Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 778 – A Spot of Brightness Amongst the Black Mountain and White Waters

The pillar of light did not come from the stars, but from the unknown world even further away. When it hit the ground, it was only one zhang in radius. From this, one could tell just how condensed it was.

Only the purest and most powerful of energies, perhaps coming from one of the gods of legend, could produce such a condensed beam of light.

This beam of light appeared very much like the Sacred Light of the Orthodoxy, but the Demon Lord knew that it was not, as did Chen Changsheng. They both knew where this light had come from.

Within the hallowed pillar of light, the Demon Lord’s clothes fluttered. The shattered landscapes on the Demon Lord’s face were completely washed away as the Demon Lord began to rapidly age.

At some point, the stone seal that was a Heavenly Tome Monolith had left the bounds of the pillar of light, and quietly floated in the air.

The seal seemed to face the Demon Lord in the pillar of light as if filled with sorrow, reminiscing on many things, bidding farewell to an old friend.

The pillar of light vanished.

Nothing changed in the mountains or in the ruins of the courtyard. Mountains did not collapse and snow did not tumble down; there was no phenomenon in the world, no descent of some abyss. All was as before, as if nothing had happened.

The Demon Lord stood at his original position.

Nanke was currently rushing over.

The young array master had an extremely complex expression on his face.

He looked at the Demon Lord, opening his mouth and closing it three times as if wanting to say something, but ultimately remaining silent.

The Demon Lord drew back his gaze from the starry sky and looked at the young array master, silent and pensive.

Nanke arrived and fell silent at the scene before her.

Silence that was just seeking time eventually had to be broken.

“Sir is just about done, right?”

The young array master softly asked the Demon Lord, appearing very cautious and even a little timid.

The Demon Lord replied, “If you could not even confirm this and yet risked going south anyway, then you are a fool.”

The young array master was very sure that he was no fool, so he began to laugh.

It was a hearty laugh.

In the very next moment, the satisfied smile on his face vanished, transforming into tears of sorrow.

It was a wailing lament.

He laughed and wept, was happy and then sad, pained and then cheerful, humble and then arrogant.

He was like a temperamental child, appearing both wronged and a little proud. As he cried, he said to the Demon Lord, “This time is okay, right?”

The Demon Lord sighed, “It’s okay.”

The young array master wept, “Then you’ll finally die this time?”

The Demon Lord calmly said, “Yes.”

The array master’s expression became somewhat tense. He licked his dry lips and asked, “Didn’t I do really well this time?”

The Demon Lord looked at him with praise. “This trap was truly excellent.”

Upon hearing this praise, the young array master’s face instantly lit up, and even his steps lightened.

He walked over to the Demon Lord, his hands and feet waving, jumping about like a stone tumbling down a mountain.

Her face rather pale, Nanke wanted to come over, but was stopped by the Demon Lord’s gaze.

The young array master walked up to the Demon Lord’s side and carefully helped him sit down as if not wanting the Demon Lord to feel any pain.

He looked very seriously at the Demon Lord and said, “Father, does it hurt?”

The Demon Lord looked at the array master, his eyes filled with love and satisfaction. “It’s fine.”

The array master used his wrist to wipe a few tears off his eyelashes and said, “I also don’t want to do this.”

As he spoke, his right hand fell like a black lightning bolt onto the Demon Lord’s abdomen.

It was a pitch-black dagger that seemed to suck in all light.

This dagger stabbed deeply into the Demon Lord’s abdomen, and golden blood gushed out from the dagger’s hilt.

It appeared that this dagger was actually hollow.

The Demon Lord painfully coughed, “You…shouldn’t be using…this sword.”

“Because this is the precious object of Sir’s friend?” The young array master pulled the black dagger out of the Demon Lord’s abdomen, glanced at the nearby ground, then said in a huff, “Even that guy can use a dragon whisker as a sword, and I am Sir’s son, so why can’t I use it?”

Chen Changsheng was lying on the ground over there.

The array master pulled the Demon Lord’s hand from under his body and strenuously broke each finger, extracting an item from within.

The Demon Lord’s expression was as serene as ever, as if he simply couldn’t feel the pain of having his fingers broken.

The item in his hand appeared to be something like a goat horn comb. Whatever it was, it was probably the Demon Lord’s last move to save his life.

If the young array master had not promptly struck and severed his last thread of life, perhaps the Demon Lord truly might have found a chance to counterattack.

“Big Aunt warned me that when confronting Sir, I had to be careful, and then even more careful.”

The young array master looked at the goat horn comb and fearfully said, “But no matter how careful I could be, I would never have imagined that the Heavenly Demon Horn was in Sir’s hands.”

He carefully put away the goat horn comb in his bosom and smiled at the Demon Lord. “Didn’t Sir say that when Little Aunt left Xuelao City twenty-some years ago, she ran away with this divine object? Father, you are truly crafty. We all thought that it was in Mount Li.”

The Demon Lord smiled, “Your little aunt was so foolish that she was tricked into leaving by little, little Su. I had to discipline him a little.”

The array master thought of that bloody incident that had taken place in the Longevity Sect and sorrowfully said, “What need was there for such excessive discipline? Fortunately, Sir should no longer be able to continue disciplining me.”

At this moment, the Demon Lord’s fate was sealed and he had no more cards to play. Counterattack was now impossible.

Only after confirming all the particulars did the array master finally relax. He sat down by the Demon Lord and wiped the cold sweat off his brow, only calming down after catching his breath for a few moments. Suddenly, he laughed at the starry sky and shook his head, apparently taken by some indescribable emotion.

“In truth, I was also afraid, but what could I do? I still had to do it. Thankfully, I won in the end.”

Whether in the silence at the start or the madness at the end, whether standing, sitting, or lying down, the Demon Lord, the young array master, and Nanke were all quite similar. Perhaps they were rather different on the outside, but they were completely identical in terms of essence and personality, especially when they were together.

They were just like that black mountain in the extreme north, the white water and that bloody moon, exuding cruelty, blood, and mystery, yet also an incomparable harmony.

If they had remained undisturbed, perhaps this scene would have persisted for even longer, but there was a still a human in this painting.

And it was precisely because he was human that he could not stand in this painting.

Chen Changsheng stood up and this painting instantly gained a few bright shades of color.

An incredibly firm brightness rose up from his eyes and his voice.

“From the battlefield to the Mount Song Army headquarters to here, many people have died to protect and save you. If you’ve won, what about them?”

He looked at the young array master and scolded, “Regardless of who you are or why you’ve come here, this is all wrong.”

The array master looked at him, somewhat surprised that he could still stand. The corner of his lips perked into a taunting and jeering smile.

“His Holiness the Pope is truly as strange as rumored, but can you even do anything about this situation?”