Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 781 – The Finger-Guessing Game Begins1

The Demon Lord’s eyes had been open the entire time, the life in them gradually fading, dimming.

But at this moment, his eyes suddenly brightened for an instant, perhaps because a shooting star had streaked across the sky just now.

This shooting star came from the star region in the north, perhaps even coming from the Heavenly Sovereign Star in the extreme north. What did this mean?

If the starry sky wants to kill someone, it doesn’t need to give some sign in advance. It’s just a coincidence, just like how your coming wasn’t because of caution or bravery, only because you had no other choice.

The Demon Lord somewhat arduously turned his head and looked at his son. “If you hadn’t killed off all your brothers, leaving no one other than yourself to use the Astral Executioner, then with your patient personality, just how could you possibly take such a large risk to personally come and kill me?”

The young Demon Lord sternly said, “Even if they were still alive, how could I be sure that they would meet with Sir? So in the end, it would still be me appearing before Sir.”

“This simple story is written very well, and you have also done very well.” The Demon Lord looked into his eyes, his voice clear and cold. “But you should be well aware of what the Astral Executioner means. Then have you ever thought of how you will respond if those other races really do break through that wall and come?”

“Father, I have very seriously pondered this problem, but I ultimately concluded that I still had to do this. First of all, if I did not use the Astral Executioner, even if the Military Advisor and Big Aunt took the risk and came themselves, there was still no guarantee that we could kill Sir. The abyss two years ago was witness to one miracle, and I hoped that no other miracle would take place, especially with regards to Sir. Secondly, I really don’t care if the other race finds a method to break through the wall using the Astral Executioner, as that will assuredly require many years.”

The young Demon Lord continued, “Even if there are a few descenders before that, they will ultimately become my slaves, and when the day finally comes, I believe that I will have already united this continent we live on. Before the army of the other race comes, I will have taken a great army and gone over, so why do I need to worry about this problem?”

As he said this, his expression was very calm, brimming with endless confidence and a determined will.

The Demon Lord looked at his young face and thought of that earlier sight of Chen Changsheng charging from behind those stones. He faintly seemed to understand something, and felt relieved.

Grandiose ambitions, the business of conquest, and unworldly achievement actually did not need to be personally completed by me. I also can pass it on to my descendants.

The Demon Lord smiled. “Since you are prepared, then it’s fine.”

The young Demon Lord stooped down and softly kissed him on the forehead, sadly saying, “I hate to see Sir leave.”

“No, in truth, I should have left long ago.”

The Demon Lord looked into his eyes and continued, “Only tonight, when I saw you prove your prowess again, did I finally understand what my greatest error was. My lofty aspirations were thwarted a thousand years ago and my body long ago became rotted and on the verge of crumbling, yet I still craved power, was unwilling to pass the throne to you young people.”

Hot tears spilled from the young Demon Lord’s eyes. “Yes, we couldn’t wait any longer, so we could only think of a way to invite Sir to leave this world.”

……

……

It was very difficult to understand the relationship between this Demon Lord father and son. If he was sorrowful and reluctant, then what of the treachery and callousness of the past few years?

Chen Changsheng found it impossible to understand, but he had understood the rather difficult-to-understand conversation between father and son.

On that night in the Mausoleum of Books, he had been by the Tianhai Divine Empress’s side. He had seen and sensed the soul of that monk from the other continent, and he also came from that continent. From a certain viewpoint, he was a condition the exiled imperials had made to the Great Zhou Imperial Court, and he also might be the vanguard for the other race. More importantly, when he was sensing that light in the river of stars, he had seen the enigmatic, distant, and unknown world and faintly sensed a few terrifying Qis.

But just as the young Demon Lord said, that was undoubtedly a matter for many years in the future. Both he and Chen Changsheng had enough time to get stronger and strengthen their respective races, strengthen the entire continent, and thusly have the complete confidence to welcome this unknown challenge.

Firstly, they had to decide who this continent belonged to. In other words, they had to decide just which of them could continue to live.

“I must admit that you truly deserve to be the hope of the exiled imperials, the successor to Yin and Shang. You are much stronger than rumored. Tonight, if you had not attracted all the attention of my royal father, it truly would have been very difficult for me to find a chance to bring down that execution from the stars.”

The young Demon Lord looked at Chen Changsheng, seeming a little embarrassed. “In this sort of situation, I’m naturally a little embarrassed to kill you.”

Chen Changsheng said, “I thought that you wanted to kill me this entire time.”

The young Demon Lord smiled. “Correct, in the original plan, you should have died a long time ago. You should have died at Lord Hai Di’s hands, or else in my younger sister’s hands. Even if you had an endless number of tricks to endure past these two, you would have certainly died at the hands of my royal father.”

Chen Changsheng noted, “I’m still alive.”

The young Demon Lord replied, “This is very good. I can resolve many problems if I bring a living Pope back with me to Xuelao City.”

The Human race and the Demon race had been in conflict over the continent for thousands of years, but an important personage on the level of the Pope had never once been captured by either side. If the young Demon Lord really did take Chen Changsheng back to Xuelao City, it would assuredly become the most glorious moment in the history of the Demon race and would assuredly stabilize his place on the throne.

Chen Changsheng only said one thing. “Do you think there’s any hope of this?”

The young Demon Lord thought of that scene he had witnessed in the sky upon opening his eyes and arched his brows.

At that moment, Chen Changsheng had fused the two most resolute sword techniques in all of the Human race’s sword styles into his Blazing Sword for the sake of killing himself.

No one could stop Chen Changsheng from calmly committing suicide, not unless his royal father were still alive or the Military Advisor and the Demon Commander were present.

“There truly is no hope, so go die then.” The young Demon Lord’s thoughts moved quickly and he was no slower in making his decision. “In any case, you definitely won’t let me eat you, so quickly die then. You also know that I love Xu Yourong, so I’ve always wanted you to die.”

Chen Changsheng said, “I’m somewhat confused as to where your confidence is coming from.”

“And what of you? You’re heavily wounded and without the strength to fight, yet you can still calmly converse with me. Where is your confidence coming from?”

The young Demon Lord smiled. “You don’t need to answer. By coincidence, I just so happen to know the reason.”

1. This is a drinking game in which the two players will simultaneously show a number of fingers while also stating a number. The one that correctly guesses the total number of fingers wins while the loser has to drink.