Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)
chapter-1019

Chapter 1019 – We Wish to Invite You to Die

The peddlers, government laborers, and fortune-tellers were the first to notice the strangeness of the blind zither player, and astonishment appeared in their eyes.

They were the most enigmatic and most terrifying Fivekind Man of the Wenshui Tang clan, but it was the blind zither player that was… the man.

Although the zither player had never been willing to call himself their teacher, their leader, and rarely even spoke, they all felt the deepest respect for him, no less than the respect they felt for the Tang Old Master.

This was the first time they had seen the blind zither player reveal such a powerful will to fight, such a genuine vitality.

The cosmetic-buying girl was very uneasy. She wanted to step forward and ask a question, but she was stopped by the two sesame-candy-selling elders.

……

……

The Orthodoxy’s experts also sensed the Qi exuded by the blind zither player. Their expressions turned stern and they felt the same as Xiang Qiu did: this person is strong! Even amongst the Prefects of the Orthodoxy, only Mao Qiuyu would be able to match this blind zither player!

Linghai Zhiwang, An Lin, and the other Prefects were also shocked speechless, but since they knew his identity, they also felt that this was to be expected.

Before it began to wither away, the Longevity Sect was the ancestral court of the Orthodoxy’s southern faction, resisting the Li Palace together with Holy Maiden Peak. The Mount Li Sword Sect, whose name now awed the continent, was only one of the Longevity Sect’s subordinates. As the last Grand Elder of the Longevity Sect, it was only natural that the blind zither player be strong. He should be this strong!

The Prefects also knew why the blind zither player had suddenly come to life, seemingly taking them back to the Longevity Sect’s prime.

It was because of the figure beneath that tree in the courtyard.

Because they felt the same.

When they saw that figure, their breathing became hurried while their cultivation naturally pushed them to unprecedented levels.

Whether it was the blind zither player or the Prefects of the Orthodoxy, this was their first time seeing the Demon Lord with their own eyes.

It was precisely on the day they were prepared to kill him.

Chen Changsheng had them return to White Emperor City in advance with exactly the goal of killing the Demon Lord.

To the Human race, this was the greatest, most glorious, and most splendid mission.

To the continent, this was the most shocking, most tense, and most dangerous moment.

If they could kill the Demon Lord, today’s scene and their names would be passed on through the annals of history for ages to come.

Even if the blind zither player’s heart was like a withered piece of wood or dead ash, it would begin to burn once more.

Even if the names of these Prefects of the Orthodoxy were already foreordained to be recorded in the Daoist scriptures, they were still willing to pay everything, even their lives.

……

……

The young Demon Lord stood beneath the tree, turning to face the crowd outside the courtyard.

His face was very handsome, faintly exuding an inhuman Qi.

The sand in the courtyard suddenly stirred and began to dance around his body, drawing countless complex patterns on his black imperial robe.

Linghai Zhiwang’s pupils constricted at this sight, and everyone felt an intense danger.

Before he led Black Robe and the Demon Commander in deposing his father, the young Demon Lord had been completely unremarkable. Whether in talent, fighting prowess, or any other aspect, he was utterly mediocre and obscure. Let alone Qiushan Jun and Xu Yourong, he could not even compare to Chen Changsheng.

The matter for which he was most known on the continent was his desire for Xu Yourong.

It was only after he pushed that legendary existence into the abyss and then planned a cruel encirclement and slaughter of his older brother Han Qing that the entire continent understood that they had been wrong.

Now, the entire continent knew that this Demon Lord possessed unimaginable talent for fighting and unfathomable strength, but just how strong was he?

It was evident that he had still not stepped into the Divine Domain.

In the battle on the observation platform, when Chen Changsheng used the South Stream Temple sword array, the Demon Lord seemed to be at a disadvantage.

But based on Chen Changsheng’s retrospective analysis, even his full strength would not have been enough to kill the Demon Lord. Moreover, it was obvious that the Demon Lord still had many cards that he had not used.

Chen Changsheng had even said that the moment he decided to kill the Demon Lord, he felt like he could die at any moment.

Just what sort of card was the Demon Lord holding that could make him feel this?

“Dongyangzi.” The Demon Lord faintly smiled at the blind zither player. “With just you alone, you want to kill Us?”

The entire crowd was stunned.

Because the Demon Lord had an expression and posture of deep contempt.

But it was also because that the Demon Lord had spoken a name.

It was the zither player’s Daoist name when he was still part of the Longevity Sect.

This name had vanished from the continent many years ago. Other than Prefects like Linghai Zhiwang, no one present knew of this name, not even the peddlers and government laborers from the Wenshui Tang clan. Yet the Demon Lord had exposed it immediately!

The blind zither player tilted his head in silence. After a long time, he asked, “Is it not allowed?”

“It’s certainly allowed, but it is unwise.”

The Demon Lord clasped his hands behind his back and slowly walked to the courtyard gate.

“Back then, your sect master wanted to work with my royal father. You happened to learn of this matter and became greatly dissatisfied. You wanted to break up this relationship but ended up being ambushed and severely wounded. Afterward, you were encircled by my Divine race on the snowy plains and all your star openings ended up being destroyed. Although the protection of the Tang Old Master and your friends in your sect let you barely hang on to life, even allowed you to fully recover your abilities, you yourself were well aware that no matter how many years you used to advance your cultivation to how high a level, you had no hopes of reaching the Divine.”

The blind zither player quietly listened as if he was listening to someone else’s story.

The Demon Lord indifferently said, “Was this matter not enough to make you fear the strength of my Divine race?”

This secret story from long ago stunned the crowd, and they subconsciously looked toward the zither player.

The blind zither player was expressionless. This tale seemed unable to move him, but his two frosty brows slightly trembled.

Anyone could sense the pain hidden behind his dispassionate features.

To cultivators, the inability to reach the Divine no matter how diligently one cultivated or bravely pressed forward caused the greatest despair.

And he had possessed such an outstanding talent that if one looked across the continent, one could count the number of such geniuses on their fingers. If he had not been betrayed and cruelly beaten by the demons, the Divine Domain so incomparably far from other cultivators would have been right before his eyes.

This was the greatest pain.

The blind zither player said, “Pain can make one feel fear and despair can make one lose all interest in life, but there are times when they become energy for anger.”

The Demon Lord looked at him and said, “But that still cannot alter your pitiful life.”

A crane cried out in the sky.

The snow on the eaves rustled down, a cold wind gusted by, and the White Crane descended.

Chen Changsheng gazed into the courtyard and declared, “As long as we can kill you today, all pain can be repaid.”

Tang Thirty-Six added, “No matter how you look at it, this is a profitable transaction.”

The blind zither player was quiet for a few moments, then said, “Yes.”

His expression was very serene.

This time, he was truly serene. Those two frosty brows did not tremble in the slightest.

Serenity did not mean that his killing intent had been swept away by the wind.

On the contrary, it meant that this desire to kill was hidden in the principles of the world with no hope of withdrawing it.

The Demon Lord was alone in White Emperor City.

Chen Changsheng had brought four Prefects of the Orthodoxy and the terrifying Fivekind Man of the Wenshui Tang clan.

No matter how one saw it, this was enough to kill the Demon Lord.