Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 317 – Facing It Together

The obsidian coffin was colossal, similar to a small mountain. Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong stood within the coffin, as though they were standing within a mountain. They were unsure of how much time had passed.

Xu Yourong followed the normal order, and viewed the images one by one. Her footsteps moved slowly, from left to right. Chen Changsheng’s order was the opposite of hers, and slowly moved from right to left. Memorizing was much easier than comprehending and grasping it, but to memorize such profound and indescribable sword moves was not an easy task.

After an unknown period of time, Chen Changsheng’s left arm touched her shoulder. Only then did the two return to her senses and realize that they had already met again.

If it was Tang Thirty-Six, he would probably frivolously and cockily comment, “What a coincidence, actually meeting you here.”

However, Chen Changsheng did not speak in this manner, and Xu Yourong also did not speak. The two of them glanced at each other and smiled, before continuing to look at the final two images.

This was Chen Changsheng’s sixty-ninth image. This meant that he had already memorized sixty-nine images. Due to her injuries, Xu Yourong was rather weak, and saw fewer images than him. Altogether, she had memorized thirty-seven blade moves.

After another period of time, the pair had finally memorized the final two images, and once again woke up at almost the same time. They once again looked at each other and smiled.

However, in the next moment, their smiles vanished and were replaced with shock and bewilderment.

The images and words on the obsidian coffin were currently… disappearing!

Obsidian was the hardest type of rock in the world, and these lines of images and texts should have been carved onto it by Zhou Dufu with his legendary divine blade. It was deeply carved into the rock to some degree, and even after undergoing the rubbings of hundreds of years, it did not grow faint, much less eroded. However, at this moment, the edge of these lines seemed to grow softer by a lot. With a soft brushing of the gloomy breeze in the mausoleum, the obsidian at the edge of these lines was blown into grains of sand and fell onto the ground with a rustle.

At that moment, Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong were not able to react at all. All of the words and images of the obsidian coffin wall were completely erased, turning into one hundred and nine depressions which varied slightly in depth.

What was this about? This magical scene caused both of them to be shocked speechless. Did this mean that the Halving Blade Technique would disappear by itself after it was memorized? Just how did Zhou Dufu do such a magical thing?

The Halving Blade Technique had already transformed into the black sand at the bottom of the coffin and had completely vanished. The interior of the obsidian coffin had become completely empty, so they naturally did not stay any longer.

Chen Changsheng carried her out of the obsidian coffin, and returned to the stone floor of the mausoleum. They were still unable to calm down as they thought about the previous events.

“Luckily it was memorized.” Xu Yourong said, “After we leave, we can record these moves, and it will be complete.”

Due to living in the old temple in Xining Village since childhood, Chen Changsheng, a fifteen-year-old teenager, naturally could not avoid being slow-witted on matters between males and females. However, for some reason, at this moment, he understood what she said correctly. The earth-shattering Halving Blade Technique had now belonged to the two of them, and it was not separately belonging to each of them. Just like the blade technique, the entirety of it belonged to both of them.

If they did not have enough trust and did not treat each other with sincerity, there was no point to this blade technique.

“Yes, we can practice together,” Chen Changsheng said.

“If we can’t leave the Garden of Zhou, what should we do?” asked Xu Yourong as gazed at his clear eyes, seemingly slightly sad. “Perhaps this blade technique will leave the world with us?”

Chen Changsheng replied, “Don’t feel pressured. If Zhou Dufu really is still alive, the Halving Blade Technique naturally won’t be lost in inheritance.”

Xu Yourong stayed silent for a moment and then said, “I have a different theory. If Zhou Dufu did not die, why would he leave these sword moves in his own mausoleum?”

Chen Changsheng pondered , then guessed, “Perhaps he wanted to go do something that he did not have certainty in and left these sword moves behind. He also does not want to let his most impressive creation in his life to fade into oblivion.

Xu Yourong gazed into his eyes and said, “Anyway, you must do your best to live.”

Chen Changsheng gazed back into her eyes, and thought that if it was fate, then the requirements fate had provided should have been extremely clear. Whether if it was for the Halving Blade Technique, or to remember these lovely memories, only when the pair had lived and met again would there be any meaning.

“May the sacred light be with you.” Xu Yourong sincerely wished him well.

Chen Changsheng leaned forward, and awkwardly hugged her. He replied, “Be with us.”

The ground began to tremble once again. This time, it was not the opening of the obsidian coffin, nor did it originate from his dagger. Instead, it was because the monster tide had finally arrived. Chen Changsheng remembered what Xu Yourong had said not too long ago, she did not want to die in another person’s tomb, so he naturally supported her and walked towards the exterior of the mausoleum. When he passed the long passageway, he did not forget to collect all the luminous pearls embedded in the walls.

Xu Yourong felt intrigued as she watched this scene, and also felt even more admiration; to be so calm before life and death was not something that anyone could do. It was also very obvious that he really did not fear death. Such a mental state was close to those of sages.

Chen Changsheng actually did not think too much about matters of life or death, and instead, thought more about the sleeping black dragon in the lake water outside his Ethereal Palace. At this moment, he did not know, and was also worried over that if he died in the Garden of Zhou, what would happen to the Black Dragon? Would it follow him into a long slumber, or would it continue to live even though it was unable to wake? After all, at present, it was only a spiritual soul.

They left the mausoleum and arrived at the great platform at the end of the divine path. Previously, they were able to gaze at the grassland beneath them, Chen Changsheng looked at the wutong tree which owned the countless jade-green leaves that swayed in the incoming breeze. He said to Xu Yourong, “No matter how great your magical artifact is, it is still unable to constantly protect us. Why don’t you put it away?”

Xu Yourong said, “It can help us buy some time.” Unlike those cultivators who viewed magical artifacts and the level of cultivation as more important than their lives, she had always believed that these were mere worldly possessions. If it could be used to earn some valuable time or opportunities, not to mention heavy damage, even directly being destroyed would be nothing to feel pity about.

Chen Changsheng replied, “Right now, what we need the least is time.”

Before they memorized the Halving Blade Technique, time was imperative, but afterward, it had no significance to them at all. Although Xu Yourong had been plucked out of the abyss of death by his blood, she was still severely injured and weak, and the longer she took, the more dangerous it was. Most importantly, the flow of time in the Plains of Unsetting Sun was different from the real world. The closer to the Mausoleum of Zhou, the slower time flowed. Even if they could last for a few extra days by relying on the wutong tree, perhaps it was only a split second in the real world outside the Garden of Zhou, so what opportunities were there?

“Reasonable.” Xu Yourong extended her hand and transformed the wutong back into a longbow and carried it on her shoulder.

The green leaves suddenly disappeared, and the surroundings of the stone platform became empty. Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong began to face the powerful opponents and unknown end head-on. Although what came directly at them head-on was not a rain of blood, it was still a foul wind.

The dusky world was full of countless monsters. In the grasslands and before the mausoleum, as far as the eye could see, it formed a dense mass; numerous and crowded.