Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)
chapter-985

Chapter 985 – The Sword Descends into a Thousand Piles of Snow

The Imperial City was built along the mountain and had extremely steep slopes. The observation platform was located at the highest point and was very far from the square in front of the Imperial City. The massive rock that had broken off from Whalefall Platform was rolling down the slopes with a terrifying momentum, crushing countless walls and fake mountains on the way, but there was still some time before it smashed against the ground.

Upon hearing the thunderous booming, many people turned up to look. Their faces instantly went ghastly white and they turned to flee. But the crowd was packed and it was no easy task to promptly escape to safer ground. Screams, yells, curses, and sobbing quickly turned the plaza into a scene of complete mayhem.

The sounds of Whalefall Platform collapsing and the ensuing cries and screams could also be heard on the observation platform.

Many ministers and generals were frozen from shock. They had no time to react, much less resolve the imminent tragedy.

On the other hand, those true experts who were in time to react and had the ability to save those people did not react at all.

They remained fixated on the icy cloud, all their attention on those intermittent sword glows.

The massive rock that had broken off from Whalefall Platform would lead to the death of hundreds of civilians in front of the Imperial City, but to these important figures, this was a minor matter.

The outcome of this battle was the truly important event, because it would decide the lives of millions.

Suddenly, the bright sword cries vanished and winds blew in from all directions, dispersing the icy cloud.

The swords flew out from the depths of the cloud, returning to Chen Changsheng and Luoluo, where they vibrated and buzzed.

Who had won?

Chen Changsheng’s face was somewhat pale and there was an extremely shallow cut behind his left ear, the congealed blood there holding his hair in place. In the daylight, a few black stains could be seen in the short and shallow wound, most likely crystallized Demon Breath. However, they had been wrapped up in some sort of substance and were now glistening.

The Demon Lord was in a somewhat sorrier state.

The golden loop tying his hair had been chopped into ten-some pieces and his hair was now scattered, drifting in the air behind him.

Five tears had been made on his clothes, straight and deep. Just a glance was enough to see that they had been inflicted by a sword.

Only one of these tears had blood seeping out, a golden syrup that was still striking, even in the gloomy light.

The pear tree had been rendered into tiny chunks by Chen Changsheng’s swords. Scattered about the ground by the wind, they became one with the dust, impossible to distinguish.

Standing on the now-empty ground, the Demon Lord appeared somewhat desolate.

Had Chen Changsheng really won?

Just what sort of sword style was he using?

The demi-human experts viewing this battle were shocked to see this sight, and countless ideas bubbled forth in their minds over a few seconds.

Yes, Chen Changsheng had won this battle.

If not for the unfathomable tenacity of the Demon Lord’s body, he might have already been cut in two by the Stainless Sword.

Of course, the Demon Lord’s cultivation level and techniques were truly terrifying, and the storm of swords had not affected his vision in the slightest. His resolve was even more formidable, as he had taken extreme risks, enduring four of Chen Changsheng’s strikes to launch a furious counterattack that had wounded Chen Changsheng.

One could not underestimate that shallow wound near Chen Changsheng’s neck. The black stains in the wound were crystals formed from the Demon Lord’s purest Demon Breath. The moment they encountered flesh, they would begin to rapidly spread, just like sparks of fire setting an entire plain ablaze. Even an expert of the Divine Domain would have to immediately leave so that they could find a method of removing those Demon Breath crystals.

There was a nigh impassable distance between Chen Changsheng and the Divine Domain, so his death should have been assured. Fortunately, he had been born with a stainless constitution and then been bathed in dragon blood. Along with the fact that his body was bursting with the energy of Sacred Light and that his blood was mixed with the true blood of the Heavenly Phoenix, he had just the right factors to suppress the Demon Lord’s move.

The observation platform was as silent as a tomb, making the rumbling and cries from below all the more distinct.

The demi-human experts still paid it no mind. They stared at Chen Changsheng and the Demon Lord, stupefied. Their moods were somewhat complex as their minds gradually began to change.

The icy cloud had concealed the storm of swords and the peerless demon techniques, but how could the demi-human experts possibly not sense the danger and terror contained within?

Chen Changsheng and the Demon Lord were naturally two of the strongest in the younger generation.

But the level of cultivation, strength, and everything else they had displayed in this battle had still surpassed the wildest reckonings of the entire continent.

More importantly, this was a battle with historic consequences.

Neither Chen Changsheng nor the Demon Lord had entered the Divine Domain, but one was the Pope of the Human race while the other was the sovereign of the north. All of the continent firmly believed that as long as they were given enough time, they would cross that threshold. In other words, they were always, and would undoubtedly become in the future, true Saints.

They were soon to be rulers of this continent, their names recorded countless times in the annals of history. When they were still young, they had fought, and so the result of this battle would assuredly continue to affect the situation of the continent for centuries, constantly rewriting history.

Just what would happen next?

When the demi-human experts saw Chen Changsheng raise the Stainless Sword once more, they couldn’t help but suddenly feel a chill.

Was Chen Changsheng really planning to continue until he killed the Demon Lord? Would a finishing period have to be written on this span of history in advance?

When he saw Chen Changsheng raise his sword once more, the Demon Lord’s face paled, not out of fear, but anger.

Besides killing intent, he also saw a hint of ruthlessness in Chen Changsheng’s eyes.

Before the start of the battle, he believed that he could rely on his own abilities to kill Chen Changsheng.

So he had not prepared to use his strongest move.

Even with the Astral Executioner in hand, he still felt like that move was too vicious, that it was best left unused.

He had not expected Chen Changsheng’s cultivation of the sword to become so powerful in just a few short weeks.

Let alone killing him, even defeating him was now a challenge.

This made him feel greatly ashamed.

So he made a decision.

He gripped the hard and frigid object in his sleeve.

He waited for Chen Changsheng’s sword to slash down.

……

……

When the Demon Lord gripped the object in his sleeve, no one noticed anything strange.

The clouds gathering over White Emperor City began to move faster.

The massive rock was still rolling down, getting closer and closer to the ground. Countless demi-humans screamed and wept, powerless and hopeless as they waited for death to descend.

The Demon Lord was waiting for Chen Changsheng’s sword to descend.

Madam Mu’s expression turned grave.

Was it because of the object in the Demon Lord’s sleeve, or was it… because Chen Changsheng’s sword did not descend?

Yes, no one on the observation platform thought this would happen.

With a swoosh, countless swords flew out of the sheath in Chen Changsheng’s hands.

But those swords did not slash at the Demon Lord. They flew off the observation platform, into the clouds.

Those swords stirred the clouds, bringing away with them countless wisps, appearing somewhat like mists.

But they were more like lightning, because the swords were too fast. With the eyes, one could only see the bright trails they left in the sky.

Some people who saw this even had a misperception.

When these swords entered the mists, they were already in front of the Imperial City.

At that moment, the massive rock falling from the sky was still several dozen zhang away from the ground.

……

……

The weeping and screaming crowd that was fleeing in all directions gradually came to a stop.

Because they had stopped feeling the quaking, had stopped hearing the rumbling of the massive rock.

But there was no silence. Instead, an incessant grinding noise was coming from above them.

When they looked up at the sky, they stood in awe.

They saw a mystical sight.

The rock had stopped and was floating in the sky.

Countless swords like bolts of lightning were slashing at the bottom of the rock, and the sounds of hacking and slicing filled the air.

Those swords were too swift. In a few seconds, they had gone back and forth countless times.

Innumerable straight seams appeared on the rock. More and more appeared until it crumbled.

Fearful screams once more arose from the plaza.

……

……

Some people had been injured in the rush to escape. Unable to move, they were right under the massive rock.

A noble lady of the upper city was in absolute despair, looking very pitiful as she wept.

A Bear tribe laborer from the Pine Paths hugged her and put his sturdy back between her and the sky.

Just a moment ago, for the sake of throwing the chef of the steamed bun store out of the crowd, he had injured his leg, so it was too late for him to leave.

But no matter how sturdy his back was, it could not possibly bear the weight of the rock.

Even if he did hold the noble lady to protect her in his embrace, all that awaited was being crushed into a pulp together.

But in the final moments of one’s life, to have the warmth of an embrace, to feel some kindness, to grant some kindness, was still some comfort.

The fearful screams told the noble lady that the rock was about to descend and her weeping grew louder.

The laborer embraced her even tighter.

After some time, those fearful screams suddenly became the ecstatic cries that came from living through a disaster.

The noble lady gradually stopped crying and took a fearful glance at the sky.

The massive rock did not land.

Nor was there a torrential rain of shards.

Stone powder was gently drifting to the ground.

This stone powder was fine, light, white.

It looked like snow.

The Bear tribe laborer helped her up.

The noble lady was somewhat embarrassed.

In the drifting stone snow, the two met each other’s gaze.

When they thought of that intimate embrace, they both couldn’t help but feel a little awkward.

The noble lady softly said, “Thank you.”

The laborer scratched his head and said, “You’re welcome.”

The noble lady stared into his eyes and seriously said, “I want to marry you.”