Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 709 – Always Forward, No Matter Where You Go

Only ten-some zhang separated the street from the wall of the courtyard.

But to cross this distance was a most arduous feat.

If it was difficult to cross, one should go around.

A straight line of fire suddenly appeared, its fierce flames melting the snow into mist and then smoke.

At the very front of this streak of fire was Chen Changsheng. To be more precise, the streak of fire originated from the sword in his hands.

This was the second sword that Su Li had taught him: the Blazing Sword.

Xiao De had an extremely high level of cultivation, and he had a rich store of experience, but even he had been caught somewhat unprepared by Chen Changsheng’s sword.

This sword used the sword intent of the Mount Li Sword Style’s final move, one of absolute resolution, of utter disdain for one’s own life.

Xiao De was surprised that Chen Changsheng’s first move was this powerful sword that injured both sides.

This was something that Chen Changsheng had already prepared himself to do.

He currently had abundant stores of true essence and a stable spiritual sense, but there was still a vast distance between him and the true experts atop the Proclamation of Liberation.

He knew that if he wanted to defeat such experts, he needed to catch them off guard, to use the abilities that no one knew about to their maximum. This was because once those abilities and strategies that no one knew about were used, they would lose their effectiveness against these experts.

This meant that he could use each strategy only once.

In the Orthodox Academy, he had used the black stone and the thousands of swords to defeat Eunuch Lin, but now he could not use them to defeat comparable experts.

He knew that if he wanted to kill Zhou Tong, he would have to confront many true experts, so in the past few days, he had made many deductions, designed many contingency plans, simulating matches with Xiao De, Xiao Zhang, Zhou Tong, the Prince of Zhongshan, the Prince of Xiang…

He had even once considered how he might have a sliver of a chance if he faced off against Wang Po.

A person who loved to read, loved to think, loved to make notes, loved to solve problems, would always be much more prepared than his opponents and would often obtain inconceivable victories.

Wang Zhice had only begun to cultivate in his middle age, so why had he rarely suffered defeat after stepping onto the stage of history?

Why was it that when Gou Hanshi was only at Ethereal Opening, everyone believed that he would succeed in entering the Star Condensation Realm?

Chen Changsheng was also this sort of person.

So he had also succeeded.

The success spoken of here did not mean that he had defeated Xiao De. Instead, it meant that he had successfully integrated this battle into his deductions.

As the supreme expert of the demi-humans’ younger generation, Xiao De had an extremely fast response time, and his assessment of the situation at the time had been incredibly accurate.

When Chen Changsheng’s sword with its resolute intent struck at his body, Xiao De’s left hand was flying through the snowy air, clawing down at Chen Changsheng.

Xiao De’s body was harder than iron or rock. Regular weapons and attacks from cultivators at the middle level of Star Condensation and below simply could not harm him.

But he did not know that Chen Changsheng’s sword was much sharper than described on the Tier of Legendary Weapons, and Chen Changsheng’s understanding of the sword and quantity of true essence far surpassed that of an ordinary lower level Star Condensation cultivator.

With a swish, the dagger stabbed into Xiao De’s palm like a piece of cardboard cutting into a cake of dirt, but failed to enter any further.

A roar of berserk fury burst from his lips.

Even now, he still believed that his response was correct.

Although Chen Changsheng’s sword might pierce through his hand and into his chest, Chen Changsheng himself would also be unable to leave, at least not at that moment.

When Xiao De’s fist fell, it was certain to render Chen Changsheng’s face into pulp.

Chen Changsheng truly could not avoid this fist, much less leave, even if he cast away his dagger, even if he used the Yeshi Step.

He was moving too fast, with all his energy put into it. Since he had resolved himself to moving forward, how could he retreat? It seemed like he was sending himself towards Xiao De’s fist.

Yet Xiao De’s fist was unable to fall on Chen Changsheng’s face.

A somewhat shabby paper umbrella unfurled from Chen Changsheng’s left hand. The umbrella unfurled at the speed of an actual lightning bolt, shielding his body.

Xiao De’s fist fell on the umbrella’s canopy.

There was an enormous thud!

The canopy of the umbrella practically caved in, but it did not tear.

An unimaginably majestic energy transferred from Xiao De’s fist into the umbrella and into Chen Changsheng’s body.

This surging power could not be manipulated in any way. It was a complete expression of Xiao De’s strength. Chen Changsheng was unable to endure it, and retreated one step.

With a crack, the ice under his feet shattered, as did the street beneath the ice.

A mouthful of blood bubbled up from his throat. It tasted rather sweet.

It turned out that one step wasn’t enough.

He retreated another step.

Still not enough.

The strength transmitted through the Yellow Paper Umbrella was this terrifying, this overbearing.

He continued to retreat, his shoes leaving the ground like rocks hurtling through the air.

……

……

Xiao De’s fist seemed simple, but contained an entire life’s worth of bitter tempering.

The full-strength blow of an expert of the Proclamation of Liberation was truly terrifying.

Chen Changsheng was sent flying, his speed no slower than when he had used his Blazing Sword to charge forward.

Fortunately, he flew so fast that he was able to narrowly avoid those forceful strands of sword intent behind him.

He at least avoided any critical damage, the sword intents leaving only a few tears on his clothes.

He fell on the snow at the other end of the street.

His body swayed as if he would collapse at any moment.

He had walked forward with resolve, his first exchange had been a surprise attack with the Blazing Sword, yet he had been unable to win. He had been forced back one step, two steps, then finally several dozen steps.

Anyone could see that he had suffered a critical setback.

But Chen Changsheng did not think so.

Xiao De also did not believe so, as he had the vague impression that Chen Changsheng had done this intentionally.

His avoiding the assault of the ten-some sword intents had not been a fluke, but a result calculated ahead of time.

This sort of feeling made Xiao De very unhappy.

And when he felt that deep pain on his abdomen, this feeling of unhappiness deepened.

With an angry howl, he lunged through the snow onto the street.

But he lunged at nothing.

A blazing light burst from the Stainless Sword, an explosive sword intent that pierced through the entire street.

Chen Changsheng used the Blazing Sword again, at the same time using the Yeshi Step.

This time, he did not attempt to bravely advance forward again, but flew forward through the snow at an angle.

He was like a puff of smoke, a thunderbolt.

There was also a wall there, but this wall did not conceal the bare branches of the crabapple tree and that courtyard beyond it. In fact, no one knew what was behind this wall.

Chen Changsheng rammed through the wall.

This was followed immediately after by the sounds of wall after wall being rammed through, constantly booming through the street.

There were many courtyards and houses on this street, none of them where he wanted to go.

But these buildings were all connected through walls, so if he kept ramming through the walls, he would eventually charge into the place he wanted to go.

The courtyard of the crabapple tree.

And he always knew where this particular courtyard was, so his direction never once erred.

Retreating or going around sometimes did not mean that one had given up, but that one had chosen a different method of moving forward.

That was what Chen Changsheng thought, so that was what he did.

The starry sky would always take pity on those prepared and courageous youths.

He succeeded once more.

The crabapple tree was reflected in his eyes, followed soon after by the silhouette of a sword.

Starlight glimmered within the sleeves of this assassin. It was yet another Star Condensation assassin, probably also from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets.

Yet in front of the sinister and frightening attack, Chen Changsheng did not stop or even slow his speed.

With a buzz, the Yellow Paper Umbrella unfurled once more, blocking the snow falling from the crabapple tree and also blocking that sword.

A small amount of sword intent broke past the brim of the umbrella and ripped at the clothes on his shoulder.

A sword glow shone from his hand and, obscured by the Yellow Paper Umbrella, cut a deep wound in the assassin’s throat.

Grasping his throat, the assassin from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets collapsed.

This assassin had perhaps killed many famous people, and if people were to know of his true identity, they would be stunned.

Yet Chen Changsheng did not even glance at him as he continued charging forward.

It wasn’t because he was very familiar with the most outstanding and third most outstanding assassins in the world.

It was because what he needed the most right now was time.

Xiao De would probably catch up very quickly.

Xiao Zhang might appear at any moment.

Those experts might surround the courtyard again at any moment.

Crucially, how long would Wang Po be able to delay Tie Shu on the street?

He did not know.

The crabapple tree swayed. There were no leaves to shed, so only one or two severed branches fell.

In the alley outside the courtyard, Xiao De gave a long and enraged howl.

Several dozen powerful Qis were currently approaching from every direction.

Chen Changsheng was already at the stone steps.

At the top of them was a palace armchair.

On the chair sat a man.

This man wore a deep red official’s gown.

He seemed to be seated in a sea of blood.

It was precisely Zhou Tong.