Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 1166 – I’ll Stop Here

Other than the legendary White Sun Flame, the demon commoners were also focused on the holy carriage and that other small carriage.

Even as the losers, when they thought about how that holy carriage contained the Pope and Holy Maiden of the Human race, they couldn’t help but be curious and excited. Chen Changsheng was very famous in the demon realm, and Xu Yourong was even more famous, as the Demon Lord had once passionately confessed his love for her. But who was in the small carriage? These commoners were perplexed, surprised that there was a human who could rank above the Pope and Holy Maiden. As their speculations began to spread, the commoners finally learned that this was the teacher of the Human race’s Emperor and Pope. He was called Shang Xingzhou, and he was apparently an individual equally as famous as Wang Zhice.

Shang Xingzhou paid no attention to the curious gazes from the streets. His gaze, also brimming with curiosity, was focused on the buildings lining the streets.

He had come to Xuelao City before and read countless documents concerning it, but this was his first time actually entering the city.

To him, this capital of the Demon race was both strange and familiar, packed with an intoxicating and unreal sensation.

Just like these buildings, it was truly both gorgeous and yet unreasonable.

Just what did those steep spires soaring into the clouds symbolize?

Why was it that those windows embedded with glass as blue as the ocean, clearly capable of welcoming the most dazzling of sunlight, seemed so sinister, like they were entrances to the Netherworld?

The most magnificent of the buildings appeared before everyone’s eyes. Even in the dark and starless night, it loomed before them like a high mountain.

This was the Demon Palace.

The front gate to the Demon Palace, ten-some zhang high, had already been broken open. Its edges were fringed by blue flames, most likely related to the material that it was constructed from.

The small carriage stopped outside the Demon Palace. It did not enter, so the entire convoy stopped.

Time slowly passed. The small carriage did not move, and no sound came from within.

Countless gazes stared at the small carriage.

The Tang Old Master walked to the small carriage.

Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong also walked up.

Through the blue carriage curtain, the Tang Old Master asked, “Do you want to go in?”

The curtain was raised, revealing Shang Xingzhou’s face.

He asked, “Is that about it?”

The Tang Old Master turned to Chen Changsheng.

After a short pause, Chen Changsheng nodded.

They had entered the city in the morning, but they had only reached the Demon Palace at this late hour. The most important reason for this was that Chen Changsheng had ordered the convoy to make a circuit of Xuelao City, demanding that it pass through all the famous streets and neighborhoods to see all the famous buildings.

“That’s about it.”

The Tang Old Master said.

“Then I’ll stop looking here.”

Shang Xingzhou gave a satisfied sigh and closed his eyes.

It was utterly silent in front of the Demon Palace. The sounds of battle in the distance and the fireworks in the sky could be clearly heard and seen.

After some time, the Tang Old Master stepped forward and put down the curtain.

Chen Changsheng walked to the carriage and hugged the young Daoist boy.

The boy knew who he was and was not afraid. He tightly hugged back.

Chen Changsheng noticed that the boy’s sleeves were tied very tightly and there were a few bloodstains on his face. He knew that these were left over from all the soldiers he had treated in these last few days.

“You have an uncle whose sleeves are cut very short. It’s very convenient that way, and in the future, I’ll cut them for you.”

The boy nodded. “Okay.”

Xu Yourong stepped forward and took the boy from Chen Changsheng’s embrace.

The young Daoist boy had never met Xu Yourong, but he was still very obedient.

Chen Changsheng walked into the Demon Palace.

Xu Yourong hugged the young Daoist boy and followed behind him.

The boy looked back at the carriage and finally could no longer hold back his tears. “Is Ancestor dead?”

Chen Changsheng did not speak, did not turn his head.

The Tang Old Master went after them, his two hands held behind him.

Wang Po came, intending to drag the carriage into the Demon Palace.

“Let me do it.”

Xiao Zhang took on this task.

Everyone knew that Chen Changsheng was the most suitable candidate for this task, but everyone also knew why he was not willing to stop.

……

……

The sounds of fighting within the Demon Palace gradually stopped. A few fires started amongst the halls, but they were quickly extinguished. Even though this was an occupation, everything was done neatly and methodically.

Just like Chen Changsheng’s footsteps, it was carried out with a steady and clear tempo, not fast and not slow.

But he was not able to clearly make out the appearance of those palaces.

These palaces were constructed from extremely rare black-veined stone, and all of them gave off an imposing vastness. Moreover, different palaces had different styles, different colors. The painting techniques of Xuelao City used upon these buildings truly had an astonishing effect, imbuing the halls with a garish beauty.

But in his eyes, these were all blurry patches of color.

A field of sunflowers had been planted deep within the Demon Palace. So vast was the area it occupied that it looked like a sea of yellow. Even on this cold autumn night, it still gave off a feeling of incredible warmth.

A party of people walked through the sunflower sea, and as they ventured deep, they felt their surroundings turn colder, and some sort of evil and sinister energy, like darkness itself, seemed to be strengthening.

The Daoist Canon had records that said that this energy was the Qi of the abyss, one of the sources of the Demon race’s strength.

The Demon Hall was built right on the edge of the abyss. It seemed like it wasn’t far now.

The yellow sunflowers parted like a tide as a pitch-black palace of massive size appeared before them.

The party entered the Demon Hall through a flight of stone steps that extended for several li.

Chen Changsheng’s gaze was no longer blurry, though his eyes were still a little red.

The Demon Hall encompassed a massive space, but there was not a single stone pillar supporting it. It was made completely of massive black stone, and paintings were placed at set intervals. They depicted people, landscapes, flowers, and even simple intersecting lines that seemed to conceal all sorts of wisdom.

The party had not encountered a single demon on their journey from the main gate to the Demon Hall. There were no demons in the Demon Hall either, and the place was abnormally cold and cheerless.

A dark green light suddenly appeared and stabbed toward Chen Changsheng’s brow.

Even from a distance, the crowd could sense the toxin on this light.

Chen Changsheng was very familiar with this green light. It was Nanke’s Peacock Plume.

Xu Yourong said something to the young Daoist boy in her bosom, but she did not raise her head.

A dagger flew through the air, accurately stabbing through the green light.

Just when Chen Changsheng was prepared to receive Nanke’s next bizarre attack, the green light suddenly vanished.

Several collisions rang out in the upper reaches of the Demon Hall, and then snowflakes began to drift down.

Two figures crashed to the ground in a massive boom. Even this firm black stone sustained several cracks.

The scattering dust revealed a black-clothed girl holding down Nanke.

“How did you get so weak?”

The black-clothed girl asked Nanke in confusion.

Chen Changsheng gazed at Nanke’s pale face in surprise. He could only imagine what she had endured upon her return to Xuelao City.

“I truly regret that I didn’t kill you in the Garden of Zhou the moment I saw you.”

Nanke ignored the black-clothed girl. She stared at Chen Changsheng’s face with an expression of infinite loathing.

Chen Changsheng was quiet for a while, but he chose to say nothing and proceeded deeper into the Demon Hall.

Nanke gazed at his back and shouted in despair, “Will you only be happy once we’re all dead?”

“No, I only need you to surrender.”

Chen Changsheng turned and silently contemplated the small carriage for a while, then repeated, “Surrender.”