Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 412 Father and Son (I)

As they saw the sword glows soar up to the sky from the peaks of Mount Li, Xiao Songgong’s expression underwent a massive transformation while the two Discipline Hall elders turned grim. That Elder Jiang from the Longevity Sect had an even nastier face. Only the Qiushan clan head fixed his eyes on Qiushan Jun, saying nothing.

Qiushan Jun seemed to pretend he had not seen his father. He said to Xiao Songgong and the others, “Still not offering yourself in surrender? Could it be that you’re all prepared to bear the punishment of myriad swords through the heart?”

Then he turned to those Mount Li disciples that had followed Xiao Songgong in intruding upon the main peak and sternly said, “As for you all, to let bygones be bygones…this is absolutely not a possibility, but seeing that today only blood has been shed and no death has occurred, if you put down your swords, I will punish you in accord with the laws of the sect and not expel you from the mountain!”

When those Mount Li disciples had followed their teachers as they intruded upon the main peak, their minds had already been worried. When Qiushan Jun had appeared and then stood unyieldingly behind the Sect Master, the hesitation on their faces was revealed. Now when they heard these words, they became even more immersed in a fierce struggle.

Xiao Songgong laughed in his wrath. His hand gripped his longsword as he said to Qiushan Jun, “Truly absurd to the extreme! Even if the entire world knows that in the future, you will inevitably have all of the Mount Li Sword Sect in your grasp, you are still not even twenty! As a third-generation disciple, you dare disrespect us elders! You dare to attack me! My Mount Li Sword Sect in these past few years has truly been brought down a crooked path by Su Li!”

Qiushan Jun looked at him and sincerely said, “Crooked people do not walk the straight path. How could a crooked path ever appear before a straight person?”

Xiao Songgong was even more enraged and harshly yelled, “Previously, your master used the sword array to seal off the paths between the main peak and the rest of the peaks precisely because he didn’t want the disciples of the peaks to die at our swords! If you dare to have the Myriad Sword Array attack me, just how many people will have to die in the peaks of Mount Li today!? Could it be that you want my Mount Li Sword Sect, because of this internal strife, to really be destroyed in one day!?”

With these words, the sword glows rising up from the mountains seemed to stagnate a little. Bai Cai and the other Mount Li disciple turned to Qiushan Jun, their gazes filled with unease. They keenly understood that Xiao Songgong’s words were not wrong. The most powerful elites of the Mount Li sect’s Sword Hall were all presently imprisoned by the sword array in the belly of the mountain. Those Mount Li disciples that supported the Sect Master and Qiushan Jun, although numerous, were a far cry from being a match in terms of battle power to the three unfathomably powerful second-generation elders. This was not even mentioning that Longevity Sect elder that was accompanying them or the Qiushan clan head and his enigmatic Guardian.

It must be known that the vast majority of the Myriad Sword Array’s power was in the Transportation Sword Array. Even if the third-generation disciples of Mount Li were resolved to live and die with Mount Li, they still did not necessarily have the ability to beat back such powerful enemies! If both sides were to disregard everything and begin to battle, even if Qiushan Jun were to completely express the remaining might of the Myriad Sword Array, it was highly likely that Mount Li would flow with rivers of blood. Who knew how many of those loyal disciples would die in this battle, and if it was really worth it?

Qiushan Jun gazed at the clouds and sword glows around the mountains, his two swordlike brows slightly raised up. Everyone knew that he had already made the preparations to attack. In the next moment, he would attack. He had already expelled those two Discipline Hall elders from Mount Li, so the Mount Li Relic Sword was at his chest—before the Mount Li Relic Sword, there was no ‘worthy’ and ‘unworthy’, only ‘should’ or ‘should not’.

Bai Cai understood, and said no more. Carrying his sword, he took his place behind his Eldest Brother, calmly and resolutely staring at those powerful enemies. The several dozen Mount Li disciples also understood. They positioned themselves in front of the stone steps and prepared for the final battle. They paid no attention to their injuries from the previous battle and didn’t mind that blood was still seeping from their shoulders. They firmly grasped their swords. Xiao Songgong and the other two elders also understood, as did their disciples behind them. Some of them lowered their heads, some of them cursed, some of them silently walked off to the side, and some of them slowly put down the swords in their hands.

At this moment, a voice slowly rang out through the peak.

“When you were four, you encountered a dragon snake on Mount Nanling. All of your servants were killed—only you survived. You did not attack it, but let it take you away to its cave to use as a future morsel. Even today, nobody, including your master within, knows how you managed to survive, just how you managed to kill that dragon snake. But I believe that back then, what you relied on was not your will and courage, but your intelligence.”

The person speaking was the Qiushan clan head. He emotionlessly looked at Qiushan Jun and said, “I did not think that the current you would actually have been molded by your master and Su Li into an ordinary man that believes in bravery. This truly makes me very disappointed, even somewhat remorseful that I sent you to Mount Li back then.”

Qiushan Jun said nothing, only calmly looked at him.

The Qiushan clan head shook his head and said, “Your awakening was originally supposed to be an enormously good thing, both for you and for the Mount Li Sword Sect, because presently, only you can help Mount Li prevent this catastrophe. In the end, what did you do? If you are thinking about the gratitude and loyalty between you and your master, I can assure you with absolute confidence that no one, not the Longevity Sect, not the Qiushan clan, or even the Divine Empress, intends for your master to die. We simply believe that because of Qi Jian and Su Li, he is no longer fit to hold the position of Sect Master of the Mount Li Sword Sect, but there will inevitably be a role for him in the Longevity Sect’s Congregation of Elders. Mount Li only needs to recognize Su Li’s crimes, and then it can welcome a brand-new and beautiful future. What is there to object to?”

The Qiushan clan head’s voice gradually grew more tough and cold. “I am your father. The entire continent is well aware that all I have done has been for your sake. Could it be that you fail to understand? No matter how much of a genius you are, even reaching Star Condensation before twenty, today you have involved yourself in an extremely far-reaching matter. How could you possibly resolve it?”

Qiushan Jun quietly looked at him, then suddenly asked, “Father, just what do you want me to do?”

The Qiushan clan head answered, “We want to sweep away Su Li and Su Li’s shadow from Mount Li.”

Qiushan Jun asked, “Why must you do it in this way?”

The Qiushan clan head expressionlessly replied, “Only this way can we ensure that when Mount Li is passed into your hands, it is clean.”

Qiushan Jun was silent for a few moments, then said, “Father, you know I am not this kind of person.”

The Qiushan clan head acknowledged, “Yes, if you are not willing, let alone Mount Li, even if it was the world, you still would not want it. But you must be clear on one point. Su Li…will inevitably die in Xunyang City. If you want Mount Li to remain as strong as it was in the past, you should take hold of true courage and face this reality head-on!”

Qiushan Jun calmly replied, “So I should hand over Junior Brother, ask the Sect Master to abdicate and take up the position myself, and only this way prevent Mount Li’s internal strife, preserve its strength, plotting its future and for all ages?”

The Qiushan clan head said with gravity, “Could this not be right?”

“If ignoring facts is required to face reality head-on, then this reality is inferior to ignorance. Because in the following days, who could ignore every decision they made? They would definitely regret it in their hearts.” He looked at his own father as well as the four elders and said, “You are already old and can live on this reality for a little while longer, but we are still young. If we live, there will inevitably be many long years waiting for us. In the future years, I don’t want to think about today and be filled with regret and pain, so I will not act according to your way of doing things.”

You are already old, but we are still young.

Their hearts were incapable of communicating, so their way of doing things would naturally be different.

Hearing Eldest Brother’s calm and resolute voice, many Mount Li disciples suddenly felt like clear spring water was descending from the heavens. Their eyes grew moist and their sword hearts were washed until they shone clear and bright.

The Qiushan clan head looked at his own son, his emotions abnormally complex, so complex that it was hard to imagine. He was proud, yet sad. Proud of himself, and yet angry. For this day of chaos in Mount Li, the Qiushan clan and the Longevity Sect, as well as many powerful experts of the south, had planned for many days. How could they permit a single young man to cause its failure? Qiushan Jun was the son that he was the proudest of, the future of the Qiushan clan. But it must be known that this was not a matter solely involving Qiushan Jun. This was a matter that the Qiushan clan had been working at for one thousand years!

Ultimately, he made a decision.

He looked at Qiushan Jun and impassively said, “Heaven and Earth.”

These were two very commonly seen words, but with the appearance of these words, the mountains all went silent. Even the sword glows seemed to dim by several degrees.

Because everyone already guessed at which classic these two words said by the Qiushan clan head originated from.

It was the extremely famous opening to one of the scriptures of the Daoist Canon of the Orthodoxy.

‘Heaven and Earth’, and then ‘Father and Son’.

This was a principle of nature, the natural relationship between humans.

No person could resist.