Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 1004 – Using an Array to Break an Array

Xuanyuan Po was very weak right now, even feebler than he had been in that period in the capital when he was washing dishes, but he was still alive.

And now, his body was packed with a most majestic true essence and a most terrifying divine Qi.

Both had come from Wuqiong Bi’s finger.

With enough time, he could make that true essence his own, could comprehend the laws of the world represented in the divine Qi.

At that moment, he would become a true expert.

From a certain perspective, the opportunity Xuanyuan Po had obtained was truly rare, even if one looked across the entire history of cultivation.

But he was not jumping for joy. On the contrary, he was rather depressed.

“Two days ago, Senior taught me some very important things, but I wasn’t able to completely learn them and ultimately lost.”

Xuanyuan Po lowered his head. “Aren’t I very useless?”

“There’s no shame in losing to someone like the Demon Lord. Moreover, you succeeding in forcing their under-the-table negotiations to the surface. This is very important.”

Chen Changsheng added, “As for the things Senior taught, you still have a long time to learn them. If there’s something you don’t understand, just ask me.”

Xuanyuan Po was somewhat puzzled. “Ask you?”

“Before Senior left, he passed onto me a fist style, specifying that it was for you.”

Grief-stricken, Xuanyuan Po gazed at the small mound in the courtyard quietly for a long time before saying, “I’ll study hard.”

Chen Changsheng said, “The legacy of both Senior and his wife are now all with you. In the future, when you have the chance, you should go to Ten Thousand Years Pavilion and look around.”

Xuanyuan Po replied, “I will go as quickly as possible.”

Chen Changsheng stood up and raised his right hand.

Xuanyuan Po bent his waist and lowered his head.

Chen Changsheng patted him on the shoulder and then walked out of the courtyard.

He did not return to the Daoist Church of the Western Wastes to rest, but instead went straight to the Imperial City. After a saddening conversation with Luoluo, he entered that large but concealed secret passage.

Upon his exit from the passage, the snowcapped mountain once more assailed his eyes. But since it was still dark, the light of dawn still distant, the lofty peaks obscured half the starry sky, making it seem like the stars really were falling.

As he crossed the lake and came to the black cliff, Jin Yulu came up to him and asked, “What happened?”

Although this place was far from White Emperor City, they had still been able to sense the phenomena from this morning.

Chen Changsheng explained.

It was extremely quiet beneath the black cliff.

Xiaode gazed at Chen Changsheng with a complicated expression.

Two of humanity’s Divine Domain experts had died within White Emperor City. This was certain to have a massive effect on the relationship between the humans and demi-humans.

Xiaode did not know what sort of stance Chen Changsheng would take in the coming turmoil, which made him wary and uneasy.

A hint of fatigue could be seen on Chen Changsheng’s face, but no anger, much less rage. He seemed completely unaffected by this matter.

He asked, “Any progress?”

Jin Yulu shook his head. “Your sword could not cut it apart, so there’s nothing we can do.”

Xiaode suddenly proposed, “I’ve thought of a way to break the array, but I don’t know if it’s possible.”

Chen Changsheng and Jin Yulu looked to him.

As a true expert ranked second on the Proclamation of Liberation and the strongest of the middle generation of demi-humans, Xiaode naturally possessed a broad range of experiences.

Since this was a method that he had thought of, it undoubtedly had an extremely strong basis, so both Chen Changsheng and Jin Yulu were particularly attentive.

“The Starstone is the array pivot and this seal is a complete array. Since it’s an array, it’s hard to suppress with strength, so why not use an array to break it?”

Xiaode had so composed an expression that no could tell that he was a little nervous.

Even now, he still did not know who had written those words on that slip of paper or whether that person had good or evil intentions.

Jin Yulu silently considered this proposition for a while, then shook his head. “Using an array to break an array seems reasonable, but arrays have always specialized in defense, so they lack an edge.”

Chen Changsheng also considered Xiaode’s suggestion. Although he knew a few arrays, they were far inferior to this sealing array that was keeping the White Emperor imprisoned.

At this moment, he suddenly heard a very familiar phrase.

Xiaode asked, “What if it was a sword array?”

Jin Yulu froze at these words. It seemed more possible the more he thought about it. He excitedly shouted, “Right, the South Stream Temple sword array!”

He turned to Chen Changsheng and said, “We will have to trouble Your Holiness with this matter.”

Xiaode also turned to Chen Changsheng.

The entire continent knew of Chen Changsheng’s relationship with Holy Maiden Xu Yourong, and it was probably an easy task for him to invite the disciples of South Stream Temple to this place.

“There’s no need to go to such lengths.”

With a shake of his sleeve, several hundred swords flowed out of Chen Changsheng’s sheath like a river. They rushed through the air and took up their respective positions in the night sky.

Jin Yulu and Xiaode were both astonished by this sight.

They had not borne witness to the end of the Heavenly Selection ceremony or Chen Changsheng’s battle with the Demon Lord, so this was their first time seeing this sight.

These swords were not completely identical to the sword style from the rumors, and they were even more different from the swords that Xiaode had seen in the alley of the Northern Military Department. If they were just looking at this storm of swords, they would have found it very difficult to guess the name of this sword style, but their conversation just now caused a guess to easily come to mind.

Xiaode stiffly asked, “This is… the South Stream Temple sword array?”

Chen Changsheng grunted.

Jin Yulu shook his head, both gratified and sentimental. He was like an old wave on a beach, resting and unwilling to rise.

Xiaode became a little apprehensive. He no longer said a word, like an iron tree that was too shy to bloom.

In the past, he had firmly believed that his cultivation level was higher than Chen Changsheng’s and that they were equally talented. It was the sword styles Chen Changsheng learned from Su Li that made it impossible for Xiaode to defeat him, and also those lucky encounters in the Garden of Zhou. In short, it was not that his fighting prowess was lacking, but that Chen Changsheng’s luck, his fate, was far better than his. But now, the storm of swords in the darkness, the awe-inspiring sword intents, the connections between the sword intents, and the array energy waiting to be activated made it impossible for him to continue saying these words to himself.

In a short few years, Chen Changsheng’s cultivation in the sword had reached such a formidable level. How had he managed to do it?

Was it because the Pope had the support of the entire Orthodoxy, or was it because of a simpler and cruder reason?

Was he just this much of a genius?

……

……

Knowing that this was what one should do did not mean that one knew what one should do.

Just finding a way for the South Stream Temple sword array to break the seal in the black cliff took Chen Changsheng an hour.

Countless intimidating sword intents flew over the surface of the lake, carrying somewhat cold strands of Qi as they hacked at the invisible array energy on the perimeter of the black cliff.

The collision with the sword array caused the seal hidden within the mountain to gradually reveal its true appearance.

Deep within the snowy fog, one could faintly see the projection of the Starstone wall blocking the path forward.

As time passed, the bounds of this sealing array grew more and more distinct. It far exceeded the area around the black cliff, covering a circle with a radius of ten-some li.

Several swords of the sword array even flew into the sky, heading off to even taller mountains. Were those peaks also part of the sealing array?