Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

"Do you know what you are doing?"

The voice seeping through the Pope's lips was no longer like water, but a bone-chilling cold.

Chen Changsheng looked into his eyes and solemnly declared, "I'm well aware of what I am doing."

He seemed very calm, but he was actually very nervous, the hands gripping the arms of the wheelchair slightly shaking, even the blood on his face dulling due to his emotions.

He did not use the Blazing Sword technique. He had placed his true essence under a certain level of control to ensure that the speed at which his true blood flowed out of his body was not too quick.

But for the Pope, one of the supreme experts of the world, it would naturally be easy to catch scent of his blood's odor at such a close distance.

The sea of stars within the Pope's eyes had already transformed into a raging river.

Chen Changsheng was taking a risk, a risk that put his life in danger, or even a danger that exceeded this sort of level.

He had done so on purpose.

As he was incapable of knowing exactly what his master's intentions were, his martial uncle the Pope was his most important elder in this world, yet he was also the person that he could trust the least.

The Pope had said that Archbishop Mei Lisha had no evil intentions against him, so what about the Pope himself?

He had to clearly know what sort of stance the Pope had towards him, whether he held goodwill or malice towards his existence.

If the Pope held malice towards his existence, then he would obtain from his body the greatest of benefits and would just eat him.

This sort of temptation and desire was far more important than the imperial throne, far more important than authority.

Just what would the Pope do?

He quietly gazed at the rampaging river of stars in the Pope's eyes, his tension gradually fading, leaving behind only calm, true calm.

The Pope stared at him, the raging river of stars growing even more frightening, as if it could swallow the entire world at any moment.

……

……

Xu Yourong stood in the light, quietly examining the murals on the walls. Her head was raised, but she was not looking up.

Upon this mural, the images of twelve sages were drawn. These twelve sages were not all Saints, but they all played critical roles in the Orthodoxy's history, and so their status was even higher than the Saints.

It was said that this several-dozen-zhang-tall stone wall and the murals drawn upon it were all made with materials mixed with fragments of Heavenstones. As long as there was the tiniest external source of light, they would release boundless light.

Consequently, whether day or night, this place would also be so illuminated and dignified.

Suddenly, the rays of light within the hall grew even brighter, even somewhat dazzling.

Xu Yourong slightly squinted her eyes, her beautiful eyes like willow leaves and also like the edges of a sword.

She had sensed the raging energies within the light and opened her arms wide.

With two claps, the Tong Bow came to be gripped in her left hand while the temple sword was gripped in her right.

Whoosh!

Two pure white wings unfurled behind and slowly beat the air.

Besides those twelve sages, the mural also contained many other Saints and Divine Messengers.

The Divine Messenger at the highest point had an indifferent expression, but its eyes were extremely brutal, wanting nothing more than to swallow all living beings before it.

This was the Divine Messenger of destruction.

As she gazed at this Divine Messenger on the mural, Xu Yourong had a very calm expression.

In this period of time in which she had stood in the Great Hall of Light, she had not completely recovered from her injuries, had not completely recovered her true essence and Sacred Light, but she had already prepared for battle.

She had already forcefully brought her cultivation to its peak. Her Tong Bow in her left, the temple sword in her right, her two wings ready to take flight.

If a battle truly did begin, she would not hesitate to ignite her Heavenly Phoenix true blood.

Although she was still not at Star Condensation, in her current state, even Guan Bai using his most powerful Heavenly Dao Sword would not be a match for her.

But in this battle, her opponent was not Guan Bai, nor was it that Divine Messenger of destruction on the mural, but the old man behind the stone wall upon which this mural was drawn.

This old man was one of the supreme experts of the world.

……

……

They were only separated by a single wall from the Great Hall of Light.

The Pope stood in front of the wheelchair and stared at Chen Changsheng, the river of stars within his eyes raging and surging, the expression on his face abnormally apathetic like a ruthless and ignorant god.

Chen Changsheng knew that the most crucial moment had come, but he actually grew more relaxed.

The truth was hidden behind the darkness and he could not see it clearly with his intellect, so he had chosen this crudest of methods to lift up the curtain of the night, even if it was only a corner.

Suddenly, the sound of water stopped.

A moment ago, clear water had been constantly flowing down onto the Green Leaf from the wooden ladle suspended in the air.

Chen Changsheng had seen the Pope watering his Green Leaf several times before and knew that the water within the ladle seemed infinite.

Yet today, the wooden ladle seemed to be out of water.

Just when the sound of water ceased, the Pope's body slightly trembled. Those incomprehensible runes of starlight speckled across his hempen robe deformed and grew indistinct.

The raging river of stars in the depths of the Pope's eyes also seemed to grow sluggish in that instant.

As the night wind caressed the Green Leaf and the starlight illuminated the night sky above, those elderly wrinkles that contained unknowably many truths of history gradually deepened…

The Pope closed his eyes.

……

……

Daoist Siyuan, several cardinals, and even more priests of the Li Palace were all standing outside the Great Hall of Light.

They had sensed the abnormalities within the hall, especially the raging energies dispersed to the outside by those rays of light, striking terror into their hearts.

In the holy radiance, they could faintly see two pure white wings unfurl behind Xu Yourong's body. To be able to see with their own eyes the advanced awakening of the legendary Heavenly Phoenix was worthy enough of their shock, but it was impossible for them to experience such a sensation because they knew that something major was about to occur.

Daoist Siyuan could no longer stand around. With a frigid face, he charged into the multitudinous rays of light within the hall.

As one of the Prefects of the Orthodoxy, he possessed the grand strength of peak Star Condensation, not even half a step from the Divine Domain. Those rays of light surging with energy could not halt his steps.

Yet when he reached the depths of the great hall, he did not know what he should do.

He could faintly sense that a major event was taking place, but he did not know what.

The pure white wings slowly beat the air. Xu Yourong's left hand gripped a bow while her right hand gripped a sword, her calm expression containing a solemnity like she was about to confront a great foe. Yet in the end, she did nothing.

In this sort of situation, Daoist Siyuan could not possibly take the initiative and strike first. After all, Xu Yourong was the Holy Maiden of the south, possessing a status equal to the Pope. If he were to act first before asking questions, it would be extremely disrespectful, even reprehensible.

Xu Yourong truly was doing nothing, only quietly gazing at the mural on the wall.

She could clearly sense that although the rays of light exuded by the mural were still intense, that raging sensation was gradually returning to serenity.

She quietly gazed at the mural and the people on the mural quietly gazed back at her.

There, besides that Divine Messenger of destruction and the Saints high above in the clouds, were also the pitiful common people and the suffering twelve sages.

Those sages all had clear and bright eyes, their expressions warm and benevolent.

……

……

The Pope opened his eyes. The raging river of stars had vanished from his eyes, and no vast sea of stars could be seen. There was only clear brightness.

His eyes were clear and bright, his expression warm and benevolent.

He turned and walked to the Green Leaf. He plucked the wooden ladle from the air, dipped it into the pool, and then poured the water into the pot.

The Green Leaf that had slightly yellowed at some point from the frenzied Qi instantly turned into a compelling green once more.

The Pope ladled some more water out of the pool and poured it over his body, drenching himself from head to toe.

He ladled up some more water and walked to the wheelchair.

Beads of water dripped from his white hair, soaking into the hempen robe that now stuck to his body, revealing the elderly and thin figure within.

With a splash, the Pope dumped all the water in the ladle over Chen Changsheng's head.

The dark hall was gloomy and rarely saw the sunlight, so the chill of the water in the pool was difficult to lessen. In an instant, Chen Changsheng was completely drenched.

A faint steam rose up from his body yet before it could disperse, the Pope dispelled it with a light brush of his sleeve.

His scalding body instantly returned to its normal temperature and that blood within his body that was seeping outwards was suppressed back.

The Pope placed the wooden ladle back in its original position, took up two dry towels, and gave Chen Changsheng one.

"I now know why your master gave you the name 'Changsheng' (long life)," the Pope said to Chen Changsheng as he wiped the water off his face.

Chen Changsheng wiped his face and did not speak.

"Indeed, eating you will give one the possibility of obtaining longevity." The Pope's voice was very indifferent.

Chen Changsheng's hand gripped the slightly moist towel as he spoke, "Master's explanation of my soul entering my essence blood, I truthfully didn't find very convincing."

"Every person has a soul; how could anyone be so tempted by it? What makes you different from everyone else is that your body contains an immense quantity of Sacred Light."

The Pope gazed at him, yet his gaze seemed to be extremely far away, like it was gazing at a completely different world.