Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

The mountains were silent.

The South Stream Temple disciples looked at each other, not knowing what to say, especially the young girls like Ye Xiaolian.

Those disciples that had never interacted with Chen Changsheng before were, on the contrary, rather calm.

In their view, the Pope was the most revered person in the world, imbued with majesty and boldness. Even against these martial grandaunts, what did it matter if he said a few harsh words?

But Ye Xiaolian and her fellows knew that Chen Changsheng had a calm and gentle personality, so why was he so unflinching today?

Was it truly that the position changes the person? Or was it the power of time?

……

……

It had nothing to do with position or time.

Tang Thirty-Six and Hu Thirty-Two were well aware that Chen Changsheng had not been like this last night. In their shock, they wondered, just what happened on the summit?

The ill omen he had sensed in front of the stone wall at the summit of Holy Maiden Peak and that casual comment from the Prince of Xiang were the reasons for Chen Changsheng's change in stance.

Moreover, the conduct of these three martial grandaunts had already surpassed the level that he could accept, whether it was in their treatment of the temple's disciples or the possibility of alarming Xu Yourong into leaving her seclusion through their attempt to close the temple. The latter might even be deliberate!

"The matter of closing the temple ends here for the moment. Everything will wait until the Holy Maiden comes out."

He said to Huai Ren, "Whether out of malice or kindness, my answer on the matter is still 'no'."

It didn't matter how high one's seniority, how great one's prestige, or that the people managing the temple were one's disciples, or that one was moved by emotion, acted with reason, and was forced onto this path.

It didn't matter if the Imperial Court wholeheartedly supported it, if the venerable Daoist had made the plan himself, or that countless people wanted to see the temple close, that through unity came strength.

If he said 'no', then such a thing would not happen. It was 'no', even if everyone else said 'yes'.

Because he was the Pope.

……

……

"Wait for the Holy Maiden to come out?

"Just when will she come out?

"Ten years? Twenty years? Fifty years?

"What if she never comes out?

"What if she's dead?"

A sharp voice suddenly came from the mountains.

At first, everyone thought that the owner of this voice was asking a question, but then they realized that something was wrong.

This voice was suffused with hatred, brimming with malice. These were not sincere questions, only curses that pierced straight into one's bones.

This person was cursing Xu Yourong to never emerge, even to die a sudden death!

Hearing this, even Huai Ren and her martial sisters showed surprise, much less those disciples beneath.

Clangclangclangclang. These sounds resounded in the air as sword after sword was unsheathed. Sword intent filled the air above the plateau, warily and angrily aimed at the mountain path.

Countless gazes followed these sword intents to the mountain path.

Two figures gradually appeared at the intersection between the plateau and the mountain path.

One was a scholar, the other a Daoist nun.

The appearance of this pair caused many people to suddenly rise, their faces stricken with shock. The Prince of Xiang slightly frowned, glanced at the Divine General at his side, then slowly rose as well.

There were very few people on this continent who could cause the Prince of Xiang to rise and welcome them, and this scholar and Daoist nun were two of them.

Bie Yanghong and Wuqiong Bi of the Storms of the Eight Directions.

Their identities were quickly spread to the thousand-some cultivators on the plateau.

The crowd stood up and bowed like a tide, and then they felt bewildered.

Why would these two experts of the continent suddenly appear here?

Many sects knew that Wuqiong Bi had a grudge against Chen Changsheng and the Orthodox Academy, but was it to the extent that she had to curse Xu Yourong with such hate-filled words? And even if she was as vicious and coarse as she was rumored to be, what sort of person was Bie Yanghong that he could left his wife get so out of control?

Could something have happened recently that caused a new grudge to be added onto the old?

Under countless eyes, Wuqiong Bi walked to the center of the plateau.

She used her cold and venomous gaze to look around, and, as expected, ultimately stare at Chen Changsheng.

"Where's the Demon Princess? Hidden away in the Garden of Zhou?"

Many people in the cultivation world knew that the Garden of Zhou was in Chen Changsheng's hands, though most people believed that he only had the key to the Garden of Zhou.

Demon Princess Nanke's being at Chen Changsheng's side was also already an open secret.

But not even the most unbridled and avaricious person would dare to seize the Garden of Zhou from Chen Changsheng.

The most inflexible and hot-headed person would not dare to expose that secret in front of the masses and thus question Chen Changsheng's virtue.

Because Chen Changsheng was the Pope.

And though it was not his original intention, his prestige had risen ever higher after the story behind the Cinnabar Pill became known.

On the northern frontier, there were now many believers that regarded him as the incarnation of benevolence and sacrifice, endlessly worshipping him.

Even in the south, his relationship with Su Li and Wang Po meant that the people felt that he was even more worthy of trust than the previous Pope.

Today, Wuqiong Bi had suddenly exposed this secret. What did she want to do?

The plateau was abnormally still.

Wuqiong Bi stared into Chen Changsheng's eyes and said, "That Demon Princess has killed many human experts. What does Your Holiness intend by taking her in?"

Chen Changsheng had known for a long time that he would face this question and had mentally prepared himself. He said, "In the battle in the mountains, Nanke suffered injuries to her sea of consciousness to help me escape and is currently of unsound mind. At the time, I promised that I would cure her. Once she is cured, I will naturally drive her away, to be enemies when we next meet."

"Once she is cured? And if her illness is never cured? If she remains an imbecile until her death?"

Wuqiong Bi's words were still so malicious, sounding like curses.

No matter how gentle Chen Changsheng's personality, he could not help but raise his brows and think, just what has happened that has made her seem almost insane?

"You are not willing to hand over Nanke, but you should at least be able to hand over that damnable Black Dragon, no?"

Wuqiong Bi stared into his eyes, a faint smile on her lips. Yet her expression was so sorrowful that rather than smiling, she seemed to be crying, creating an ugly face.

Her smile gradually faded and she expressionlessly declared, "I want to peel off her skin, pull out her muscles, cut off her flesh bit by bit. Perhaps I'll eat it raw, or maybe I'll make soup, but I'll eat it all, not leaving a single piece, a single of drop. Even the plates and bowls will be chewed up and swallowed."

Her voice was as cold as the frigid air rising from the abyss behind Xuelao City.

Her words were spiteful to the extreme, and also cruel. They echoed over the plateau, blowing about like evil winds that made everyone tremble in fear.

By now, even the slowest person could see that Wuqiong Bi's hatred for Chen Changsheng billowed to the heavens.

Chen Changsheng fell quiet for a while, then turned to Bie Yanghong and asked, "Sir Bie, just what has happened?"

The coup of the Mausoleum of Books had resulted in the deaths of many of the continent's experts, and the Storms of the Eight Directions had withered away. Even if the Prince of Xiang, the Mount Li Sword Sect Master and Wang Po were added in, they still would not be able to reach the original number. Amongst these people, Bie Yanghong had always held a good reputation and was deeply admired. He and his wife Wuqiong Bi created a stark contrast.

The Tianhai Divine Empress had greatly admired Bie Yanghong, and Chen Changsheng was also willing to trust him.

Bie Yanghong remained silent, not replying to his question.

"What has happened?"

Wuqiong Bi harshly howled, "Your Holiness, you had that evil dragon of yours kill my son, and you have the face to ask what has happened!"

These words caused the plateau to suddenly explode with cries of shock.