Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)
chapter-261

This was the first time, ever since Chen Changsheng and the Black Dragon had gotten to know each other, that the Black Dragon had agreed to help without first negotiating some benefit. This was because that demon had stirred some rather unhappy memories. That giant iron pot made her feel especially annoyed, and when that demon woman brought up that man who had eaten dragons, it made her even more annoyed.

The Black Dragon left Chen Changsheng's hand, turning into a shadow that was invisible to the naked eye. It surged towards the center of the lake, then noiselessly dived down like a falling leaf. It easily followed that tunnel which reversed the sky and earth and returned to the chilly pool by the cliff. Bursting through the water, it flew towards the gardens.

With her current level of strength, she was incapable of influencing this battle. Chen Changsheng had given her the task of warning others and searching for assistance. In Chen Changsheng's opinion, it would have been good if she were simply able to find those seniors from the various sects that were at the upper level of Ethereal Opening, but she did not think this way. She knew very well just who amongst the human cultivators in these gardens was the strongest. The world within the Garden of Zhou was vast, but her luck was good. It was not much time before she found that solitary young lady dressed in white, walking on a cliff. It was just that, for some reason, she felt a little cold and afraid when she saw the bow and arrow on that young lady's body.

At this moment, Teng Xiaoming arched his brows and glanced off into the distance. As the twenty-fourth demon general, he was incredibly strong. Although the Black Dragon had left like lightning and without a sound, he had still managed to sense some movement. However, that Black Dragon was truly too fast, so fast that he had barely seen anything.

"Since Liang Xiaoxiao and Qi Jian are also people you want to kill, then I understand now." Chen Changsheng said to Liu Wan'er. When he had previously used the Cloud-Piercing Arrow, the husband and wife pair had not elicited a single reaction, which he felt to be somewhat odd. Now, it seemed that this demon couple had purposefully ignored his call for help as to bring Liang Xiaoxiao and Qi Jian over so that they could kill them all together.

Liu Wan'er looked at him and smiled, "If we can use the shortest amount of time to resolve all our problems, then that's for the best."

Chen Changsheng looked at that dying demon woman whose throat had been pierced by Zhexiu and still felt he had some misgivings that were impossible to resolve.

"I really don't understand where you two get the confidence from, thinking that you can win two against four."

Zhexiu expressionlessly said, "If this was outside the Garden of Zhou,, I would have definitely used this opportunity to escape considering the fierce reputation of the twenty-third and twenty-fourth demon generals. But since you used some sort of method to forcefully suppress your cultivation and enter the Garden of Zhou, then you can only use that cultivation to fight. At the very most, your power is still limited to that of the upper level of Ethereal Opening."

Liu Wan'er calmly looked at him and said, "Self-confidence is the foundation of the strong."

"But did you know? Chen Changsheng is like me, neither of us are one for words." Zhexiu suddenly said.

Liu Wan'er arched her brows, then asked inquisitively, "This isn't something that's easy to see."

Zhexiu said, "You and him speaking so much, as well as this conversation I'm having with you; in reality we share the same goal as you......we're all just buying time."

Liu Wan'er’s brows went up even higher. "Why?"

"What you said is very correct. Self-confidence is the foundation of the strong."

Zhexiu continued, "Chen Changsheng is very confident that he is much stronger than the Chen Changsheng you have imagined. Coincidentally, I happen to think the same way about myself."

At this moment, a cold and proud voice rang out from the forest.

"Not bad, I also happen to think this way."

With these words, two youths dressed in plain sword uniforms walked out of the woods.

The disciples of Mount Li had finally arrived.

They had already prepared for battle. Their bodies were cloaked in sword intent.

They faced that demon general couple, with their fresh and cool sword Qi that was dazzling to the eye.

A bit farther off into the forest, a clothed figure could faintly be seen. Zhuang Huanyu was probably going to arrive soon as well.

A huge change had just occurred in this scene.

Five young human geniuses against two demon experts; no matter from what angle, it seemed like a worthy fight.Moreover, the odds of success were rather high.

As Zhexiu had said, regardless of how tyrannical this demon general couple were outside of the Garden of Zhou, the greatest strength they could use inside of the Garden of Zhou was that of the upper level of Ethereal Opening.

However, Chen Changsheng was still confused by one thing. Why were they still so confident?

Liu Wan'er's expression remained as gentle as ever, unlike the fearsome foe that Liang Xiaoxiao and Qi Jian had thought they were confronting at all. Looking at Chen Changsheng, she said, "Even if we must battle, we should at least exchange hostages first."

She held the life of the female disciple from a secluded sect in the east in her hands.

The demon woman's life rested in Zhexiu's fingertips.

"You are the Principal of the Orthodox Academy. You're so young, even I think that the Pope is just messing around…"

Liu Wan'er looked at him and chuckled, "But you're still a member of the Li Palace. Presumably, you won't watch a fellow human die in front of you. The Longevity Sect is an orthodox sect of a profound school. Although they say that Mount Li is good at killing, that doesn't mean that you two can just watch as your fellow human dies. Wofu Zhexiu is a wolf cub who only needs to eat meat to live, but none of you can do that."

After she was finished with her words, Zhexiu glanced at Chen Changsheng.

In the snowy plains, he was a wolf youth who had given respect to no one. What Li Palace, what Mount Li? It all had nothing to do with him, so long as he could live and kill his enemies. However, after his journey to the capital, he had fixed his position. Within the Garden of Zhou, he was Chen Changsheng's bodyguard.

Chen Changsheng glanced at Qi Jian, and Qi Jian glanced at Liang Xiaoxiao.

"Exchange." Chen Changsheng and Liang Xiaoxiao simultaneously said.

Qi Jian nodded his head, indicating that this was how it should be. Zhexiu said nothing.

Liu Wan'er lightly waved her sleeve, and by some mysterious means, that girl in Teng Xiaoming's basket whose right hand had been cut off awoke.

Suddenly awakening, the first thing she felt was pain.

The girl's face suddenly became deathly pale. Two lines of tears fell from her eyes, but she bit down on her teeth. Besides an initial groan, she actually did not make another sound.

Seeing this scene, even Zhexiu was moved, as if he felt some pity and admiration.

Qi Jian quickly took off his outer garment and threw it over so that she could use it to cover herself.

Only then did the girl realize that she was naked. After the momentary shock, she looked hatefully into Liu Wan'er's eyes.

Liu Wan'er smiled, but paid her no attention otherwise.

"Please don't be confused." Liang Xiaoxiao then gave a most concise summary of the current situation.

"Many thanks to my fellow Daoists for their assistance."

The girl gave a slight bow of appreciation. Wearing a slightly tight robe over one's naked body, who would not have felt somewhat embarrassed? With her pure white legs pressed against the sandy beach, who would not have felt somewhat helpless? However, her pretty face showed no sign of panic. She was like some noble daughter, still wearing the clothes she wore inside the house.

The admiration in Zhexiu's eyes increase.

Qi Jian glanced over at him, then gave a mental snort.

That disciple from a secluded sect in the east who was like a noble daughter began to walk towards Chen Changsheng.

Liu Wan'er and her husband made no attempt to stop her.

It was hard to walk on the lakeshore. Moreover, she had just lost her hand and bled a lot of blood. This was her weakest moment, but she walked very steadily. She most likely did not want to add any new variables to the situation.

After a while, she arrived in front of Chen Changsheng and the others.

Qi Jian took two steps forward and offered an arm in support.

On that beautiful face appeared a strand of shame and defiance.

Qi Jian realized what he was doing, then with some mumbling, withdrew his hand and stood to the side.

Chen Changsheng nodded at Zhexiu.

Zhexiu withdrew his sharp claws and grabbed the shoulder of that demon woman, preparing to return her to the demon couple.

A change.

A change that was absolutely going to happen.

A change that several people had been waiting in silence to happen for a long time.

In this moment, it finally happened.

The first place to change was at Zhexiu's location. Just as he was about to toss the demon woman into the air, that dying demon woman who had seemed ready to drop dead at any moment suddenly opened her eyes.

Her two legs chopped towards Zhexiu's throat like two swords suffused with a cold light.

Blood was still flowing from the hole in her throat, and it still dripped from her severed wrist.

From the time she had been suppressed, she had not said a single word. Everyone had thought that she had no more strength to fight.

No one had imagined that she was waiting for that instant in which Zhexiu removed his claws from her throat.

The next change occurred in front of Qi Jian.

Just as he was mumbling and turning his body, the shame on that female disciple from a secluded sect from the east disappeared, and there was only indifference.

A frigid sword pierced through her robe. Carrying a terrifying Qi, it was thrust toward Qi Jian's throat.

The robe was originally Qi Jian's.

She had exploited Qi Jian's kindheartedness and courtesy.

The changes had begun, but naturally this was not all.

Qi Jian did not turn around. He seemed totally unprepared, about to die under this woman's sneak attack, but then a bright sword glow emerged.

The Mount Li Relic Sword.

Fair and honest, but absolutely not gentle. It carried an austere aura.

Although he was small and thin, Qi Jian's sword carried a massive Qi.

How could the crafty sneak attack overcome Qi Jian's accumulated power, his heartless and shameless sword?

Qi Jian's Mount Li Relic Sword flew towards the sword in the woman's hand, whistling through the air. With a swish, a line of blood appeared on her neck.

If that woman's movement techniques had not been so strange, and if Qi Jian's battle experience was not so sparse, then perhaps his sword would have beheaded that woman.

Even Qi Jian had prepared for a sneak attack, so there was no need to discuss about whether Zhexiu had.

As that demon woman's two legs chopped towards him like swords, Zhexiu's hands were already waiting for them in the air.

Several muffled squelches resounded like a knife chopping onto a rotten, wooden board.

Zhexiu's ten fingers had all buried themselves into that demon woman's ankles, causing blood to spurt out.

The demon woman gave a miserable cry of anger.

Zhexiu's expression was indifferent. He extracted his fingers, then his body vanished. His two hands fell from the air, prepared to tear this woman to pieces.

Just at this moment, Teng Xiaoming put down his carrying pole, removed the two ropes that kept the baskets tied to the pole, and swung them around.

As if they were alive, the two ropes wrapped around the two women.

With a whoosh, those two women were narrowly pulled out of the range of Qi Jian and Zhexiu's attacks.

That woman who had been feigning as a disciple of a secluded sect in the east maintained her indifferent and dignified expression, like a noble daughter. Only this time, half her chest was stained with blood, making her seem quite miserable.

The demon woman was even more miserable. From the time where she was combing her hair on the rock, she had suffered injury after injury. She could no longer hold on and directly collapsed onto the ground.

With a shashing, Chen Changsheng's dagger was sheathed.

Liang Xiaoxiao’s sword had been unsheathed and rested in his hand.

The previous sneak attack and counterattack had happened too fast. Although they had prepared, they still did not have time to unsheathe their weapons.

It must be said that Teng Xiaoming was truly worthy of his title as the twenty-fourth demon general. In terms of foresight, knowledge, experience, and strength, he was far above the humans present.

The lakeshore once again grew quiet.

That demon woman sat gasping for breath on the ground, not caring that she was stark naked. She stared hatefully at Chen Changsheng and the others, saying, "I won't accept this."

The woman wearing Qi Jian's robe arched her brows, an annoyed expression appearing on her face. "Don't mind this stupid thing. How did you see through me?"

The demon woman angrily replied, "Are you calling me a stupid thing?"

The woman shook her head, as if she was unwilling to pay her any attention. Looking at Qi Jian, she asked, "How did you know that I would attack you?"

Qi Jian glanced at Zhexiu and said, "I didn't know, he told me."

The woman turned towards Zhexiu and arched her brows. "Then how did you see that I was Nanke?"

Hearing the name Nanke, Zhexiu's expression became very grave. Observing her in silence, he confirmed once more and shook his head, "You're not Nanke......I said before, if you were Nanke, then none of this would be necessary. You could directly come out and kill us, no need for any of these troublesome and annoying plans."

The woman creased her brow, "Then how did you see through it? I don't have any demon horns, and my blood is red."

That demon woman's ability to recover was truly frightening. After suffering such severe injuries, she only needed to sit for a few moments before standing up once more. Her face was filled with anger as she said, "Right! So what if my blood is green, I spent a few days making a new haircut and cut off too much, so I couldn't completely hide my demon horns. It's nothing if you saw my mistake. But what about this girl? Her blood is clearly red with no horns to be seen, so how could you tell that she was one of us?"

Chen Changsheng and the others all turned to Zhexiu, not knowing how he had seen through it.

After a long period of silence, Zhexiu replied, "You did it too purposefully, as if you wanted us to see that her blood was red."

Zhexiu referred to how the demon general couple had, without a word, cut off that woman's hand.

Liu Wan'er glanced over at the woman and smiled. "See, I told you that your way of doing things was more than necessary."

The woman gave Zhexiu a bewildered look. "Just this reason? No other evidence?"

When life and death are on the line, a single reason is enough." Zhexiu impassively replied.

The woman grew even more annoyed at those words. She thought that she had spent so much time painstakingly developing this stratagem, but why was the plan completely useless against these humans? She thought to herself.

The demon woman looked at her and jeered, "See, I said that your head wasn't that bright, yet every day you stubbornly insist that I'm the stupid one."

The woman expressionlessly said, "If you weren't the stupid one, then you wouldn't have snuck away to make a futile attempt at one person killing two."

Chen Changsheng and the others all felt very strange.

That demon woman was extremely enchanting. Her entire body presented a mature and charming view. The other woman's expression was dignified, and her appearance was beautiful. She seemed like a noble daughter that had been strictly raised since childhood. Yet when these two teased and bickered with each other, they seemed very similar, almost like they were the same person.

Qi Jian felt even stranger. This was his first time seeing demons and his first time fighting with them. He realized that these demons also knew how to bicker and quarrel, just like his fellow sisters and brothers back in the sect. However, he soon realized, after sobering up, that this way of thinking was far too dangerous.

What had caused him to sober up was the transformation of these two women.

Their hands which had been chopped off suddenly grew back.

It was not anything frightening as regrowing flesh and bone, but instead, at their wrists appeared a translucent, light-green hand.

Moreover, the seemingly spiritual hand was gradually becoming real.

Chen Changsheng was truly amazed. Although the recovery abilities of the demon body were truly great, no one other than the pure-blooded imperial clan could regenerate limbs.

Not to mention the fact that this clearly was not a unique demon art for regenerating limbs.

Zhexiu finally thought of something, and his face suddenly paled.

These two demon women indeed were not Nanke, they were.......Nanke's two wings.

"Have you two played enough?" Liu Wan'er looked at the two women and said helplessly, "If you two weren't competing with each other on every little thing, we probably could have finished everything that we need to do today a long time ago. Be careful, or when the Lady comes back from killing the true phoenix and discovers what you've done, she'll give you three years of punishment. Then we'll see what you do."

At these words, fear appeared on the two demon women's faces and they said no more.

Liu Wan'er turned to Chen Changsheng and gave an apologetic smile, then said, "Do it."

Her black hair floated in the air and her sleeves madly moved about.

There was no sneak attack this time, only the use of strength to fight. However, it gave Chen Changsheng and the others a massive pressure instead.

Qi Jian grasped his sword, and his expression was cold and without fear.

Zhexiu remained expressionless. With his metallic and sharp claws, he once again attacked the demon woman.

The Qi at the lake shore was thrown into chaos, with sword Qi and demon Qi mixing together.

Chen Changsheng looked at Liu Wan'er, and his expression was grave.

Liang Xiaoxiao stared at Teng Xiaoming. His face was slightly pale.

In terms of cultivation, the two of them were higher than Zhexiu and Qi Jian, so it was only right for their opponents to be the two demon generals.

In this battle, these young cultivators could still fight back. If they could fight, it meant that a loss was not guaranteed.

Maybe the Black Dragon could even bring back an expert to help?

This was Chen Changsheng's plan, but he was wrong in one matter.

When Liu Wan'er had said "Do it", it actually was not aimed at him, but at someone else.

Amidst the flying sand and stones, a sword approached Zhexiu from behind.

The sword was very powerful and very insidious.

No matter how vigilant Zhexiu was, he would never have imagined that a sword would pierce him from behind.

With a squelch, that sword pierced his waist.

Blood began to spurt out.

In these few breaths of time, the demon woman flew over to his side.

Her hands glowed a dim green, then pierced his shoulder.

Her black hair scattered like needles that pierced towards his eyes.

At the brink of death, Zhexiu gave an extremely ruthless howl.

This wolf youth's eyes suddenly turned blood red.