Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

The sword intent entered the Yellow Paper Umbrella. The world surrounding the mausoleum was affected, but the first to undergo changes was obviously the Yellow Paper Umbrella itself.

The Yellow Paper Umbrella remained as it was normally, old-fashioned and slightly dirty. No changes occurred to its appearance, but the Qi exuding from it instead changed drastically. Despite being an umbrella-shaped magical artifact with extremely great defensive capabilities, it had suddenly acquired the semblance of an inordinately sharp sword. In Chen Changsheng’s eyes, it clearly was still an umbrella, but he could feel the clear feeling of a sword in his hand.

The blue sword ray arrived. With it, it carried Nanke’s resolute killing intent and an extremely powerful true essence.

Chen Changsheng raised the Yellow Paper Umbrella to receive it. Like a round shield, it attempted to block the enemy’s long spear.

Several dozen days ago, by the lake on the other side of the cliff in the Garden of Zhou, when he battled against the two maids, he had also used this method a lot. However, very obviously, the Yellow Paper Umbrella today already had a huge difference to the Yellow Paper Umbrella of that day. Was it because of the sword intent? However, it was also completely different from the sword intent emitted by the dagger previously. They were two different concepts.

The difference was that the Yellow Paper Umbrella now infused with the sword intent became extremely powerful, even somewhat scary.

On the stone platform in front of the main entrance of the mausoleum, countless sharp cutting sounds suddenly resounded. The sounds were reminiscent of the cracks in space and also like the rush of air. They seemed brief and occurred in close tandem one after another, but they also seemed to go on without end. Countless blades of winds that seemed thin and small shot out from the surface of the Yellow Paper Umbrella, twisting around the surroundings of his body. It spun at great speeds, cutting everything that it came into contact with.

The rain, the snow, the platform and the path, as well as the blue sword ray.

The droplets of rain from the sky were cut into vapor, and the leftover snow that gathered on the ground was chopped into strands. On the tough ground, the stone walls and even the main entrance of the mausoleum, countless deep streaks appeared. As for the blue sword ray that travelled through the air, before it could even radiate with the two streaks of stars that formed a Southern Cross, it was chopped into countless rays of star brilliance and dispersed with the wind.

The sharp sounds of cutting slowly grew softer before disappearing.

The thin blades of wind slowly entered the stone precipices of the mausoleum, not appearing again.

The torrential rain continued, but compared to before, it seemed to have weakened a lot, especially the rain that landed on the Yellow Paper Umbrella.

Silence.

In the grassland below the mausoleum, it instead slowly began to grow noisy, like waves formed in the monster tide that was like a black ocean. There were signs of restlessness.

Before, when the sword intent entered Chen Changsheng’s body and was put to use in his dagger, the monster tide was still able to remain peaceful. However, when the sword intent entered the Yellow Paper Umbrella and then easily shattered Nanke’s sword energy, and proved something, the countless monsters in the grassland were unable to control themselves.

Some monsters attempted to flee in fear, and even more monsters roared angrily at the mausoleum. Countless roars fused together, and like the sound of thunder, it was about to lift up the sky. If it were not for Nanke’s forceful suppression with the Soul Wood, perhaps at this moment, the black ocean formed from the monster tide would have already surged towards the mausoleum.

Nanke did not know why the monsters reacted so dramatically. Was it because the appearance of the sword intent heralded the emergence of the Sword Pool? Then why was the monster tide not as turbulent as when the sword intent appeared in the beginning? She was slightly confused. Her gaze passed through the rain and landed on Xu Yourong. Earlier, it was her who made Chen Changsheng put away the dagger and use the umbrella.

The people present today were all powerful experts. Xu Yourong had not recovered from her heavy injuries and was extremely weak. She spent most of the time with her eyes closed and did not spectate this battle, but she actually understood something. This caused Nanke to feel slightly angry and unwilling, just like when the sword intent was used by Chen Changsheng.

Here, Tang Thirty-Six’s famous judgement still should have been used. Xu Yourong and Chen Changsheng really were two people who specialised in rendering people speechless.

Xu Yourong maintained her focus and looked at the agitated monster tide beneath the mausoleum. She said weakly, “Close the umbrella.”

Chen Changsheng listened to her and closed the Yellow Paper Umbrella.

After the umbrella was closed, it was very much like a sword. Most people have probably had a similar experience of stabbing the tip of an umbrella into the dirt or at the walls for fun once the rain let up.

Why? Because after an umbrella was closed, it was very much like a sword.

At this moment, the Yellow Paper Umbrella in Chen Changsheng’s left hand was very much like a sword.

The monster tide surrounding the mausoleum immediately fell silent.

The roars of anger also disappeared.

The agitated monsters that attempted to surge towards the mausoleum became rather terrified, as if something major was about to happen. In the depths of the monster tide, the great monsters at the level of Star Condensation that were like mountains and rivers began to exude their ruthless Qi that reeked of blood. The huge shadow in the sky drooped slightly lower than before.

The Sword Pool was the greatest secret of the Garden of Zhou. The sword was the greatest taboo of the grassland.

Just what connection did the sword intent and the Sword Pool it represented have with the countless monsters that ran amok in the Plains of the Unsetting Sun? Xu Yourong silently calculated and deduced, which rapidly consumed her energy. Her complexion became paler and paler. In the end, her gaze landed on the umbrella in Chen Changsheng’s hand and thought, looks like that was the legendary Yellow Paper Umbrella.

In the world outside the Garden of Zhou, it snowed as usual.

The huge shadow in the sky drooped even lower than before. Far away in the snowy plains, a dozen or so Demon Generals towered like mountains, exuding great Qi that reeked of blood. As of that moment, there was already one Demon General dead and seven Demon Generals heavily injured, with three of the seven missing limbs. The demons had already paid a heavy enough price.

The snowflakes that landed on Su Li’s shoulder were immediately cut into countless shreds.

There was blood on his sword, but no blood on his body. He seemed as though he was uninjured, but he had actually already expended a great amount. He was unable to contain the sword intent inside himself well enough, which caused it to seep outwards.

Black Robe sat on a snowy hill with his legs crossed. Looking at him, he said calmly, “Although you are called Su Li, you are unable to leave today.”

(TL: Play on words. Su Li is 苏离, and leave is 离.)

Su Li looked at that shadow in the sky and said nothing.

“What you like eating the most, what you dislike eating the most; how many people you killed in the Great Western Continent, whether you like mountains or the sea; how often you send your daughter letters, how long it took you to master your first sword technique after you entered the Mount Li Sword Sect; how many times you’ve argued with your master, how many days you’ve cried for after your master died in the Garden of Zhou…”

Black Robe used his slender fingers to stroke the square plate that was placed before his legs and said, “I have used all the information that I have gathered about you in this plot. How can you leave?”

Su Li retracted his gaze and looked at him. He laughed at him, “I hate people like you the most. Obviously, in the end, you still rely on power to kill and slaughter, yet you also like to talk reason, talk chance. Even if you were at your last breath and almost dead, you will not forget to act as if you can cope with all matters using schemes and strategies. Who are you acting for?”

A soft laugh resounded from the black robes, “Naturally for someone like you who has been schemed to death by me.”

Su Li smiled coldly, “Do you really believe that everything can be calculated?”

Black Robe said, “Why not?”

“You obviously know that the stars can be moved. Since the stars can be moved, where does it say that fate cannot change? With change, how can you calculate?

Su Li gazed at the night sky. He did not see the convergence of those two rivers of stars in the south, and only saw the snowflakes that constantly fell before the shadow. With a soft voice, he said, “Everything in the world is constantly changing. After a long time of snowing, accumulating more and more, there will always be a moment where an avalanche occurs. How do you calculate that?”

“The path of the sword is not snow, and cultivation is not snowing. I don’t see how quantity affects quality. You are also unable to break out of this desperate strait.”

Black Robe knew of what matter was being implied with the statement regarding the snow, and said calmly, “Because you are a peerless genius in the path of the sword.”

This phrase was a compliment, and it came from the mouth of the military advisor of the demons who was the most mysterious in the whole continent. Even Su Li should have felt proud, but this phrase was more-so a devastating criticism.

A peerless genius in the path of the sword. If he could break though, he would have long since broken through, regardless if that was due to the great terror between life and death or some other methods.

Black Robe continued, “You are unable to reach completion in the path of the sword, but that’s not because of fundamental reasons such as talent, comprehension, resolution, or even the most crucial, luck. You never lacked those, and because of that, you’ve lacked a very important thing. Something integral to the path of the sword.”

Su Li obviously understood what he was saying.

“The path of the sword is to cultivate the sword.”

Black Robe’s voice did not have any intonation due to emotions, and he made a cold, final conclusion, “Without a sword that matches up to you, your path of the sword will never be complete.”