Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

The sunlight shone over the main peak of Mount Li, passing through those sword glows that were like rainbows and resting on Qiushan Jun's body. It illuminated his pale face, his calm eyes, and his body dyed red by his blood. It was both beautiful and bloody, shaking people to the core.

In the end, no one could find a word to say and a deathly stillness continued to hang over the peak.

At this time, the only people with the qualifications to speak were this father and son from the Qiushan clan.

"Father, go home. We've already resolved this Mount Li matter."

Qiushan Jun said to his father as he looked at him. His voice was very steady without the slightest trembling, but everyone could hear the pain within. In order to save the human cultivators in the Garden of Zhou, he had fallen into a coma spanning several weeks before waking, but his injuries were far from recovering. Now that he had stabbed his own sword through his abdomen, he had become incapable of enduring. If it were not for Bai Cai holding him up, he probably would have collapsed already.

The Qiushan clan head's gaze moved from the sword in his son's abdomen to his face, the sense of disappointment in his eyes growing ever stronger, so strong that it turned to indifference, becoming the ultimate apathy. He looked at Qiushan Jun and said, "Just how much did the Qiushan clan pay so that you could have this reputation? In the end, you would actually use your life to threaten your clan, even if it would cause your clan to pay a terribly bitter price?"

Qiushan Jun said nothing.

The Qiushan clan head's body slightly swayed.

Ultimately, his apathy was only an act. How could he not be angry?

"How could my Qiushan clan produce such a thing, unfilial son!"

With these words, he turned around and began to walk away. He no longer looked at his son nor spoke to him. At the same time, he shouted two words.

"Do it!"

These two words made the entire peak abruptly become tense.

Everyone knew that these two words were meant for that Qiushan clan Guardian. Qiushan Jun was already so severely wounded that he was on the point of death—was the Qiushan clan head still not willing to give up?

The expressions of the two Discipline Hall elders flickered as if they wanted to say something. However, they chose not to speak in the end. On the other hand, the expressions of Xiao Songgong and that Elder Jiang from the Longevity Sect seemed to be very relieved. Although Qiushan Jun's choice had surpassed their expectations, as long as the Qiushan clan stood firmly at their side, this situation before their eyes would at the least remain under their control. That Qiushan clan Guardian with unfathomable cultivation had previously already brought this strength to its peak in order to prevent Qiushan Jun from raising his sword. Now when he heard the Qiushan clan head's order, he had no need to further adjust his breathing.

Just as the Qiushan clan head's two words had begun to resound in the ears of everyone present, the Qiushan clan Guardian had already acted!

He attacked with the Qiushan Stamp!

In the south, there was a Mount Autumn (Qiushan). It sat in the middle of a great plain, looking just like a giant stamp. The Qiushan Stamp was a type of palm technique, able to produce a profusion of falling petals and simultaneously attack several dozen enemies. And when this palm technique was trained to some extreme level, it would be like a mountain descending from the sky, continuously ramming against the plain with a vast and enormous might. (TN: A reminder that Qiushan translates to ‘Mount Autumn’)

This Qiushan clan Guardian was precisely the only expert in the past century that was able to cultivate the Qiushan Stamp to this extreme.

As the wind whistled through the mountains, the Qiushan Stamp broke through the clouds and descended towards the dwelling at the top of Mount Li.

Boom!

The Qiushan clan Guardian's palm heavily struck…the backs of the two Discipline Hall elders!

Those two Discipline Hall elders weren't on guard at all. They only felt a massive mountain striking them in the back and then vomited blood, soaking their snow-white beards and clothes!

At this time, the Qiushan clan head was just turning around, very casually waving his right sleeve as if he was waving away the depression in his heart and the anger brought about by Qiushan Jun's unfilial actions. No one perceived that the palm in the sleeve was stretching forward!

There was a light clap.

The Qiushan clan head's sleeve rose up and his palm noiselessly extended to lightly rest on Xiao Songgong's left shoulder.

Xiao Songgong gave a wrathful and shocked howl, bringing up his sword in an attempt to block, but just how could he be in time to block? That powerful and extremely pure true essence directly shocked his shoulder to pieces and then rushed in like a deluge into his sea of consciousness.

The moment before he fell unconscious, he finally realized that the Qiushan clan head had actually attacked him!

This man who was rumored to be extremely average and who had been completely overshadowed by Qiushan Jun actually possessed such terrifying strength!

The mountain winds were torn to shreds by frenzied Qi and incessantly shrieked. The two Discipline Hall elders sat cross-legged on the ground, continuing to throw up blood. Only by relying on their profoundly deep powers did they barely avoid death. Xiao Songgong was in an even more miserable situation. His shoulder was a mass of mangled flesh and he had collapsed into the chest of a disciple. Whether he was dead or alive was unknown.

The sound of wind gradually died down and the scene once again became deathly silent.

No one could comprehend just what exactly had happened.

No one could understand why the Qiushan clan head and that Guardian would suddenly attack those three elders.

The situation had changed too quickly, so fast that everyone had been caught unprepared and were all stupefied.

The Qiushan clan head extracted a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped off Xiao Songgong's blood that had stained his hand. His expression was very serene.

Elder Jiang from the Longevity Sect stared at him and said with his voice trembling, "You…you've gone mad?"

The Qiushan clan head looked back at him and said, "Elder, why don't you follow me down the mountain?"

Elder Jiang still had not the slightest idea what was going on. Angry and confused, when he heard these words, he was prepared to continue his questions, but then he suddenly sobered up. No matter what the Qiushan clan head planned to do, those three elders had already fallen to his sneak attack. If he wanted to do anything, then perhaps he would be the next target of those attacks.

Just like many experts of the south, Elder Jiang had once had a very ordinary impression of the Qiushan clan head and had even privately mocked him. He had often thought to himself, if it weren't for Qiushan Jun, who would care about this sort of incompetent person? But now he understood that this person wasn't incompetent at all.

Although he still didn't understand why the Qiushan clan head would so suddenly revolt, he could at least see as plain as day just how powerful the Qiushan clan head was—it must be known that even if it was a sneak attack, to so easily dispose of Elder Xiao Songgong in such an understated fashion required a level of strength few people on the continent possessed.

Let alone the fact that the Qiushan clan head still had that similarly unfathomable Guardian at his side.

Elder Jiang understood these things and so began walking down the mountain path without any objection. In the span of a few breaths, he had already disappeared down the winding mountain path of Mount Li, walking without the slightest hesitation.

At the moment, the mountain peak was in chaos. Those disciples that had followed the three elders up to intrude upon the main peak were furious because their teachers had been heavily injured by these sneak attacks, and there were even more who felt frustrated and helpless.

"We should also leave," the Qiushan clan head calmly declared, ignoring those angry and aggrieved stares from the Mount Li disciples.

The Qiushan clan Guardian walked to his side, took the bloodstained handkerchief and stuffed it in his sleeve, then they began to walk down the mountain path together.

In all this, the Qiushan clan head never turned around to glance at Qiushan Jun, not even when he left.

With a gust of cool breeze, his figure could no longer be seen.

On the stone plaza at the top of the main peak remained only some bloodstains.

Qiushan Jun gazed at the mountain path in silence.

With regards to the Qiushan clan, there were some matters that, from the time when he was very young until now, he still did not understand.

That old Guardian was, in reality, his third granduncle. The rich and powerful aristocratic families had always respected strength. He had never understood why his third granduncle who had cultivated to the peak of Star Condensation had not become the next Qiushan clan head. On the contrary, it was his father, who was incredibly mediocre in every aspect, that became the next Qiushan clan head. He had originally thought it was something to do with his true dragon blood, but in that previous moment, when he saw his father attack and when he saw his third granduncle respectfully and silently take that bloodstained handkerchief, he finally truly understood. However, he still did not understand why his father had chosen this course of action at the end.

An extremely luxurious carriage sped away from the base of Mount Li.

The horse pulling the carriage had dragon blood matched within the carriage with dragon snake wine. The interior was carpeted with fur mats woven from demon rabbits.

The people sitting in the carriage were naturally the Qiushan clan head and that Guardian.

"Now that I look at it, this plan to seize the Mount Li Sword Sect was somewhat too hasty. The damages suffered today are rather large."

The Qiushan clan head said as he looked out the window at Mount Li, faintly discernible in the mists. He acted like he had not been the person that had sneak attacked Xiao Songgong at the mountain peak, nor the one that had caused this entire matter to come to nothing.

The Guardian smiled and said, "I don't know what that Elder Jiang will say when he returns to the Longevity Sect."

The Qiushan clan head revealed a derisive smile. "After Sir Su went on that killing spree ten-odd years ago, the Longevity Sect became crippled. No matter what he says, would the Longevity Sect actually dare to declare war against my Qiushan?"

The Guardian's expression grew somewhat more solemn. "But the Empress…what do we tell that side?"

The Qiushan clan head perked up his eyebrows. "The Empress is kind and merciful. She would never force me to kill my own son…yes, that's my son. I certainly can't be as ferocious as the Empress."

He wasn't willing to think about this matter and sighed emotionally, "After this matter of the Garden of Zhou, my son has once again progressed. He could actually think of such a desperate method."

To use one's own life to threaten one's father, regardless of how one looked at it, was very desperate.

Just like how the Qiushan clan head had at the very beginning been prepared to use the words 'Father and Son' to suppress Qiushan Jun, it was all very desperate.

However, the son had been even more desperate than the father.

"He was even more heartless than me, so I could not force him to help me. So naturally, it's only right that I help him."

"But it's unknown when Qiushan will understand this point."

"He doesn't need to understand. It's fine to just do it, just like how his willingness to go to such extremes is a necessary temperament for someone who can succeed at accomplishing great things. Although, this has inevitably revealed to me a fact that makes me rather unhappy."

"What fact?"

"My love for him is greater than his love for me."

After saying these words, the Qiushan clan head went quiet for a few moments. Then he smiled and shook his head. "….but between a father and son, hasn't it always been this way?"