Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)
chapter-975

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

From the start of the talks, it could be seen that the Deer tribe and the Carp tribe were standing on the Empress's side, supporting the alliance with the demons.

There were probably many ministers in the court, some elders, and a few generals who also took this stance.

So then, who would stand up and make their opposition known?

In terms of both seniority and prestige, the Xiang clan leader was the ideal choice.

Everyone knew that he was the White Emperor's most loyal subordinate, his most reliable companion. Perhaps it was for this reason that though the Empress's prestige had been constantly rising along the two shores of the Red River, he had never evinced much passion. Their relationship was always one of indifference.

Moreover, the Xiang clan leader had gone to visit the White Emperor several days ago. Although they had not met, it was said that they had communicated using their spiritual senses.

If the White Emperor disagreed with this matter, the Xiang clan leader would assuredly declare this. Some of the more astute tribal leaders thought that even if the White Emperor had not made his opinion known, occupied as he was in recovering from his injuries, it was completely acceptable for the Xiang clan leader to use the White Emperor's name to put a halt to this matter, or at least buy some time.

Under countless gazes, the Xiang clan leader opened his eyes and slowly stood.

A great mountain seemed to appear within the stone hall.

In this dim environment, the Xiang clan leader's eyes were incredibly bright.

His eyes carried with them the vicissitudes of time, a courage that feared nothing, and an intelligence that could see through all matters of this world.

Upon seeing these two eyes, many of the opposition, including the Bear tribe leader, felt greatly relieved.

But in the next moment, they heard something completely unexpected.

"I feel that this matter seems that it might be okay."

……

……

'Seems'.

'Might'.

These were very ambiguous words.

The Xiang clan leader's stance sounded rather ambiguous.

But in the current situation, that he chose this kind of words was the clearest possible stance!

The hall once more fell silent, the mood extremely oppressive.

The leaders of several small tribes even appeared afraid.

The Shi clan leader stared into the Xiang clan leader's eyes and said, "So it turns out that you really did have a relationship with Xuelao City."

He had expected to see this sight, but now that it had really taken place, he still found it difficult to suppress his shock.

Because there was no reason he could think of for the Xiang clan leader to stand on the Empress's side and support the alliance with Xuelao City.

The Xiang clan leader impassively replied, "You are wrong. All this complies with His Majesty's will."

Upon hearing this, the Shi clan leader slightly creased his brow. He seemed to want to say something more, but in the end, he said no more.

Those tribal leaders who furiously opposed the alliance with the demons, those generals who were already gripping the hilts of their blades, were all dumbstruck.

This was His Majesty's will?

The White Emperor clan had far too special a status along the two shores of the Red River. It was not just a matter of simple influence. Along with its considerable strength, it had a prestige that reached to the dome of the night sky and a status akin to that of gods.

No one dared to reveal the slightest disrespect to the White Emperor's name, let alone oppose it.

Madam Mu also had an extremely high prestige, but those tribal leaders and generals had been compelled by their anxiety into taking their blades and axes and filling the hall with their shouts of opposition.

If the White Emperor were here, would they dare do the same?

They would not.

Even if the Xiang clan leader was only communicating the White Emperor's will…

Still no one would dare to voice their opposition.

Even if those tribal leaders and generals still could not make the turn, they were still bursting with unwillingness, even shame.

But everything had its exception.

Today, the Demi-human race faced its most important turning point in the last one thousand years.

So for a few unexpected things to occur was only right.

After so many years, the majesty of the White Emperor finally received its first challenge.

The Bear tribe leader stood and stared into the Xiang clan leader's eyes as he asked, "Why?"

He was not asking about why the Xiang clan leader stood with the Empress, because the reason had already been given: this was His Majesty's will.

The Bear tribe leader was asking, why had His Majesty agreed to the alliance with the demons?

At any other time, for any other matter, just this one word would have ended with him being sent into the Celestial Tree to have his body burned to ashes by the Wildfire.

Today, it would not, because many demi-human personages thought the same and wanted to know the answer.

"This alliance has nothing to do with gain. It is only a method for the weak to contend against the strong. A thousand years ago, the Demon race was at its prime, wreaking havoc across the continent. For my race to survive, we could only ally with the Human race. But power easily shifts as time passes, and now the Human race has grown strong, their ambitions flourishing along with their strength. The ally of my race naturally has to change as well."

This grand event certain to change the history of the continent seemed very casual and ordinary in Madam Mu's flat and emotionless voice, making it seem all the more matter-of-fact.

The demi-human personages within the stone hall silently pondered these words. They realized that though this statement was simple and crude, its reasoning was incredibly hard to overturn.

"So we must make old enemies allies and aim our weapons at former comrades?"

The Bear tribe elder was silent for a while, then shook his head. "I cannot do it."

On the battlefields of the snowy plains, he had fought alongside Xue He and other Divine Generals of the Great Zhou. They had developed an excellent rapport, developing friendships on the battlefield in which they were willing to die together. He found it impossible to imagine that a day would come in which he would need to lead an army to fight those fellows, where they would have to massacre each other.

Madam Mu answered, "Such is history, monotonous and tedious, even ugly at times, but only this way can history continuously push forward. By no means will it be so dismal as the end of the country and the extermination of the race, but if the demons are destroyed, it will be our turn. You are all great demi-humans of extraordinary wisdom, so how can you not understand this point?"

The Shi clan leader suddenly said, "Is this way of thinking not overestimating the strength of the Human race?"

Madam Mu's gaze fell upon the great demi-human who represented the strongest faction of the southern lands and asked, "What do you want to say?"

The Shi clan leader explained, "Even if the venerable Daoist Shang Xingzhou has the ambition to unite the continent, everyone knows that he is the executor of Emperor Taizong's final wish, so how could he overturn the pact Emperor Taizong established with us? More importantly, he first has to resolve the internal problems of the Human race. I do not believe he will be able to survive to that day."

The Deer tribe Grand Duke arched his brows and asked, "Do you really think that the Li Palace will win?"

The Shi clan leader said, "At the very least, I cannot say that the Li Palace will lose."

The Grand Duke jeered, "Even if the Li Palace wins, will the ambitions of the Human race fade away?"

The Shi clan leader calmly returned, "His Holiness the Pope has always had a good relationship with my race, and he certainly does not have the ambitions of his teacher."

"Let us not speak about whether Shang Xingzhou might lose, and we do not need to think about His Holiness's stance towards my race. I only wish to remind everyone."

The Grand Duke coldly said, "If they have just been acting these last few years, what then?"

The mood in the stone hall shifted once more.

'A temple of Xining rules the world.' This saying had already spread across the entire continent.

The Grand Duke's words were also on the mind of many other important individuals. This was because whether it was in White Emperor City or Xuelao City or even in the human capital or the sects of the south, countless people could not understand why the relationship between Shang Xingzhou and Chen Changsheng, this master and disciple, had reached this point.

At this moment, Madam Mu spoke of a very important matter.

"Wang Zhice is still alive."