Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

As he charged over to that cliff, Chen Changsheng saw many disciples of South Stream Temple. They were currently rushing down the mountain along the path, presumably alarmed by the turmoil at the mountain gate. Amongst those disciples, he saw a few familiar faces, which put him at ease, as this would prevent any misunderstandings from occurring.

He quickly reached the cliff. Pine trees grew along this cliff of white stone, and many slender waterfalls dropped down from it. In front of this cliff was a large plateau. Between the trees, he could see countless buildings constructed in a clear and beautiful style, presumably the legendary South Stream Temple. On a normal visit, he would have taken some time to properly appreciate it, but he was not in the mood. After glancing at it, he continued to swiftly make his way up the cliff.

There was no path on this cliff, only densely packed forests and precipitous cliffs. Even monkeys, skilled in climbing, would find traversing this cliff rather arduous, but it did not pose much of a challenge to Chen Changsheng.

As he climbed up the cliff, getting higher and higher, the cliff gradually steepened, and the clouds around him thickened. Eventually, he could no longer see South Stream Temple below him or even the sky above him. He could only rely on his impressions from before, but he didn't find it difficult. On the contrary, he found the feeling rather familiar.

In Xining Village, he would occasionally follow his senior brother to that solitary mountain in the depths of the clouds to pick herbs, so he was very familiar with this sort of environment.

After some time, the clouds suddenly grew lighter, the sky above him much clearer.

Chen Changsheng felt energized.

A cold wind, somewhat moist, blew through the trees and oddly-shaped rocks of the mountain and fell on his face.

The clouds suddenly scattered, opening up an expansive view before him. If he looked north, he could even see the twisting line of the Tong River.

This was the summit of Holy Maiden Peak.

……

……

Chen Changsheng was certain that this was where Xu Yourong had secluded herself, but he circled around the summit twice, saw several hundred ancient trees that he had never seen before, saw the rock by the cliff that she had mentioned in a letter, and even saw a few of those cute, jade-colored birds she had mentioned, yet did not see a cave.

He didn't see the White Crane either.

But he had already calmed down. After hearing Xiao Zhang's report in Fengyang, he had been very nervous and anxious, but after entering, all his nerves and anxiety vanished. The peak was just like she had described, not a single detail out of place, and there were no signs of battle either.

What continued to confuse him, to put him on his guard, was that Xu Yourong would probably need several years to emerge from her seclusion, so logically speaking, South Stream Temple should have left a few disciples on the summit to attend to her, or else what would happen if something went wrong in her cultivation and she required assistance?

He walked back to the north face of the summit. There were a few ancient trees here, as well as a very shallow pool of water. This was the place where he felt there should be a cave. Besides the position, scenery, and pool, his conclusion had been based on the fact that this was where the oldest and most numerous monolith inscriptions could be found.

One could see monolith inscriptions all over the cliff walls of Holy Maiden Peak's summit.

These monolith inscriptions had been carved into the rock, and there were a few that were very familiar.

The monolith inscriptions of the Heavenly Tome Monoliths.

Xu Yourong had told him that these were rubbings of the Heavenly Tome Monolith inscriptions made by the first Holy Maiden when she visited the Mausoleum of Books in the capital.

These were different from the rubbings sold outside the Plum Garden Inn. These rubbings contained the supreme wisdom and peerless soul of the first Heavenly Tome Monolith, contained the true meaning of the Heavenly Tome Monoliths. South Stream Temple's understanding of the Heavenly Tome Monoliths had never been inferior to the Li Palace's, and in certain aspects was even superior. It was precisely because they had these monolith inscriptions.

Chen Changsheng found the monolith inscriptions of the Reflecting Monolith and caressed them, his fingers feeling the cool stone.

These lines and the inscriptions in the Mausoleum of Books were practically identical, with only a few extremely subtle differences.

These differences were not mistakes. Rather, they signified the first Holy Maiden's understanding of the monolith inscriptions.

Compared to other cultivators, Chen Changsheng had a far superior understanding of the Heavenly Tome Monoliths, even compared to true geniuses.

This was because he had five Heavenly Tome Monoliths on his wrist.

With just a light caress, he came to know that if he carefully researched the monolith inscriptions on the summit of Holy Maiden Peak, it would assuredly have great benefits to his cultivation.

But those were all matters for the future. He first had to find that cave.

At this moment, he felt that the cliff beneath his fingers was shaking.

An indistinct Qi, seemingly flickering in and out of existence, emerged from the dense ivy.

He followed that Qi and pulled aside the ivy.

Behind the ivy was still the cliff. In both look and feel, it was solid rock. Even if one used a hammer to smash at it, one would smash out countless pieces of rock.

But Chen Changsheng knew that behind this cliff was not rock, but space. In other words, the cave at the summit of Holy Maiden Peak was within.

It wasn't because he could see through the ingenious arrays built into the cliff, but because of the ivy.

The ivy was also an array. Though it was inferior in power to the arrays on the cliff, it was similarly able to obstruct the eyes of a Divine Domain expert.

Chen Changsheng could see through this ivy because he recognized it.

This ivy was the Tong Palace.

The Tong Palace was an array, one that he had seen in the capital's Imperial Palace.

The Tong Palace formed by the ivy, however, he had seen in the Garden of Zhou.

At the Mausoleum of Zhou, Xu Yourong had converted the Tong Bow into the Tong Palace, its green leaves swaying in the furious storm. Even though she was heavily injured and on the verge of death, the Tong Palace remained sturdy.

Since the ivy was the Tong Palace, the Tong Bow, her bow, she should be within this cliff.

It was evident that the Tong Bow ivy recognized who he was and did not attack, did not send out a warning. It only exuded a soft and beautiful light.

Chen Changsheng looked at the ivy in his hands, recalling that sight on the Bridge of Helplessness: the white gauze dropping down, his eyes resting on her face.

In the sky full of snow, her face was like a painting, suffused with a faint and gentle light, imbued with an indescribable beauty.

He gazed at the ice-cold wall of stone in front of him.

She was on that side of the stone wall.

He was on this side of the stone wall.

If gazes had an actual heat, the ice-cold wall would probably have begun to burn.

It would be better if this were a stone door. He could easily push it open, or perhaps lightly knock and ask, 'Is anyone home?'

No, even if this were a stone door, he could not push it open, could not lightly knock.

Just like now, he could only quietly look at it.