a random northern barbarian Qin Shi Huang[1].
Of course, everything came down to their decision. If the leadership figures of the Four Idols Cult recognized him as the Night Emperor, then he was the Night Emperor.
She looked up at him.
“I have no desire to be the Night Emperor,” Zhao Changhe said. “I don’t want people to kneel or worship me—I’m not worthy of such faith. Venerable, forcing the completion of this sword took its toll on me. I risked plenty... and I’m not saying this because I want to boast. I simply want you to know that I did this so the Four Idols Cult and I can share aligned interests, that we may no longer clash. I do not wish to be at odds with the Four Idols Cult, nor... with you.”
Vermillion Bird forced a smile and said, “You make it sound noble, but isn’t this just a ploy to subjugate the Four Idols Cult?”
“Venerable, do you still see me as the same reckless youth who betrayed his master? A man who, just two years ago, was utterly powerless?”
Their eyes met, sparks flashing between them as memories of their first encounter surfaced.
Back then, they could never have imagined that a day like this would come.
It was as though another voice within Vermillion Bird’s soul compelled her to speak. “Indeed. Your strength still isn’t enough to earn my acknowledgement.”
Zhao Changhe raised his sword, pointing it at her. “Then... I challenge you, Venerable Vermillion Bird. If I lose, I’ll obediently become the Four Idols Cult’s Fire Pig of Shi.”
The offered path was too easy to refuse. Vermillion Bird accepted with satisfaction. “Agreed. If you can defeat me, I will willingly serve you from this day forward.”
Lady Three and Xia Chichi leaped to the side, eager to witness the fight.
Zhao Changhe glanced at them and smiled. “Let’s find a more fitting place.”
In perfect sync, the two of them left the Imperial Ancestral Temple, vanishing in an instant.
Lady Three stomped her foot. “Heartless bastard! After all my help with this performance, you don’t even let me watch the fun!”
Xia Chichi smirked. “Were you really just performing?”
Lady Three hesitated.
She had not just been performing.
In her heart, she truly believed Zhao Changhe should be this era’s Night Emperor. Whatever happened in the previous era had nothing to do with her.
Perhaps Vermillion Bird felt the same, but her prideful mask would not let her admit it. Zhao Changhe’s challenge gave her an excuse to yield, but... Would Vermillion Bird intentionally lose, allowing herself to kneel before him?
Lady Three suddenly wondered—perhaps Zhao Changhe did not need Vermillion Bird to throw the fight.
There was a real chance that he could win by his own strength.
And that... would be true conquest.
1. Qin Shi Huang was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of China. Rather than maintain the title of “king” borne by the previous and current rulers of the Chinese states, he assumed the newly-invented title of “emperor,” which would see continuous use by monarchs in China for the next two millennia after him. ☜