Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)-Chapter 1180: The Death of Black Robe

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

A smile of self-mockery appeared on Wang Zhice's lips, a hint of sorrow in his eyes.

On the night that Xuelao City had been broken, right after the threat of an invasion from the Sacred Light Continent had been resolved, he was now confronting an assault from four of humanity's Divine Domain experts.

"In Sir's view, this is probably a very sad affair, and so it is for me."

Chen Changsheng continued, "I have read Sir's notebook, and read many books about Sir. I truly hoped that I would not see Sir tonight, as only this way could you still remain a legend in my heart."

Wang Zhice released Black Robe's hands and walked down the steps. Calmly regarding the crowd, he said, "My apologies."

A voice suddenly broke the tension.

"I say… Can everybody just be a little bit more respectful to me? This is my home."

The Demon Lord took two steps forward and said, "Shouldn't I be the tragic hero tonight?"

Tang Thirty-Six thought of those letters and smiled. "Tragedies often originate from the ugly. You're still young and can't be considered ugly."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

After earnestly replying to Tang Thirty-Six, the Demon Lord turned to Black Robe and affectionately asked, "Are you truly intending to leave with this man?"

Black Robe slightly lowered her head as a miserable smile appeared on her face. Although her complexion was still that bizarre green, it still had a bewitching beauty.

The Demon Lord's eyes suddenly blazed. "I will not let you leave!"

Wind suddenly stirred. Without even seeming to move, Wang Zhice appeared back on the steps, his hand clasped around the Demon Lord's throat.

A magical artifact dropped to the Demon Lord's feet, shattering into powder.

He had been aiming this demon artifact at Black Robe just now, but before he could strike, Wang Zhice had seized him.

The Demon Lord's face was red and he almost couldn't breathe, but he was madly laughing.

Wang Zhice slowly released his hand, his complexion paling.

Black Robe toppled to the floor, already dead.

An ordinary sword had run through her body, destroying her Ethereal Palace.

A blue-clothed man gripped the sword.

This man had been concealed in the Demon Lord's shadow this entire time, waiting for the chance presented just now to suddenly strike.

Even though he had the Demon Lord's help, even though Wang Zhice's attention was focused on Wang Po and the others, it was no easy feat to kill someone in front of Wang Zhice. The blue-clothed man was certainly no ordinary assassin.

He was the world's number one assassin, Liu Qing.

Chen Changsheng and Wang Po glanced at each other.

All three of the people from Xunyang City's storm were present.

……

……

Just like that, Black Robe died.

Wang Zhice quietly stood in front of her, lost in thought.

In the end, he did nothing.

He hugged Black Robe's corpse and walked out of the Demon Hall, quickly vanishing from sight.

Tang Thirty-Six said to the Demon Lord, "Thanks."

The Demon Lord replied, "I said that I loved her. I can't share a birthday with her, so at least I can share a deathday."

Tang Thirty-Six said, "I can't stand you all."

The Demon Lord faintly smiled. "You won't have to in the future. Goodbye."

Chen Changsheng sincerely said, "Have a good journey."

Tang Thirty-Six struggled out of his wheelchair and said, "Take care."

Walking into the dark demon flames, the Demon Lord's body gradually returned to the void.

At the final moment, his face still had that smile: content, strange, and ambiguous.

……

……

Snow was falling, drifting chaotically across the night sky.

Those flecks of light were still drifting about the night sky like fireworks.

Wang Zhice left Xuelao City, holding Black Robe's body.

It was half a city of fireworks, half a city of snow.

On a distant snowy hill, a Black Goat quietly looked on.

……

……

Night would eventually pass. Dawn would inevitably come.

The rebel army was finally defeated, and fled the capital. The North-Pacifying Army joined with the Imperial Guard and began the pursuit.

Xuanyuan Po passed his authority to the human commander and stayed in the Orthodox Academy.

A night of bitter fighting had left even someone like him, half a step from the Divine, with many wounds. When he had been surrounded by the experts of the Tianhai clan, a large wound had been hacked out of his arm. At the time, his blood had flowed out like a waterfall, and even he felt it strange that he even now was not dizzy.

Of course, those Tianhai clan experts had all died to his metal sword.

When he thought about how it was precisely Tianhai Ya'er who had crippled him in the Ivy Festival all those years ago, it was hard for Xuanyuan Po to not feel somewhat emotional.

He knew that Tianhai Ya'er had died three years ago. Apparently, it had been from depression.

Entering the Orthodox Academy, he was greeted by the respectful gazes of the teachers and students, which made him rather uncomfortable.

The teachers and students of the Orthodox Academy were clearly treating him as a stranger.

But he was an old hand of the Orthodox Academy, had even held a position here.

The area around the library was much quieter, and that short wall had been dismantled. The small house remained in its original state. Other than Su Moyu, no other teacher or student was permitted to live within.

Those rooms were left for Zhexiu, Tang Thirty-Six, Chen Changsheng, and him.

There were many trees in front of the house, and there were more large trees here than in the forest near the Imperial Palace.

Xuanyuan Po felt both nostalgic and regretful.

In the past, he would often ram into the trees in that forest, but he didn't dare to now. A casual strike would cause the thickest tree to snap.

He walked to the opposite shore of the lake and saw that most familiar of buildings: the kitchen.

The kitchen from back then had been destroyed by Wuqiong Bi. This one had been built later on, but it was no different from its predecessor.

Xuanyuan Po walked into the kitchen. The pans, bowls, ladles, and pots made him think about how Chen Changsheng often demanded that he use less salt and oil, and then he felt like his mouth was so bereft of taste that a bird was about to come out of it. He then recalled how Tang Thirty-Six had eaten steamed blue lobster over rice many times, at which point he began to drool.

There was nothing to eat in the kitchen. It seemed like it was not used very often. Xuanyuan Po felt that this was rather unfortunate.

Before leaving, he quietly examined the neat pile of firewood for a while and then thrust his sword inside.

Many years ago, when he was cooking in this kitchen, he had developed this habit.

But today, he had no intention of retrieving the sword, because he wanted to learn from Tang Thirty-Six and Chen Changsheng.

Several decades later, maybe even several centuries, a new student of the Orthodox Academy being bullied would discover this sword. What sort of story would happen then?

Xuanyuan Po awaited this moment with great anticipation.

Upon hearing of this matter, Luoluo was also very interested and began to laugh.

The laughter quickly stopped. Her mood was not very good.

Last night had been very long. First her martial uncle the emperor had transformed into a sun. After that, her teacher had communicated with her from Xuelao City, asking her not to rashly move.

Just what had happened in Xuelao City? Since her martial uncle the emperor was so formidable, what could they still do in the capital?

"Was what we did meaningless?"

She stood on the great banyan tree and seriously asked Xuanyuan Po this question.

Xuanyuan Po was standing under the tree and was worried that the princess would fall. "Your Highness, it's been ten-some years since you've climbed this tree. Be careful not to slip."

Luoluo grimaced and then smoothly jumped over a forking branch. Walking to the end of the branch, she looked down into the lake.

Trees would grow, but their shape would not change too much.

"Principal said that the process is more important than the end, so I think… that our coming to the capital naturally has meaning."

Xuanyuan Po paused for a moment, then added, "I actually don't understand what these words mean."

"You really are a stupid black bear."

Luoluo noted.

Xuanyuan Po thought inwardly, if it weren't Your Highness but Tang Thirty-Six instead, I definitely wouldn't let this go.

Luoluo explained, "Teacher's meaning is very simple. We will all die, so our ends are foreordained. Thus, it's the process that's important."

Xuanyuan Po contemplated these words for a while. "These words do seem very reasonable."

Luoluo peered down into the lake and saw an extremely fat koi, though she didn't know if it was the one from back then.

The fat koi was slowly sinking to the bottom of the lake.

Suddenly, it waved its tail and cheerfully swam back to the surface of the lake, splashing water everywhere.

Luoluo happily laughed.

……

……

Many days later, Chen Changsheng's party returned to the capital.

The signs of battle were still evident on the streets. Many buildings had collapsed, and even the reception hall of the Divine General of the East's estate had been destroyed. Fortunately, no one had been hurt.

The restaurants of Hundred Flowers Lane were even worse off. Even after two bouts of autumn rain, smoke would still emerge from random places.

Chen Changsheng did not go to the Li Palace first. Instead, he went straight to the Orthodox Academy.

It hadn't been long since he had seen it, but he missed it dearly.

Luoluo was just about to rush into his bosom when she suddenly noticed that something was different about him. Her eyes went wide.

Chen Changsheng nodded.

Luoluo exclaimed and then quickly covered her mouth. Her eyes filled with joy.

Chen Changsheng laughed and rubbed her head.

Luoluo tilted her head, her eyes squinting. She was as adorable as a little tiger.

Chen Changsheng drew back his hand.

Luoluo was just about to resume her rush into her teacher's chest when she suddenly saw a flash of white clothes.

She hurriedly retracted her smile and solemnly said, "I have seen Teacher's wife."

……

……

Xu Yourong returned, Tang Thirty-Six returned, and Su Moyu, Chu Wenbin, and the other teachers and students had also returned.

Of course, there would always be some people that couldn't return.

Guan Feibai and Bai Cai did not go to the capital to meet up with Gou Hanshi, but chose to return straight to Mount Li.

When the disciples of Mount Li saw those funerary urns, they wept and then drowned themselves in alcohol for three days.

Qi Jian was also very anguished, as her senior brother Liang Banhu had died. But she did not drink, as she was not just anguished, but concerned as well.

Zhexiu had not returned.

He did not return to Mount Li, nor did he return to the Orthodox Academy, and the Wolf tribe had been seeking out any news of him on the grasslands.

No one knew where he was or if he was alive.

Chen Changsheng gazed at the tightly shut door and said, "He was even able to come out of Zhou Prison alive, so there's no reason for him to die like this."

Tang Thirty-Six replied, "I also think that he's still alive, because he still owes me a lot of money."

……

……

Xuelao City welcomed a bitter winter, with heavy snow falling every day.

Within the city, the resources left behind by the deceased nobles meant that life was manageable, but life outside the city was very difficult.

The human garrison maintained strict martial law within the city, but little attention was paid to the outside. One could only look to spring next year to see if any rations would be sent over.

In the northern region of the city was a hill. It was so thickly covered in snow that it was almost impossible to tell that this was once a graveyard.

Only the occasional black monolith poking out of the snow indicated this place's former purpose.

The snow suddenly shifted and began to bulge. As the snow toppled down, it revealed a person.

This person was dressed in shabby clothes, and the skin exposed outside the clothes was a vomit-inducing green. The thick scent of decay about this person made it difficult to distinguish this person as alive or dead.

If not for the harshly cold weather, the smell of this corpse would have spread very far.

This freak took up the snow and slowly cleaned their green body. They then found a black robe in the grave and put it over their body.

A raised hood could block out the wind and snow, could obscure one's eyes.

One could faintly see that this freak's eyes were extremely cold and indifferent.