Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 784 – Born with an Illness

Nanke’s eyes somewhat dimmed at the sight of the golden blood on the Demon Lord’s body.

This meant that he had already received the true legacy of the Demon Lord.

When she thought of those winds in the abyss that tore at the soul and those maggots that devoured blood and flesh, she became incredibly unwilling, even somewhat despairing.

A cry of pain and fury burst from her lips.

Her cry echoed through the valley as she used the massive Southern Cross Swords to stand her body up.

The sorrowful weeping from the wound in her wing suddenly stopped and her two wings began to flap once more, as if wanting nothing more than to tear the darkness into shreds.

Her eyes were no longer dim, but were now as indifferent as ice or snow. Her wings flapped faster and faster until they were nothing but blurs.

An indescribably powerful Qi emerged from her petite body.

This was a Qi of supreme nobility, but one that disdained to command living beings, one that danced alone on the other side of a grand mountain range, exuding an ineffable purity and coldness.

This was the Peacock, this was Nanke, this was the Surpassing Bird, this was the most unique existence amongst all birds that would not even lower her head to the Phoenix.

The Demon Lord’s expression turned increasingly grave, his voice cold as ice, sharp as a blade, as he shouted, “Do you want to die!”

Nanke stared at him in reply. The green light in the depths of her eyes had long since ignited into a flame of madness.

“Don’t forget what the Military Advisor said back then. If you truly allow your divine soul to complete its second awakening, you will be rendered into an imbecile.”

The Demon Lord looked at her and urged, “Little Sister, stop being silly, come back with me to Xuelao City. You want to prove that Father was wrong? The reason Father never thought about passing the throne to you was because you are ill! You were born with an illness!”

These words were very harsh, yet they were also somewhat taunting, filled with contempt and pity.

This was the sort of attitude that Nanke was least likely to accept, but she had to accept one fact: the Demon Lord spoke the truth.

When she was very small, the soul of the Peacock within her body awakened and announced to all of Xuelao City that she had a most noble and powerful blood.

No one expected that this also meant that from that day forward, she became ill.

Her talents in comprehension were too strong, so she had awakened the soul of the Peacock too early, far surpassing the speed at which her body matured. The divine soul of the Peacock incessantly grew between her eyes, causing the space between them to grow wider and wider, making her seem more and more dull. If she allowed the Peacock’s soul to continue growing and complete its second awakening when she had still not matured, she would truly become an imbecile. There was even a high chance that she might just explode and die.

The Demon Lord’s words exposed all truths, gave all explanations, and also severed all her hopes.

Nanke stood on the lakebed, her dress spotted with mud, her hair in disorder. She presented a pitiful sight, looking just like a girl that had come back from gathering pig grass.

Even if she finished the second awakening of her soul that she had begun in the abyss, so what?

Even if she was able to defeat her opponent, so what?

She would die or become an imbecile. In the end, she could never become her father’s successor, never become the master of the Demon race.

No one in this world could treat her illness.

Her omnipotent royal father was not able to do it; her omniscient teacher was not able to do it.

The Southern Cross Swords in Nanke’s hands gradually drooped down, just like her head and her mind.

It was at this moment that a voice came from behind her.

“I can cure it.”

……

……

This voice was bright and clear. Even though its owner had experienced such a long battle, had suffered such heavy wounds, and was quite exhausted, his voice was still so calming and soothing. Perhaps it was because of what he said, or perhaps it was because he had always been a person that was easy to trust.

This was the case whether the listener was a friend, enemy, or neither.

This was Chen Changsheng’s voice.

Long ago in the Garden of Zhou, next to the Plains of the Unsetting Sun, the first words he had said upon seeing Nanke were: “You are ill.”

He then said to Nanke, “I can cure it.”

After several years, he still said the same words.

Nanke looked at him as if she was seeing that youth standing amongst the reeds, her dimming eyes brightening once more.

At the same time, she also raised the Southern Cross Swords again.

It was often said that change was the driving theme of the world, but also that many things were very difficult to change.

At the time, the condition Chen Changsheng had given was for her to release him and Xu Yourong, and now his condition was similarly clear.

She was the little Princess of the Demon race. She had struck out against the young Demon Lord out of fury and disappointment towards her father and teacher, but this did not mean that she was willing to betray the Demon race and ally with Chen Changsheng, the Pope of the Human race. It certainly did not mean that she had any good impression of Chen Changsheng or any desire to help him.

Chen Changsheng’s words were to make it feasible.

He could cure her, so she now had a very good reason to help him.

But Nanke’s way of thinking was even more extreme than Chen Changsheng’s.

She looked at Chen Changsheng and pointed with a sword at the Demon Lord. “Let’s work together and kill him.”

It was very blunt and icy, carrying with it an aura of inelegance, just like Nanke.

“My wounds are too heavy. The probability is small,” Chen Changsheng said.

As if wanting to prove his words, the countless swords quietly floating in the night sky buzzed.

This meant that his spiritual sense was on the verge of losing its perfect control of these swords.

Nanke slightly raised her brows and prepared to reply. Suddenly, her expression subtly shifted and she gazed past the mountains into the distance.

In the distance was the north.

To the north of the snowy mountains, a thousand li away, a demon cloaked in a black robe appeared in front of a mountain.

The snowy plain drenched in starlight seemed abnormally white. Logically speaking, it should have made this demon appear all the more striking.

But not even the eyes of the Great Zhou Army’s best Red Falcon would be able to realize his existence.

He was like a most unremarkable black stone on the snowy plains.

Because he was the greatest master of concealment in the continent, the Demon Military Advisor Black Robe.

Black Robe’s gaze fell on a shabby metal plate in front of him.

Starlight fell upon the metal plate as it did in the past, as if nothing had changed. In reality, however, tonight’s starlight was completely different from the starlight of the past thousand years.

The brightest star in the night sky of the north had become abnormally dim, and it was unknown when it would regain its shine.

A deep sigh drifted out of the black robe, filled with an incredibly complex mixture of emotions.

He had assisted the Demon Lord for almost a thousand years, so how could he truly act indifferent towards his passing?

If he truly held no sentiment, why was that jade-like finger on the metal plate trembling?

……

……

When Black Robe’s finger fell on the metal plate, both Nanke and Chen Changsheng felt an enormous danger.

Nanke felt it because of the connection between teacher and student while Chen Changsheng felt it because of the Fated Star belonging to the legitimate line of the Orthodoxy.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Changsheng called out, “Kui, north, Shen, forty-eight incline.”

Nanke flapped her wings and swiftly flew into the night sky.