Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Two wings of fire spread out in the night, flying far off into the distance. They were exceptionally striking, reminiscent of a moving star illuminating its surroundings.

Nanke stood at the edge of the cliff and silently viewed the scene, her face abnormally pale. She had forcefully suppressed the injuries left behind by those numerous feathers, but no matter how she tried, she could not suppress those feelings of anger and unwillingness in her heart.

An elegant and yet exceptionally ruthless peacock cry emerged from her lips, resounding into the distance, as if was calling something. Upon hearing this, the zither-playing old man suddenly changed his expression. He wanted to extend his hand to stop her, but because of his injuries, he could not get up. He could only look on helplessly as in the next moment, Nanke leaped off the cliff.

The clear cry of the young phoenix rang out through the Garden of Zhou. In the three gardens at the edge of the Garden of Zhou, many human cultivators had gathered. Previously when that bloody battle at the peak of Sunset Valley had brought about many anomalies in heaven and earth, many people had turned their gazes towards Sunset Valley. Naturally, they had also not missed the cry of the phoenix.

In the quiet and dark mountains, there were still several upper level Ethereal Opening human experts searching for treasures in the gloom. Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong had searched for them for two days and nights, and yet had still been unable to find them. The warning fireworks of the Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green could not make them reveal their tracks. Amongst the cultivators was a three-hundred-year-old loose cultivator from the south. At the moment, he was by an ancient scholartree. Based on records from the past, he was searching for a powerful magical artifact left behind by the southern shaman tribe. When he heard the sudden cry of the phoenix, he turned around in amazement, his elderly appearance illuminated in the light of those wings of fire. Within those turbid eyes of his appeared an expression of shock, which turned into boundless greed.

With Qi Jian on his back, Zhexiu continued to walk through the plain. His eyes could no longer see, but his hearing was still effective. When the phoenix cry rang out, he stopped. Qi Jian's eyes opened with some difficulty and looked west. He said with some perplexity, "Is that Senior Xu? She also entered the Garden of Zhou?"

"It should be her." Zhexiu's ears listened to the echoes of that phoenix cry and confirmed.

All these things that had happened after the Garden of Zhou opened were a part of the demon plot. Of the targets that the demons had drawn up to kill, Xu Yourong was definitely amongst them. Qi Jian said weakly, "I don't know who the demons sent to oppose her, but… it should be okay."

Xu Yourong and Qiushan Jun were not ordinary young geniuses. Their innate talent was overwhelmingly dominant. In this miniature world of the Garden of Zhou where there was an upper limit, logically the demons should be unable to seize Xu Yourong. But when thinking about the assassination attempt at the lakeside and Third Brother's sudden betrayal, Qi Jian could not help but be very worried.

Zhexiu thought about those two women at the lakeside who had completely different features and yet seemed like they had been born as twins. Perhaps it was because of their fingertips suffused with green, or because of the poison that still restlessly stirred within his eyes, but he knew that those two were definitely Nanke's two wings. He said, "Nanke has come. The one that Xu Yourong is fighting is definitely her. It's just that I don't know who won and who lost."

In all of the continent, amongst all Ethereal Opening cultivators, human or demon, the only one that could threaten Xu Yourong was Nanke.

Hearing the name Nanke, Qi Jian's face paled even more. After a long moment of silence, Qi Jian said, "So where are we going next?"

It was already night, but the sun of the Plains of the Unsetting Sun had not set—if that mystical and indistinct sphere of light suspended over the horizon could be considered a sun. The powerful Demon General couple stood guard at the edge of the plain, so they could not leave. They could only walk around in this plain. Then, where should they go? Everyone said that the Plains of the Unsetting Sun concealed many vicious and frightening dangers. At the very least, anyone that entered had never come out. Then where were the dangers hidden?

Zhexiu said, "Take out the Flowing Water Bottle."

Qi Jian took out the Flowing Water Bottle and said in disbelief, "We've already spent six hours in here?"

The warm and red yet indistinct sun hung over the edge of the plain. At the line that divided heaven and earth, it continuously revolved. The light that it emitted did not change, so it was easy to lose track of time. However, what shocked Qi Jian was not only this. Although Zhexiu was heavily injured, he had not yet decreased his speed. In six hours, they could travel at least a hundred li, and yet they could clearly see the fire that arose from the summit of Sunset Valley. The cry of the phoenix was also like it had sounded out right by their ears. Now when they turned back, the mountain...was still there.

Although they had walked through the plain for six hours, it still seemed like they had just entered.

Hearing what Qi Jian had said, Zhexiu lowered his head in thought for a very long time.

To the two youths, the legendary plain was finally beginning to reveal its strange and sinister side.

Suddenly, a rustling sound arose from deep within the grass in front of them, as if some beast was just then traveling through.

In the next moment, the sound disappeared, but this did not mean the danger had passed.

Qi Jian was somewhat uneasy, feeling that within the grass, there were always many things gazing at them.

Zhexiu lowered his head and inclined his face, listening to the sounds coming from the grass. As he did so, his face grew increasingly grave, as well as unsightly.

He had grown up on the snowy plains and hunted monsters for a living. So he could very clearly tell that these noises were the sounds of monsters walking or flying low, or the grinding of their fearsomely sharp teeth, and even the dripping of their saliva on the ground. What was even more frightening thing was that in a short period of time, he had heard at least seven monster sounds that belonged to powerful monsters rarely seen on the snowy plains.

On the snowy plains, he was the hunter, but in the plains of the Garden of Zhou, the monsters had made him and Qi Jian their prey. This caused him an intense discomfort as well as anger. He knew very well that if he remained stationary like this, it would be very dangerous.

He lifted his head towards the depths of the plains.

His eyes could not see and his pupils could not focus, so he seemed very cold. Moreover, the bewitchingly strange green had occupied his entire pupil, creating an extremely frightening sight.

Qi Jian was leaning against his shoulder, saw his profile, and subconsciously felt cold and fearful. Qi Jian's body began to tremble.

"Don't be afraid." Zhexiu said expressionlessly.

As the words fell, a succession of grinding sounds emanated from his body. This was the sound of his bones and muscles grinding and reassembling. Copious coarse wolf hairs sprouted from his cheeks, and his knees once again strangely bent backwards. His teeth gradually grew long and pointed, emerging from his lips......this was his demi-human transformation.

Along with the transformation of his body, his Qi also suddenly changed. A cold and cruel aura pervaded the path in front of him.

The quiet depths of the grass suddenly erupted with noise. This was closely followed by the stamping of feet as well as a haughty and provocative roar.

The monsters of the plains were particularly sensitive to this wolf youth's transformation, and their response was very fast.

After Zhexiu transformed, his pupils turned red, mixing with the Peacock Plume's poison, once again producing a lemon-like yellow.

He could not see a thing, but he calmly aimed his eyes forward, as if he was staring into those monsters' eyes.

A cruel, powerful, and ruthless howl burst forth from his lips, spreading swiftly across the plain.

The chilly wind brushed against the grass, and swathes of grass fell flat, allowing the figures of many monsters to faintly be seen.

Those monsters heard strength and the resolve to fight to the death within that howl. With another set of rustling, they finally scattered.

Qi Jian leaned against Zhexiu's shoulder, somewhat afraid of Zhexiu's current appearance, although Zhexiu had said to not be afraid.

Thus, he wrapped his arms tight around Zhexiu and pressed his face closer. He said to himself, this way I can't see it, so I won't be afraid.

Perhaps because of his actions, or because of those greedy gazes the monsters aimed back as they left, Zhexiu's body grew somewhat stiff. His voice was somewhat unnatural. "We… have to think of a way to leave, or else the truly powerful monsters, upon hearing my howl, will come over to see."

Qi Jian assented, thinking to himself, we'll do whatever you say.

The wolf youth's wild howl echoed throughout the Plains of the Unsetting Sun, but it did not leave the plains. This miniature world that was the Garden of Zhou had always had many bizarre and inexplicable places. Just like that phoenix cry that resounded through heaven and earth, not even it had really been transmitted to every nook and cranny of the Garden of Zhou. This was because there were some places that were like a world within a world.

At the end of that river, on the other side of that cold pool under the waterfall was a lake. The lakeshore was another world.

The people within that world did not hear the cry of the phoenix. Liang Xiaoxiao and Zhuang Huanyu were no longer in the forest, but where they had gone was a mystery. Deep under the calm surface of the lake, its depths still seemed to boil. Countless fine bubbles burst forth from between those two wings of light, then swiftly disappeared.

Chen Changsheng had been bound up by the two wings of light of those two beautiful yet frightening women, so naturally he could not hear the phoenix cry. Even if it had arrived at his ear, he would not have let it affect him in the slightest. Because at the moment he was quickly being turned by those two wings of light into a very bright yet lifeless pearl. He was like a mosquito caught in a spider web, about to die at any moment. His heart and soul were all focused on finding a way to live.

Where was his path to live? If there was no way, he would have to use his dagger to cut a way. The problem was that he currently had no strength to grip his dagger, much less cut through those wings of light. Did his way to live lie in that elusive but incomparably real sword intent in the lake? But if he wanted to make the strand of sword intent come to him, how could he do so?

Before he was bound up by those wings of light, he had attempted to ignite the water outside his Ethereal Palace, but it was meaningless. Just like his initial struggles and flips, it seemed rather ridiculous. His throat was being held by the demon beauty, while his body had been restricted by the dignified woman. Those two wings of light gave a desperately frightening pressure, suppressing the last of his true essence and his every movement. He could not even move a finger, nor even blink his eyes. He could only feel the chilly water brush against his eyes. It was not a good feeling. These two women, uniting their bodies, finally displayed their terrifying strength and cultivation. His Qi grew increasingly feeble; his mind grew increasingly dim. As he saw the two faces of those women illuminated by the light of the wings, he felt them to be extremely sinister. He thought to himself, is this what the god of death looks like?

At that moment, he who had even his true essence suppressed by those two wings of light could only move his spiritual sense. Before the moment of death, Chen Changsheng would never surrender. Of course, he would try to use his spiritual sense to escape, but the problem lay in the fact that he had not cultivated to that masterly realm where he could kill with his mind. No matter how calm and steady his spiritual sense was, he still could not use it in battle.

What could his spiritual sense do? Before he had clearly thought about this, his spiritual sense had already rested on his dagger.

Noiselessly, several boxes appeared in that world that had been created by those two wings of light.