Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Looking back over a thousand years ago, centuries before Zhou had disappeared, countless experts were defeated at his hands in those hundreds of years. Countless renowned swords were broken under his blade and were buried in this grassland in the Garden of Zhou. This grassland was the Sword Pool, or perhaps more-so the Sword Sea. The proudest and strongest blade within made preparations for a long time and subsequently began to attempt to leave this grassland to see the light again. It broke the restriction at the edge of the grassland and quickly entered the small lake nearby until it reached the world through the mountain range. It was like a fish swimming in a great lake and returned to the cold lake where the stream started by going through the bottom of it. It borrowed the complicated structure of the Garden of Zhou to avoid the rules within it and finally succeeded.

Unfortunately, the sword was unable to reach complete success. When it left the grassland, in order to resist against the restrictions that had been set down by Zhou Dufu, the sword intent remained in the grassland and fought against the Qi that exuded from the stone pillars. Only the body of the sword had arrived in the forest by the lake, which was then slowly covered up by fallen leaves.

The sword and the intent were separated.

One day, a Mount Li disciple called Su Li came to the Garden of Zhou. He walked into the quiet forest, and stepped past the rotting leaves. He lifted up the sword body that had already begun to rust and was no longer as it was before, and then he took it out of the Garden of Zhou. The sword intent was still trapped inside the grassland, waiting silently and alone. After another several centuries, a student of the Orthodox Academy called Chen Changsheng came to the Garden of Zhou. He carried a Yellow Paper Umbrella in hand, and the sword and intent finally met again. Only because of that did the ten thousand swords soaring in the sky exist.

The histories full of unyielding resistance belonged to the sword and the ten thousand swords. Chen Changsheng was unable to understand the recollection, so he naturally was unable to understand these details. However, he held the Yellow Paper Umbrella and stood between the ten thousand broken swords and gained an even deeper understanding to the emotions given off by their sword intents.

The swords wanted to leave the Garden of Zhou. Other than that, they had no other requests.

Then, they should leave together.

Just as he had said to the sword intent before, and as he had said to Xu Yourong, at this moment, he made a promise to the countless swords surrounding the mausoleum.

It was dusk around the mausoleum. The red, warm light turned slightly cold, and there was the smell of dirt and rust everywhere. Ten thousand old swords in horrible conditions burst out with the hatred and power they had saved up for centuries as soon as they appeared, and at least a third of all the monster were killed. The black monster tide was thus temporarily suppressed.

However, the monster tide only grew silent temporarily. It was impossible for the ten thousand swords in horrible conditions to continue to release such a powerful sword intent. With the flow of time, the monster tide began to rush forth once again, giving angry howls at the swords in the sky. It was not known whether it was because of the blood on the grassland, but the howls seemed even more terrifying and bloody.

The Sword Pool finally appeared. Ten thousand swords floated high in the sky.

Looking at the scene, no matter if it was the zither-playing old man or the maids, they all paled and almost fell into despair. The powerful demon general couple also displayed an abnormally serious expression, and even some ominous signs could be seen in their eyes. Nanke’s small face instead did not reveal any fear, and she only stayed silent for a while.

Through the countless swords, she looked at Chen Changsheng who stood before the main entrance of the mausoleum. Her voice was as cold and as hard as thousand-year-old ice, “Do you think you can change the ending of the story like this?”

Before, when the Mountain Sea Sword arrived through the air, she said something similar to Chen Changsheng. At that time, Chen Changsheng did not reply and only pointed at her from afar with the heavy metal sword. Concurrently, he also did not reply. With his gaze, the hundreds of sword directly in front of the mausoleum slowly turned to point at her.

Actions were always more powerful than words. They could be used to persuade people, and they could also be used to kill people.

Looking at this scene, the corner of Nanke’s lips curled slightly. Looking at the swords, she said in disdain, “A bunch of defeated swords—how can you try to act brave?”

These swords were swords that once had great reputations in the continent, and their owners were true experts. However, in the end, they still suffered defeat under the Halving Blade and were inevitably buried by Zhou Dufu in this grassland. They suffered under the wind, rain and the endless sun for hundreds of years. They were either broken or in a horrible condition, covered in intermittent stains of rust.

Nanke believed that she was the successor of the Garden of Zhou. How could she let these swords leave?

She raised the black Soul Wood in her hand and gazed at the swords in the surrounding sky of the mausoleum expressionlessly.

The black piece of Soul Wood suddenly began to glow brightly again in response to her action, except it was even more concentrated than before, reminiscent of a luminous pearl that began to shine thousands of times brighter. At the same time, her indifferent voice resounded once again, “Defeat is defeat. Centuries ago, you suffered defeat, and centuries later, you will still suffer defeat.”

When her voice faded away, her feet left the divine path, and she slowly floated up into the sky.

The horrible rain fell. Her dress floated slightly, and her black hair danced in the air. The feeling of immaturity in her eyes slowly disappeared, and only a coldness that was rich in demonic malice remained. A powerful Qi dispersed into the surroundings from her small body. Dozens of black streams of air fluttered around her akin to ribbons.

Chen Changsheng had never underestimated this powerful, and even terrifying, Demon Princess. Not to mention the fact that she was the only disciple of Black Robe, it was obvious that she had some relationship with the Garden of Zhou, so who knew what other techniques she still had up her sleeve? Hearing her disdainful and confident words, he knew that he could not allow the situation to continue. With the slight control of his spiritual sense, a sword flew through the wind.

The heavy Mountain Sea Sword chopped towards Nanke, who was above the divine path, with a huge gust of wind.

The Teng Xiaoming and Liu Wan’er couple were already long prepared. Leaping up explosively, they forcefully blocked the sword with their powerful level of cultivation.

The Mountain Sea Sword was very wide and big. Behind it hid a graceful sword.

Between life and death, Chen Changsheng had also learnt such cold, crafty methods. The graceful Yue Maiden Sword borrowed the gust of wind created by the Mountain Sea Sword to hide in and soundlessly broke through the obstructions of the Demon General couple. It arrived in front of Nanke, and with a soft swish, it was thrust towards her forehead.

At this moment, Nanke had already closed her eyes. Her forehead that seemed a little wide was snow white. She did not have any emotions and also did not see the arrival of the graceful sword.

The broken zither string made no sound and floated gently. The zither-playing old man, who seemed already be at the brink of death, yelled loudly, pushing off the floating zither string with his feet. He took a few strides in the air and arrived before Nanke. He used his own body to block the graceful sword. With a squelch, the graceful sword pierced through the throat of the zither-playing old man, fresh blood squirting out.

In the gust of wind, the metal sword that was heavy like a mountain suppressed the Demon General couple. The dead body of the old man fell towards the ground. Although he blocked the Yue Maiden Sword for a moment, Nanke still had not returned to her senses. How could Chen Changsheng lose such an opportunity? He extended his hand and grabbed the broken Demon Commander’s Banner Sword. From a distance hundreds of zhang away, he chopped at Nanke.

Above the divine path, which the rain fell on, there was a sudden flapping wind susurrus, as if an invisible flag was floating in the wind.

The army banner flapped, and the sword intent burst forth. The Demon Commander’s Banner Sword, which already had the front portion broken, produced a bitter, cold sword ray.

Chen Changsheng did not know the banner sword style, but he wanted to try and see whether he could use the sword style of demons to break the defence of the demon princess. Unfortunately, he was unable to see the result of the strike, because he suddenly felt a sign of danger in the sea of consciousness. It made him forcefully pull back the Demon Commander’s Banner Sword, holding it horizontally before his eyes.

Clang~!

The Demon Commander’s Banner Sword that only had half of it remaining trembled violently in the air by the edge of the stone platform, producing a rather unwilling resonance.

Chen Changsheng felt a wave of great pain in his wrist. If it was not for his astonishing willpower, perhaps the Demon Commander’s Banner Sword would have already left his hand.

Where did the arrow come from?

In the surroundings of the main entrance of the mausoleum in front of him, he did not see any arrows and only saw a fine strand of hair that floated gently above the divine path.

Was the thing the Demon Commander’s Banner Sword had blocked not an arrow but rather a fine hair?

He gazed at the grassland below the mausoleum.

He only saw that in the centre of the black ocean formed by the monster tide, a monster with the semblance of a mountain slowly appeared.