Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

"Thus, this technique of yours is useless against me," Xiao De very solemnly declared to Chen Changsheng.

Adding more hot water into a wooden basin wouldn't make the water start boiling, and a pile of mud higher than the Mausoleum of Books would still not be harder than rock. Even if Chen Changsheng really could become ten thousand Chen Changshengs, he could not rely on this increase in numbers to break into a higher level.

This was not a concept difficult to understand.

Cultivating was the most unfeeling matter in the world. It had never been believed that diligence could make up for lack of talent, or that a change in quantity could effect a change in quality.

Right now, he could simultaneously fight against many initial level, or even middle level, Star Condensation experts, but it would be very difficult for him to kill them all. More importantly, against peak Star Condensation experts like Xiao De or Xiao Zhang, the gap in cultivation levels would drastically decrease the advantage offered to him by quantity.

In the Garden of Zhou, he had been able to fight against the Golden-winged Great Peng not because he was just that strong, but because the ten thousand swords awakened from the Sword Pool had converted all the longing they had accumulated over the centuries into fighting intent. Only this way were they able to use an ultimate sword technique that shook the world.

Now, the Garden of Zhou was still and the famous swords had returned to their respective mountains. Those swords that remained at his side had been tempered and nurtured within the sea of the Vault Sheath, gradually becoming new again, but they could no longer condense that sort of fighting intent. To put it another way, the mystical sight of ten thousand swords becoming a dragon could no longer appear on this world.

"Of course, you're still very frightening." Xiao De, melancholic over the present and fearful of the future, said to him, "If I let you live, what sort of situation will you and your swords create once you reach the peak of Star Condensation?"

If it truly was as Xiao De said, the Chen Changsheng of the future could fight as one against an entire army, could besiege a city and destroy kingdoms.

"At that time, people like us would not have the slightest ability to resist you, would be beaten as dogs by you."

Xiao De paused for a few moments, then continued saying to Chen Changsheng, "And this is unfair to us."

All was still in the courtyard. The shattered crabapple tree was dead and even the wind no longer blew between those suspended swords, not daring to move them.

When the experts of the Imperial Court heard Xiao De's words, they fell into thought, all sorts of emotions appearing on their faces.

Chen Changsheng did not reply, his somewhat thin lips still pursed into a line.

It was just like the several hundred lines formed by the swords in the snowy sky.

No cultivator was willing to see this sort of future, was willing to become a dog beaten at the sword of some peerless expert. And anyway, they were enemies.

To prevent this terrifying future from occurring, all they could do, and what they had to do, was kill Chen Changsheng.

Xiao De still calmly stared at Chen Changsheng. Suddenly, a tawny light poured out of his eyes and terrifying Qi burst out of his body.

This Qi was overflowing with a primitive and barbaric aura, even the smallest strand of it seeming to flow with the blood of beasts.

His clothes were bursting at the seams as muscles bulged beneath. Then, the clothes were stabbed through by iron-like and dense needles of fur.

There was a deep wound on his chest, inflicted by Chen Changsheng's Blazing Sword in their first exchange. It had been bleeding this entire time, but now it suddenly closed up and vanished.

Chen Changsheng tightened his grip on his sword, knowing that Xiao De was about to use his most powerful technique.

Demi-humans had many incomparable advantages over humans, such as speed, strength, and the natural toughness of their bodies. However, their strongest advantage was that demi-human experts could transform their bodies for a short time, borrowing the blood of their ancestors held within the wheel of fate to become faster, stronger, and tougher.

This was the berserk metamorphosis.

A hum could be heard in the courtyard. The crabapple branches scattered about the ground were taken up by a fierce wind, smashed against the walls, and turned into even finer pieces.

Xiao De vanished from the stone gate and appeared in front of Chen Changsheng.

The several hundred swords that hummed as they vibrated in the air suddenly went still.

In the space of several breaths, Xiao De had crossed the eight zhang of distance and been cut at by six swords.

However, the exquisite sword techniques used by these six swords were unable to slow his steps.

His body bore the slightly bleeding marks of six swords.

As the supreme expert of the middle generation of demi-humans, his body possessed a frightening level of toughness, which reached an outrageous level after the berserk metamorphosis. If not for the fact that all of Chen Changsheng's swords had come from the Sword Pool and were all famous swords from several centuries ago, they might not have been able to even wound him.

In the snow, Xiao De's fist hurtled towards Chen Changsheng.

Just like at the start, in their first exchange outside the walls, he still did not use any weapons.

After returning from Mount Han, Xiao De had become a much more composed person, and he had also made many advancements in cultivation. The greatest difference was that he had become more confident in his fists.

He did have a weapon, but on the mountain path of Mount Han, he had not even had time to take it out before being stabbed by Liu Qing.

Then, in the persimmon forest by the stream, he had met the Demon Lord, and his weapon was nothing but a joke, whether he could take it out or not.

After that, Xiao De gave up on weapons and only used his hands.

Compared to swords, blades, or magical artifacts, hands were weapons that truly belonged to a cultivator.

To strike with one's hands was much faster than striking with a sword.

And it was also faster than Chen Changsheng's sword.

Before Chen Changsheng had any chance to strike with his sword, Xiao De's fist arrived. Fortunately, he had been carrying the Yellow Paper Umbrella in his left hand this entire time.

The umbrella borrowed the wind to rise and block Xiao De's fist.

The umbrella canvas depressed as a massive force was transmitted through it. With a boom, Chen Changsheng's left foot sank deeply into the ground.

A spider web of cracks formed around his left foot, a depression appearing in the gray flagstones like a vortex.

A few cracks came from Chen Changsheng's body. Some bone in his body had cracked, perhaps snapped.

A sword glow that was so excessively sharp that it seemed biting shone from the brim of the Yellow Paper Umbrella.

With a roar, Xiao De raised his fist and brought it down again, a gale exploding around it. The branches of the crabapple tree were now completely scoured from the courtyard, the walls covered in countless cracks as shards of stone were constantly peeled off them. In an instant, it seemed as if the walls had passed through tens of thousands of years.

Just as the fist smashed down like a mountain, the experts of the Imperial Court launched a joint assault against Chen Changsheng. The courtyard was filled with sword intent as all sorts of sword techniques were used.

After some time, the courtyard became peaceful once more.

Xiao De borrowed the force of the countershock to roll back to the stone gate of the courtyard, seemingly uninjured.

Suddenly, a scraping sound was heard from his face.

With this sound, a sword wound widened on his face until it was about half an inch wide. This horrifying wound was so deep that bone was visible and blood poured out.

Chen Changsheng, standing in front of the stone steps, sheathed his sword.

Several tough hairs dropped from the air and fell onto the ground, clattering like iron needles.

With this sound, Chen Changsheng began to cough, incessantly cough, his face paling with each cough. His feet pressed into the shattered stone faintly trembled and his body swayed on the verge of collapse.

It was very obvious that he had suffered injuries even worse than Xiao De's.

Xiao De had a very grave expression, but it was not because he had been injured by Chen Changsheng, not because his toughened body could not resist the Stainless Sword ranked on the Tier of Legendary Weapons. Instead, it was because there was no sign of a wound inflicted by a sword on Chen Changsheng's body. This meant that in the chaotic battle just now, not one of the several dozen swords from the experts of the Imperial Court had been able to get close to Chen Changsheng.

In the face of Xiao De's full-strength blow, Chen Changsheng had clearly suffered significant injury, so how had he been able to also control those several hundred swords?

Xiao De was very confused. It must be known that though Chen Changsheng's spiritual sense was far stronger than that of ordinary cultivators, it was not too absurd to experts like Xiao De.

Just how had Chen Changsheng managed to do it?

Xiao De silently stared at the several hundred swords floating in the air.

He did not understand this matter, but he could at least be sure that if Chen Changsheng wanted to simultaneously control all these swords, he had to fiercely consume his spiritual sense.

In this sort of battle, it was likely that although Chen Changsheng had still not collapsed, his spiritual sense had already run dry.

"Just how long can you last?"

Xiao De drew his gaze back from the swords and turned to Chen Changsheng. "If you insist on staying here, the ending will only be me beating you to death with fist after fist."

Several hundred swords quietly floated in the air, guarding Chen Changsheng's surroundings.

This could be regarded as a defensive sword array, or an offensive vanguard camp, but it was also a prison cell.

It was difficult for others to assault this prison cell, but it was also difficult for Chen Changsheng to walk out, because he did not dare to open the door.

So how long could he last?

"I don't know." Chen Changsheng considered the question a little more, then said, "I can at least last until Zhou Tong is dead."

At this answer, Xiao De finally understood and was somewhat flabbergasted.

In truth, Chen Changsheng had already made his stance clear, but he knew that the experts of the Imperial Court surrounding him would not believe it.

But now, Xiao De was beginning to believe him more and more, because Chen Changsheng still had not left, was still standing in front of the stone steps.

Chen Changsheng was here, so Xiao De and so many experts of the Imperial Court could also only remain here.

The Great Zhou Imperial Court had originally planned to kill Wang Po and Chen Changsheng, but now, Xiao De had given up on this notion.

He knew that Chen Changsheng still had tricks up his sleeve. With just the swords floating in the air, there was simply no way Chen Changsheng could have defeated Eunuch Lin in the Orthodox Academy.

If Chen Changsheng were to use this trick, he could at least break out of the encirclement.

Why was he not leaving? Was he really just delaying for time, waiting for someone else to kill Zhou Tong?

Chen Changsheng said nothing more. He had already given his answer, and twice at that.

At the very start of today, he and Wang Po had wanted to kill Zhou Tong.

Later on, it evolved into the Imperial Court using this matter to kill him and Wang Po.

The situation was changing the entire time, constantly swinging back and forth.

That person had not once appeared, most likely held in the Imperial Palace by his senior brother.

The Li Palace had been quiet this entire time, presumably subdued temporarily by that Saint, but that Saint would naturally be powerless to do anything else.

Of the entire situation, the most critical change was that Tie Shu had been unable to kill Wang Po. On the contrary, Wang Po had killed him.

Thus, everything returned to the source.

This matter returned to its most original point.

It was still about killing Zhou Tong.

So he would endure here, endure until Zhou Tong was dead.

He believed that Zhou Tong's death was assured.

No matter who he was killed by, he would still be killed.