Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 421 The Holy Maiden of the South

The white-clothed woman’s smile was very light, like the clouds. It was very clear, like water.

But it contained a myriad of emotions.

There was nostalgia, there was teasing, and most deeply hidden, yet unable to be hidden at all, was a smear of disappointment and frustration.

One would be expected to be joyful at the arrival of a friend from afar, let alone the fact that this friend came at the moment of greatest peril and helped take care of one’s most dangerous enemy. Yet Su Li’s expression seemed rather distressed.

It might possibly have to do with that question the white-clothed woman had asked with a chuckle in her voice.

The clouds once again covered up the moonlight and starlight in the sky. The streets once more grew dim and the rain once more began to fall.

In the drizzling rain, he and the white-clothed woman looked at each other without speaking. Everything was quiet.

But in fact, at this very moment, the battle was still continuing.

The clouds were constantly twisting and roiling, as if countless thunderbolts lay within. That holy and dignified Qi wound around the moonlight like rosy clouds chasing the moon. It continuously pressed down and chased it, at the same time also pressuring those distant stars.

The shapeless thunder finally exploded through the clouds, sending countless dazzling bolts of lightning to the ground. Above Xunyang City, the thunder incessantly boomed and rumbled, shaking the world. Who knew how many normal people hiding under their beds were thrown into a panic? Who knew how many children ignorant to the world began to bawl out of fear?

The clouds were torn apart even more violently, almost as if the sky itself was about to be torn open. Those cultivators on the distant streets who had slightly weaker cultivations were shocked into unconsciousness by the sound of the thunder.

This was a battle of experts in the Divine Domain.

This was a collision of two forces at the world’s most supreme level of strength.

The white-clothed woman had her back to the sky, not devoting an iota of attention to that battle occurring in the clouds which exceeded the limits of a normal person’s imagination. She only calmly looked at Su Li.

The world was filled with thunder and lightning, and massive booms rang out without end.

The two still gazed at each other, not making a sound.

Eventually, the thunder and lightning finally ceased and a true peace settled over Xunyang City. The clouds gradually calmed, leaving behind only countless patterns akin to fish scales. Those were the remnants of those powerful collisions. On the street behind the white-clothed woman appeared countless cracks, like a field that had been plowed innumerable times. Countless trails of steam rose up from those cracks.

Just how deep did these cracks go? Could it be that they reached down to the lava underground?

Victory and defeat had already been assigned.

In fact, the moment this white-clothed woman arrived at Xunyang City, the victor and loser of this battle were already decided.

The crowd stared at this white-clothed woman in absolute shock. Besides shock, Chen Changsheng’s mind was also filled with perplexity. He kept feeling that the white ceremonial garb this woman wore was rather familiar. Even her Qi seemed somewhat familiar, as if he had encountered it before. Just who was this white-clothed woman? She had actually been able to emerge victorious over the combined might of Zhu Luo and Guan Xingke, two of the Eight Storms. Even if Zhu Luo had been heavily wounded beforehand, the strength displayed by this white-clothed woman was still too frightening.

A man wearing a bamboo hat appeared at the gate of Xunyang City and helped Zhu Luo out of the ruins. Blood was flowing from this man’s body, and it seemed like this blood was speckled with countless glistening fragments of starlight. That blood and those glistening stars gave off an especially terrifying feeling, as if only a single drop of this blood was enough to annihilate an entire city.

However, his bamboo hat had three enormous tears in it. It looked just like a palm fan that had been used for seventy years, so old that it couldn’t bear the strain, that was then torn to shreds by a servant girl in a fit of anger. It had an abnormally miserable appearance.

This powerful man was naturally Guan Xingke. As for that white-clothed woman who could beat him into such a miserable state, who else could it be? He gazed at that street ten-odd li away, his face pale, stunned and furious.

Through the rain, Su Li aimed a smile at the city gate and said, “As I said, I do have a friend, it’s just that she has relatively more matters to take care of and lives rather far away. To rush over requires some time.”

These words caused an abnormal silence to fall over both the city gate and the streets. Everyone was very quiet.

At this time, Hua Jiefu had already brought all the priests in Xunyang City to kneel down in the rain and offer their obeisance. Besides Chen Changsheng who was lacking in knowledge of the cultivation world, everyone had guessed at this white-clothed woman’s identity.

Hearing Su Li’s words, they could only keep their silence and even silently cursed.

Holy Maiden Peak was far in the distant south. Its distance from Tianliang County in the north was naturally very long.

For a powerful figure like this white-clothed woman, it was only natural that she had countless affairs that needed her attention.

In the ruins of the gate, Zhu Luo was finding it difficult to restrain his anger and shock. Wiping the blood from the corner of his lip, he said, “Just what is going on here?”

Su Li proudly declared, “I’ve also lived for several centuries. An outstanding existence like me will always get to know one or two friends. Do you think I’m Tianhai? That I enjoy living an isolated life?”

Such a proud appearance was rather repulsive in the eyes of many. But he was Su Li, so those people could only bear with it. However, Chen Changsheng had the feeling that there was something wrong with Su Li’s emotions.

At this moment, the white-clothed woman sighed at Su Li, “So, it really was friends, huh.”

Su Li’s smile gradually faded, and he seemed rather embarrassed. This was the first time Chen Changsheng had seen the emotion of embarrassment on Su Li’s face. Su Li was one of this world’s peak human existences, and he was cold-blooded and emotionless, proud and unyielding. He held almost all the world’s people in contempt, so just how could he get embarrassed? Previously when he ignored the white-clothed woman’s question and decided to talk to Zhu Luo and Guan Xingke instead, this was already embarrassment, it was weakness. The white-clothed woman didn’t even give him the chance to change the subject.

Su Li seemed quite helpless and said, “Junior Sister, don’t be this way.”

Chen Changsheng was incredibly astonished. In a very idiotic fashion, he thought, could this white-clothed woman be some expert Mount Li hid from the world?

“You would actually collude with this madman whose hands are drenched in blood? How can you be qualified to be the Holy Maiden!”

Zhu Luo’s furious voice echoed throughout Xunyang City.

Xunyang City was deathly still.

No one answered Zhu Luo’s question. No one dared to answer this question. No one had the qualifications to answer this question.

Chen Changsheng was dumbstruck, thinking that it was far too inconceivable. The white-clothed woman was…a supreme existence of the human world, one of the Five Saints? The Holy Maiden that was praised alongside the Tianhai Divine Empress?

Only now did he understand, in the south, the Holy Maiden Peak and the Longevity Sect were always regarded as being connected by a common root. The Mount Li Sword Sect and the South Stream Temple had an especially good relationship, often treating each other as fellow disciples.

For instance, Gou Hanshi addressed Xu Yourong as Junior Sister. Then Su Li could obviously address the present Holy Maiden as Junior Sister. But…like Zhu Luo had angrily exclaimed, just what was going on here?

“Why are they the Five Saints while you lot can only be the Storms of the Eight Directions?” Su Li looked at Zhu Luo and Guan Xingke and said mockingly, “Because you can never match up to those wily old foxes. Without first feeling out the cards in my hand, besides idiots like you, who would dare to so easily move against me?”

The Holy Maiden of the south glanced at him.

Su Li paused, then said, “My meaning is that your wisdom is not enough.”

The Holy Maiden paid him no more attention. Turning to Zhu Luo and Guan Xingke, she calmly stated, “Whether or not I have the qualification to be Holy Maiden is not something you two are worthy of deciding. As for Senior Brother, you always say that his two hands are drenched in the blood of the innocent, but if you ask yourself honestly, how can the number of people he has killed come close to those that you have killed? How can it come close to the number of people the Saints have killed?”

Guan Xingke bowed his head, obscuring his complexion under his dilapidated bamboo hat.

Zhu Luo flew into a fury at these words, shouting, “The Holy Maiden’s words are too preposterous!”

The Holy Maiden serenely replied, “The various clans hold between them vast fields of fertile land and are served by countless servants. In times of famine, they have never decreased the rent. Just how many tenant farmers did they hound to death? The Saints are even worse. With a single, casual decree, just how many people will die guiltless? For my Senior Brother to not take up a position among the Eight Storms and to not become a Saint, this is true mercy. How can he be cold-blooded?”

The entire city was calm, every person wearing a thoughtful expression.

Su Li waved his hands and said, “Too much, it’s a bit too much.”