Ze Tian Ji

Chapter 969 – Before the Lonely Mountain

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Bie Yanghong looked at the sight outside the room, his gaze focusing.

That short figure exuding that foul and cold Qi seemed to cultivate the foulest methods in the world, but why did this Qi seem a little familiar?

But at this moment, there was no need to ponder these things.

"We are people foreordained to die, while that child is still young. Moreover, he has something very important to do today, so he cannot be disturbed."

Bie Yanghong was addressing Chusu's confusion.

Wuqiong Bi had no mind for such things. She spat at Chusu, "Just what sort of monster are you?"

Chusu smiled, but said nothing.

His smile was unpleasant to the eye and emanated a deep chill.

Wuqiong Bi became even more disgusted.

Bie Yanghong said, "I see the Qi from a senior on you. Could it be that he really did cultivate such a wicked technique?"

Chusu said nothing to this, though he seemed to be thinking of something.

After a while, he shook his head, ceasing his pursuit of those matters.

"I know that the two of you are very powerful. Even though you are both heavily injured and she has lost an arm and a great deal of blood, your final counterattack is still not something I can take. Thus I will not approach you. I will use the steadiest and most serious of methods to slowly and cautiously kill you."

Chusu added, "And then I will eat you to see if I can add to my skills."

Wuqiong Bi was infuriated at these words, shouting, "What nonsense is this madman saying!"

"I am speaking seriously," Chusu said. "The method I cultivated mentioned such a possibility, though no one has ever tried it."

Bie Yanghong recalled a certain rumor and his expression chilled. "You truly do cultivate the Yellow Springs Flow."

Chusu did not react too much to having his cultivation method exposed. He continued to stand outside the room.

The toxic fog gradually crept towards them.

The crystals on the floor lost their last luster and the wooden pagodas faltered at the assault, cracking as they toppled.

Countless scraping noises could be heard as thousands of mice rushed out of the ground and into the courtyard, quickly covering the white stones.

These mice were covered in dirt and grease, their fur withered, their tiny eyes suffused with blood. It was an eerie sight.

Both the sight and the sound caused one's hair to stand on end.

Chusu stared at Bie Yanghong and Wuqiong Bi, his eyes also turning bloody red, his smile eerie and horrifying.

He raised his right hand pointed forward.

Countless mice squealed as they charged past him and into the room.

Wuqiong Bi's face went ghastly white as she hid behind Bie Yanghong and screamed.

"Quickly kill these monstrous things!"

……

……

A gasp of surprise could be heard in front of the Imperial City.

This was soon followed by many more.

The gasps of surprise joined together, gradually turning into the roar of a sea.

Even after the crowd was slightly pacified, the plaza was still buzzing.

Buzzing with the chatter of conversation.

Just a moment ago, a piece of shocking news had been delivered.

Xiaode and the He clan expert Xialuo had formally announced their withdrawal from the Heavenly Selection ceremony!

The ceremony had already reached its last phase, just a step from the final victory, supreme glory, and a beautiful future, but now participants were withdrawing?

This was especially bewildering in Xiaode's case—he was a true expert of the front ranks of the Proclamation of Liberation who was viewed optimistically by all of the demi-human populace. No matter how domineering Xuanyuan Po had appeared two days ago or how mysterious was the young man in the bamboo hat, Xiaode's status in the hearts of the populace was unshakable, and yet he had also withdrawn?

But why?

No matter how much the crowd speculated, Xiaode and the He clan expert had already withdrawn.

No one knew that from start to finish, the Heavenly Selection ceremony had been under Madam Mu's control.

The only surprise, or perhaps regret, was that Xuanyuan Po was not dead.

In her view, Chusu was far stronger than Xuanyuan Po, and coupled with the bizarre and insidious nature of the Yellow Springs Flow technique, Xuanyuan Po should have had zero chance of survival.

Just what had happened last night? Why had the lower city remained silent? Had the little monster not dared to strike?

Madam Mu stood at the railing, her hands held behind her as she calmly gazed at White Emperor City.

She drew back her gaze from that district along the Red River and looked towards the plaza in front of the Imperial City.

From this height, the crowd on the plaza looked like a pack of ants.

Was this the feeling of looking down on the world?

She remained expressionless, though the slight curve in her lip seemed to contain a great deal of derision and exhaustion.

The pack of ants suddenly moved, as if parted into two by some invisible power.

Were they dividing into camps?

……

……

The spectating demi-humans had very naturally split into two camps.

Xuanyuan Po had far more people at his back than his opponent, a mass behind him so thick and vast that it packed the area around Heavensguard Pavilion.

His opponent was naturally the young man in the bamboo hat.

The young man stood across from him, before a few people with nothing better to do and some officials with rather complicated expressions.

Compared to Xuanyuan Po's momentum, he seemed rather lonely, even pitiful, but for some reason, he gave off nothing of the sort.

Perhaps it was because his demeanor was too calm, too routine.

He stood on the white stones, his hands hanging at his sides.

He said nothing, and did not adopt any postures, like folding his arms, holding his hands behind him, or staring off into the distant mountains.

But everyone who saw him would get the feeling that to this young man, everything in this world was just part of a routine.

Whether it was life and death, the Heavenly Selection, or this battle.

Xuanyuan Po also noticed this change.

The young man gave off a different feeling from the one he had given off for the past two days.

In the last two days, this young man was like a flower in the mist, its true appearance shrouded, easy to ignore.

Today, the fog had dispersed.

There had been no flower in the mist, only a lonely mountain.

Impossible to climb, difficult to approach.

……

……

Countless gazes fell on those two figures in front of the Imperial City.

The vast majority of the populace naturally supported Xuanyuan Po. Without mentioning his background, the thunderous momentum he had created with only his iron fist two days ago had attracted many ardent worshippers.

As for the young man in the bamboo hat, although he seemed enigmatic, his methods unfathomable, how could the unknowing populace possibly support him?

Xuanyuan Po thought differently from the populace.

They had just looked at each other.

But he knew that he was no match.

When a lonely mountain appeared in the world, what sort of scenery would not look ordinary?

The young man's cultivation level was far higher than his.

Let alone him, even if Xiaode had not withdrawn or Chen Changsheng had come, they still might not be guaranteed victory.

And then he recalled Bie Yanghong's words from last night. If his opponent really was from that snowy city in the north, what should he do?

"No matter what you want to do today, I will stop you."

He paused, then added, "Even if I have to die."