Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

The academy wall noiselessly collapsed and the old Daoist nun strode in through the breach.

With the fall of her footsteps, an incomparably powerful Qi, carrying the might of the ocean, instantly enveloped the entire Orthodox Academy.

The students in the dorms were still sleeping and the Orthodoxy cavalry in the side courtyard had also not sensed this.

In the house, Chen Changsheng and the rest had sensed it in the first moment, because what the old Daoist nun wished for was precisely to wake them up and for them to remember the events to follow.

They opened their eyes and felt that cold aura of silent extinction. It felt like they had fallen into a frigid icehouse and any drowsiness had vanished into nothingness.

One after the other, the windows of the house were pushed upon, revealing those young faces of theirs.

They looked at the old Daoist nun on the other side of the lake.

The instant they set eyes on the old Daoist nun, the aura of extinction transformed into an aura of death and endless fear.

This old Daoist nun was far too powerful, so powerful that they found it hard to even gather the will to resist.

When he saw the old Daoist nun, Tang Thirty-Six thought of one time when his grandfather got angry—all of Wenshui City shook three times. Zhexiu thought of the time when he was young, not long after he was driven from his tribe, that he had once seen from a distance an enormous Mountain-toppling Fiend as well as that short yet absolutely terrifying figure sitting on its crown.

Su Moyu's face became abnormally pale because he knew who this old Daoist nun was.

At this time, Chen Changsheng very naturally thought of that storm in Xunyang City. He then realized in shock that this Daoist nun was actually an expert of that level.

Logically, with Chen Changsheng's current status, no one would dare move against him in the capital. But now, he did not have this self-confidence because this old Daoist nun was no ordinary person. Even the Pope would have to give this person a little face. Moreover, she was currently giving off an extreme feeling of obliterating extinction.

The extinction of 'one thousand mountains, but extinct are the birds flying over them'. The obliteration of 'ten thousand roads, but all traces of men obliterated'.

(TN: Both portions in quotes are from the poem "River Snow" by Liu Zongyuan, a Tang Dynasty poet.)

She viewed all living beings of the world as pigs and dogs. Just who wouldn't she dare to kill?

At this time, Su Moyu's voice rang out. He asked the old Daoist nun in shock, "Auntie, what are you planning to do?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Changsheng and the rest finally confirmed their conjectures and knew the identity of the person that had come.

Tang Thirty-Six's expression did not change, but his fingers on the windowsill somewhat paled.

Zhexiu's expression did not change, but the fingers of his right hand had already slowly begun to release his walking stick and move to grip the hilt of his sword.

She had finally come. This peerless expert who pampered her son, covered for the faults of others, who was irritable, prone to kill, and was famed for her mood swings, had finally come.

Wuqiong Bi, the sole woman of the Storms of the Eight Directions.

Her husband was called Bie Yanghong, also on the Storms of the Eight Directions.

They had only one son called Bie Tianxin.

One could imagine just how the sole son of two of the Eight Storms had been raised.

Bie Tianxin had lived his entire life drifting along with the wind and current, all the way until several months ago, when he encountered Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Six in front of the Orthodox Academy.

At the time, Su Moyu had warned them that the Orthodox Academy might encounter this sort of trouble.

Chen Changsheng disagreed, thinking that the Orthodox Academy had not done anything excessive to Bie Tianxin. With Wuqiong Bi's status and position, there was no need for her to make things difficult for them.

Only now, upon seeing that old Daoist nun across the lake, did he finally understand that not all people up high were people up high that had transcended the world, that not all of them had a frame of mind that had broken away from the secular world.

"Senior…entering the Orthodox Academy in the middle of the night, I ask what teachings you wish to impart."

He gazed at the Daoist nun, his voice firm as he asked.

He was the Principal of the Orthodox Academy, the Pope's appointed successor. Solely in terms of status, he was not at all beneath this old Daoist nun, so when he spoke, he spoke with great composure.

With an apathetic expression, the old Daoist nun questioned, "You are Chen Changsheng?"

Ever since he had come to the capital from Xining, Chen Changsheng had heard this sort of question countless times.

At times, it had been very annoying, like the time he encountered that Monolith Guardian in the Mausoleum of Books. At other times, it had been an honor, like that time he met Zhu Luo outside of Hanqiu City.

The old Daoist nun that was asking this question was of equal status to Zhu Luo, but he knew that this was certainly no honor, but a danger.

With an indifferent expression, life and death already decided, the old Daoist nun declared, "In a moment, I will kill this person."

As she spoke, she stared at Chen Changsheng and pointed at Xuanyuan Po's back.

Xuanyuan Po's body faintly trembled, but under this incomparably terrifying pressure, he found it simply impossible to turn around or escape.

"I will also do a few more things for all of you to see."

All this time, the old Daoist nun did not even glance at Xuanyuan Po and the ruins of the kitchen.

In her eyes, Xuanyuan Po was already a dead man.

Tonight, she had already arranged many plans for these young men of the Orthodox Academy, had decided their lives.

Zhexiu was greatly admired by the Divine Generals of the Great Zhou Army, so this wolf cub would only suffer heavy injury. Cutting off an arm or a leg would suffice.

She would not kill Chen Changsheng or Tang Thirty-Six, because even someone as powerful as her did not wish to offend the Orthodoxy or the Wenshui Tangs.

But this did not mean that she was letting them go.

Before their eyes, she would beat Zhexiu into a cripple and then slowly kill this demi-human youth.

She wanted them to watch as the blood of their friends stained the scene while they were powerless to act.

She wanted them to understand what was meant by true helplessness, by true despair.

She believed that in the aftermath, their lives might be more filled with suffering than if they had died.

This was very good. She had originally come to instruct them, so she would engrave deeply into their minds an unforgettable memory.

As for whether or not these youths of the Orthodox Academy would resist…she had never even considered this question. It was said that these youths were all true geniuses, but so what? Disregarding the Proclamation of Azure Sky or the Proclamation of Golden Distinction, if they were juniors like Wang Po or Xiao Zhang, she might have to pay them a glance or two, but what did these youths amount to?

Yes, if these were some other youths, after feeling such powerful and frightening Qi, and especially after knowing of this old Daoist nun's identity, they would probably give upon any sort of resistance because they were simply no match for her. If they were eagle chicks, the old Daoist nun was the frigid and high altitudes of the sky. If they were young tiger cubs, the old Daoist nun was the unseeable bottom of a deep valley.

However, they were not other youths, they were the youths of the Orthodox Academy.

In Xunyang City, Chen Changsheng dared to wield his sword against Zhu Luo. On the snowy plains, Zhexiu dared to flash his fierce teeth against the demons. When he was three, Tang Tang dared to urinate on the Tang Old Master's face. Just after entering the capital, Xuanyuan Po dared to strike Tianhai Ya'er.

In any case, if they had no means of winning no matter what, then they shouldn't fight? This was not their logic. In their view, since they couldn't win no matter what they did, it was only natural that they fight first. If they couldn't win? So what if they couldn't win? If they were looking for death, then they would look for life in the middle of death.

Youths began to prepare for battle, each with their own methods of battle.

The walking stick lay in the shadow of the ground, Zhexiu stood in the shadow of the window. His face was completely veiled in shadow that obscured his blood-red eyes, his firm wolf fur, and his sharp claws. He quietly stared at the old Daoist nun, his right hand gripping the half-broken Demon Commander Sword, so calm and indifferent as to engender fear in others.

Tang Thirty-Six exerted a little force in his palms, causing the windowsill to instantly crumble. With several strange sounds, several fireworks shot off into the night of drifting snow. As it turned out, he had installed several mechanisms in the Orthodox Academy. This was his way of fighting. When encountering such a terrifying enemy, the first thing he did was to naturally send out warning fireworks. The place closest to here was the Imperial Palace, and Xue Xingchuan would most likely hurry over as quickly as possible. As for those experts the Wenshui Tangs had sent over to guard him in secret, they should appear even sooner. Of course, even when the second-ranked Divine General and the Guardians of the Wenshui Tang clan worked together, they still would not be a match for this old Daoist nun, but he did not believe that this old Daoist nun would dare commit murder under the gaze of thousands.

With a pale face, Su Moyu looked at the Daoist nun and asked in a shaky voice, "Auntie, do you really want to have two families fall out and become enemies?"

Chen Changsheng stared at the old Daoist nun, not preparing to use the ten thousand swords in his sheath or the Heavenly Tome Monoliths, but instead holding a letter. He knew that no matter how desperately they fought, they were not even worthy of a single finger of this Daoist nun. He could only hope that Su Li's letter could display its use.

With several extremely faint sounds of extinguishing, before those warning fireworks were able to release their light, they vanished without a trace.

Tang Thirty-Six's face carried an unsightly expression. This was his first time encountering this level of expert. Now, he understood that all these plans and stratagems regarding fighting and the human mind were absolutely meaningless in the face of such opponents. These people had already transcended the secular world, so how could they be entrapped by its wisdom?

Chen Changsheng's tightened his grip on the letter, his mood rather grave.

Suddenly, the seemingly forgotten Xuanyuan Po, already marked as dead by the old Daoist nun, began to move.

In the ruins of the kitchen, he turned around slowly and with great difficulty, and then he slowly raised the sword in his hands.

He was closest to the academy wall, closest to the Daoist nun, could sense best the Qi of obliterating extinction, and bore the greatest pressure.

When Chen Changsheng, Zhexiu, and the rest were preparing to fight, he was still resisting this pressure.

Ultimately, he had finally managed to turn around and raise his sword.

In order to confront the terrifying expert that was the old Daoist nun, in order to overcome the innate fear of death, Xuanyuan Po had used all of his courage.

A simple action like this had completely consumed all his strength and spirit.

As he directly confronted the old Daoist nun, his whole body incessantly shook like he was just beginning to recover from some serious illness. The sword in his hands was the same, tottering around like it was about to collapse.

He had already displayed enough courage, but how could the present him fight, how could he wield his sword?

For the first time, the old Daoist nun looked directly at Xuanyuan Po.

Her eyes revealed endless, boundless scorn and contempt.

Logically, exceptional experts on the level of the Storms of the Eight Directions would not humiliate young members of the junior generation.

But today, she had come for the explicit purpose of humiliating the Orthodox Academy.

Xuanyuan Po was a bear youth. He placed the greatest importance on chivalry and honor and was the most unable to endure humiliation.

In his blushing face, between his somewhat immature features, a hint of determination appeared. With a roar, his two hands tightened their grip on the sword and slashed at the old Daoist nun!

The sound of whistling winds erupted from the house as Zhexiu, like a gray shadow, instantly leaped across the icy surface of the lake and arrived on the other side.

Chen Changsheng's figure vanished as he used the Yeshi Step. Carrying bits of snow from the forest, he rushed to Xuanyuan Po's back. His two hands tightened as he prepared to rip open the letter.

Su Moyu revealed an expression of resolve and stuck his hand into his bosom.

Tang Thirty-Six was the last to act, but his voice was the first to arrive.

"Wuqiong Bi, **** your ****!"

……

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