Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Liang Wangsun had been the first guest to arrive for this feast. With his identity and strength, as well as his status in the jianghu, the imperial court, and the world of cultivation, he absolutely was worthy of being the guest of honor. Thus, Chen Changsheng wanted to kill him, even if he clearly understood the yawning gap between them. Only by doing this could he intimidate the entirety of Xunyang City. Adding on his status in the Orthodoxy, he could make the people lose their will to take action against Su Li. This was Chen Changsheng's plan. Only by killing could he save a life, and only by being unreasonable could he make others see reason.

Silence reigned over the long street outside the inn. The bright and beautiful radiance of spring shone over the street upon which the dust had just settled.

With a crash, Chen Changsheng rammed through the window, carrying along pieces of gravel and wood shaving. In the time it took to take a breath, he had arrived on the street.

The emperor's carriage of the Liang Household was two stories high and stood in front of the inn. When he broke through the window, he ended up in front of the carriage.

His feet did not land on the carriage. His dagger had already left the sheath and was stabbing towards Liang Wangsun's forehead.

The dagger flew noiselessly, without any sort of power nor any reverberations of boundless true essence. It was like an insignificant glimmer of bright light adding to the lovely spring sunshine, and yet it stunned many. Even Liang Wangsun's expression grew solemn.

The essence of the sword intent in this attack was extremely pure and extremely powerful, as if it was an existence that surpassed sword energy. The people that saw this dagger—whether the cultivators that had dared to come and kill Su Li or the priests of Xunyang City, or even the Liang Household's suicide squad and those normal servant girls who had no understanding of cultivation of the path of the sword—all felt their eyes ache somewhat.

That aching sensation came from Chen Changsheng's sword intent, that incomparably sharp and innately dominating sword intent—his dagger was the new generation of the Dragoncry Sword, and this strike was like a dragon emerging from the vast ocean. Light radiated everywhere, and this seemingly unremarkable glimmer was actually like a blazing sun, its light so blinding that everyone had to squint their eyes.

The crowd was shocked. It was only then that they understood that Chen Changsheng had cultivated his path of the sword to this level. Only Xue He and Liang Hongzhuang, who had already crossed swords with Chen Changsheng, had mentally prepared for this, so they had no reaction.

Although Chen Changsheng was already very well-known, ranking only under Qiushan Jun and Xu Yourong as the most talented cultivators of this younger generation, there were still few people that had personally seen his cultivation. In Xunyang City this was especially so. As it was situated in the north, the cultivators only knew that he was necessarily no ordinary youth, but they had not imagined that at his young age, he had already cultivated to the peak of Ethereal Opening. Even more frightening was how profound his attainments in the path of the sword were. In this brief span of time, many people, including Xunyang City bishop Hua Jiefu, couldn't help but get a simply impossible notion—could it be that Chen Changsheng's attack truly could threaten Liang Wangsun?

Sitting on the emperor's carriage and directly confronting the edge of the dagger, Liang Wangsun could feel more clearly than anyone else Chen Changsheng's sword intent. And yet what caused confusion in all watching was that he continued to take no action.

He calmly gazed at Chen Changsheng's dagger, his eyes tranquil and indifferent, possessing a sense of nobility and inviolability. The Vajra Pestle suddenly began to shine with light, completely engulfing the brightness of Chen Changsheng's dagger. Was this a nigh perfect Star Domain? Just as Chen Changsheng was thinking about this, he suddenly felt that there was something off, because…

His dagger had very easily pierced through that light.

The man and dagger became one. The moment the dagger stabbed into that light, Chen Changsheng also entered the light.

His two feet had finally landed upon the Liang Household's emperor's carriage, treading upon solid ground. But his dagger failed to pierce Liang Wangsun's forehead, and instead had stopped in front of it!

Liang Wangsun's left hand that had been hanging by his body had, at some point, been lifted up, obstructing the path of Chen Changsheng's dagger.

He had only used two fingers to hold the dagger fast.

These two fingers were rather slender, almost like a woman's. In reality, they were just like two mountain peaks.

Even if Chen Changsheng's dagger were an actual dragon, perhaps it would have still been held fast by those two mountain peaks, halting its advance.

Before he had broken through the window and attacked, Chen Changsheng had performed many calculations on this battle, all of them on searching for a weakness or gap in Liang Wangsun's Star Domain. He had not even considered that Liang Wangsun would not even show his Star Domain and only use two fingers to block his dagger. Was this the self-confidence and dignity of an expert of the Proclamation of Liberation?

Looking at Liang Wangsun's dignified eyes, Chen Changsheng suddenly felt like his body was a little cold—this person's strength and cultivation were far too unfathomable, many times stronger than he was—but the coldness in his body did not come from the difference in their strength. This was because he still concealed other methods; his true sword had not thrust out. Instead, the coldness in his body came from a faint feeling that he had.

Liang Wangsun had not spread out his Star Domain. It had nothing to do with self-confidence, nothing to do with disdain, and it shouldn't be because Liang Wangsun wanted to humiliate him, because that did not match with his bearing and identity. It also did not seem like a mistake that a true expert would make. Then why did Liang Wangsun do this? Just as expected, in the very next moment, before Chen Changsheng had the time to use his true sword, Liang Wangsun made his move.

With a stimulation from his spiritual sense, the star fragments on the black lotus seat began to float, and a Qi divided the world into two.

Liang Wangsun had spread out his Star Domain. At the moment, Chen Changsheng was right in front of him, and thus was also in the Star Domain, or perhaps it was better to say that he was imprisoned in it. To Star Condensation experts, the most important use of a Star Domain was to protect themselves from any attacks. What reason did Liang Wangsun have for using it in this way? Chen Changsheng knew that there must be some deep meaning behind his opponent's actions. It was just that he could not think of it in such a short amount of time. However, his sword heart remained undisturbed, his sword intent as steady as ever. His right foot took a step forward, and the true essence in his body fiercely blazed.

Liang Wangsun's eyes grew even brighter, even more solemn, and even more serious. It was obvious that he had perceived that Chen Changsheng's true essence had drastically increased, and that he had sensed the possible danger. Liang Wangsun knew that in the next moment, Chen Changsheng's true sword would arrive. But he did not know that this sword was several thousand swords. He only knew that simultaneously with this attack, Su Li would die.

It all required only a moment of time, but Chen Changsheng would not necessarily be able to injure Liang Wangsun, while Liang Wangsun seemed very certain that Su Li would die.

As a result, very shortly after, Chen Changsheng understood that there was no way he could wait until the end of this moment.

Because at the beginning of this moment, a snowflake drifted down from the sky onto the emperor's carriage of the Liang Household.

Countless snowflakes fell on the streets surrounding the inn.

In Xunyang City which was in the midst of late spring, a sudden shower of snow descended.

Chen Changsheng looked into Liang Wangsun's eyes, and within he saw many emotions, yet he did not see any killing intent. From this he understood that Liang Wangsun had never planned to kill him. Yes, even if Liang Wangsun was this sort of person, as long as it was not absolutely essential, then not even he wanted to kill this youth from the Orthodox Academy who received in no small measure the trust and even love of the Pope and Mei Lisha.

He had braved the attack and then used his Star Domain, keeping Chen Changsheng on his carriage so that he could not take action.

This battle was not going to take place between the two of them.

There was another person that would actually attack and kill Su Li.

Who was this person? Who would be the last guest to arrive for this feast?

The radiance of spring had already been obscured by the wind and snow.

From the snowy sky, there suddenly descended a person.

It was a freak, his face covered by a white piece of paper. Two holes had been punched through the paper, revealing two eyes. As for the rest of the paper, a few simple lines had been drawn to represent the nose and the mouth.

The freak's eyes were emotionless, soulless, loveless, and cold to the point of lunacy.

There was a line tied to the freak's waist. The other end of the line was in the sky, tied to a colossal paper kite.

That kite was incessantly sprinkling bits of paper over the ground.

What snow?

The snow that drifted down to Xunyang City had originally been paper.

The freak's cultivation was powerful to a frightening extent. Even though he was still several dozen zhang from the ground, a tyrannical and crazy Qi had already filled the streets. Those cultivators that were somewhat weaker could only close their eyes in resistance, while those ordinary mortals immediately fell unconscious.

The black tiles and old eaves of the inn were, in a flash, crushed into a fine gravel. With a dull boom, the roof of the inn completely collapsed and the walls were sundered, exposing the scene within.

Amidst the flying dust and snow, the crowd could faintly make out the ground filled with shattered beams and furniture.

In the middle of the ruins, there was a chair.

A middle-aged man sat in the chair, his hand holding a shabby old yellow paper umbrella.

The streets suddenly grew deathly still.

This was the first time many people had set eyes on Su Li's true appearance.

From that man descending from the sky, a spear stabbed out at Su Li.

With the sudden stab of the metal spear, the paper snow scattered, and the wind gusted and thunder boomed!

The people around the inn all exclaimed in surprise.

"Xiao Zhang!"

"Painted Armor Xiao Zhang!"

A person had come riding a kite to Xunyang City to kill another.

He had sprinkled paper made into snowflakes beforehand so that he could send off the person he had come to kill.

Because he believed that now that he had come, that person would inevitably die.

Even if that person was Su Li.

Such a crazy affair—besides that madman ranked second on the Proclamation of Liberation, who else could do it?

Such an unbridled appearance—besides Painted Armor Xiao Zhang, who else could it be?

The metal spear thrust forward, and Xunyang City shook.

This was Xiao Zhang's unbridled spear. Even if Su Li were uninjured and his cultivation at its peak, presumably he would also have to seriously respond to it. Right now, he was heavily injured, so how could he receive this spear? (TN: Xiao Zhang and ‘unbridled’ is actually a play on words by the author, since Xiao Zhang ‘肖张’ and unbridled ‘嚣张’ share the same pronunciation in Chinese.)

At the moment, Chen Changsheng was imprisoned by Liang Wangsun on the street, so who could help him block this spear?