Ze Tian Ji

Edited by: Michyrr

’Jun’ could be a name, could be a surname, but in most occasions, it was a form of address1.

Of the heavens and earth, the lord, the parents, and the teacher, it was the one right in the middle.

The young man in the bamboo hat was a demon and called himself ’lord’, so his status was obvious.

He was the Demon Lord.

The stone hall was absolutely silent.

In truth, a clap of thunder was booming in everyone’s minds.

The power of this thunder was so frightening that it stunned all of the Imperial City into silence, stunned the pear blossoms so that they did not dare to fall.

Other than the solitary figure of the young man, the observation platform remained deserted and cheerless, but other places were already restless.

One could spy the swift-moving figures of the Beast Guard all around the Imperial City.

One could spy the banners of the cavalry all around the Imperial City.

The Imperial City was quickly surrounded.

The seal across the two shores of the Red River was silently activated.

Even an expert of the Divine Domain would find it very difficult to leave.

So why was the young Demon Lord still so calm?

......

......

The atmosphere in the stone hall was extremely oppressive as flames danced in the minds of the demi-human personages.

Their gazes fell on the highest point in the front of the hall.

Even now, Madam Mu remained silent.

The Shi clan leader slowly narrowed his eyes, making them seem like the golden willows one would occasionally find in the upper reaches of the Red River, but more like the famous slender blades that could be found in the southern lands of the demi-human domain.

The true identity of the young demon had truly given him a great shock, but most concerning to him was still the activity within the hall.

He had expected Madam Mu’s silence, but why was the Xiang clan leader also so quiet?

Was it really possible? Then this was worse than the worst situation he and Xiaode had imagined!

At this moment, a demi-human general stood up and sternly shouted, "Empress, please permit this general to kill this enemy!"

These words shattered the silence of the stone hall, tearing open the oppressive atmosphere. The dancing flames were gradually about to turn into a real wildfire.

More ministers, generals, and even several tribal leaders stood up, angrily shouting at the Empress seated at the highest point.

"Kill him!"

"Empress, kill him!"

Furious roars echoed through the vast confines of the stone hall, spreading to the observation platform and beyond.

All of the Imperial City could probably hear these words.

Deep within the mountains, the nine Celestial Trees began to release an even hotter and fiercer Qi, perhaps a sign of the ancestral spirits’ fury.

Madam Mu continued to quietly sit on the highest seat, giving no answer.

The one to reply to these words was the Demon Lord himself.

Though wave after wave of calls to kill him emerged from the hall, he remained expressionless, his voice flat.

"Why must you kill this lord? Because of this lord’s identity and background? Because of the thousand-year grudges between the two races? The thousand-year grudges arise from the tyranny and humiliation my Divine race inflicted on the Demi-human race, but what does that have to do with me? I am still very young and was not even born back then, so these accounts cannot be forced on me."

The calls to kill gradually faded away, after which came the enraged roar of a demi-human general.

A somewhat complicated smile appeared on the Demon Lord’s wan face. It was hard to tell whether it was one of ridicule at others, or ridicule at himself.

"Yes, the one who tyrannized you, humiliated you, slaughtered you, was my father. It’s not wrong to say that the son should pay the debts of the father, but all of you seem to have forgotten something. All of you loathe my father the most, and I was the one that killed him, so from a certain standpoint, shouldn’t you be thanking me?"

......

......

The atmosphere in the stone hall was once more oppressed, just like the gloomy light.

Other than Xiaode and Jin Yulu, who could not be present for various reasons, all the important figures of the Demi-human race were present.

They could decide all matters regarding the Demi-human race.

But what they would do today would be one of the most important decisions made in the entire history of the Demi-human race.

So they were very nervous and uneasy. There were even some tribal leaders and ministers who felt burdened by an endless confusion and dread.

For a very long time, nobody spoke within the quiet hall. The only sound was breathing, silent as a mystery; breathing, heavy as the mountains.

The scent of mountain fruits and scholar tree candles was completely replaced by the stench of sweat mixed with fur.

The scholar tree candles were gradually extinguished, but the lanterns on the stone wall were not lit. Only the faint light of the Night Pearls illuminated those countless faces and all their shifting expressions.

Madam Mu flickered in and out of the dim light, as dark as the night.

The Xiang clan leader remained silent, as indistinct as a mountain in the darkness.

A piece of paper several zhang wide floated in the stone hall, looking like some sort of belt.

This was the thin book that the Demon Lord had sent into the hall.

Countless gazes fell on its surface, upon which the sound of breathing grew even heavier.

This signified tension and excitement, symbolized ambition and greed.

......

......

The Demon Lord was very young, and his words and actions could not be described as shrewd, but they were strangely persuasive.

Whether or not the demi-human personages believed him, they had to admit that he had started these talks very candidly.

A hatred as deep as the sea existed between the demi-humans and demons, but the tragic past of humiliation and slaughter was now a story from one thousand years ago.

Today, no one within the Imperial City had personally experienced this period. Although the hatred had persisted, this did not mean that it would always be impossible to dispel.

Even if it could not be dispelled, it truly had little to do with the young Demon Lord.

Then could they temporarily put their grudges aside and consider a few more important concerns?

Like gains and safety?

The conditions offered by the demons were too excellent.

The demi-humans would gain too much.

This already exceeded their imaginations.

Even the most irascible of the tribal leaders, the generals who loathed the demons most, could only remain silent in the face of these conditions.

This did not mean that they were willing to accept the demons’ conditions, just that they were seeking better ways to respond.

The sincerity of the demons was also very difficult to question.

Because the Demon Lord had personally come to White Emperor City, and he had come alone.

This meant that he could be killed at any moment.

In these circumstances, no one could say anything.

Crucially, it was now evident that the Empress had known of this matter the entire time. Perhaps this had even been arranged by her.

More and more gazes left the map of the snowy plains and looked to Madam Mu.

Only at this moment was the true appearance, the goal, of the Heavenly Selection revealed.

The rumor that Madam Mu intended to marry Princess Luoluo to the Second Prince of the Great Western Continent had turned out to be a smokescreen.

From the start, Madam Mu had intended to marry Princess Luoluo to the young Demon Lord outside.

The goal of the marriage between two Imperial clans was naturally the alliance between two races.

Such a grand event naturally had to be concealed from the Human race until it succeeded, which had led to all those events.

But... did His Majesty think the same?

But... they were demons!

Did they really have to forget the grudges of the past and the blood spilt by the tribal warriors in these last few years?

Did they really have to betray their ally, the Human race, which they had fought side by side with for a thousand years?

Many tribal leaders and generals could not accept this.

Their gazes fell on the mountainous figure at the front of the hall.

This was the Chief Elder of the Council of Elders.

In their view, only the Xiang clan leader, the oldest and most renowned amongst them, could stand up and lead all of them in putting a stop to this matter.

______________

1. ’Jun’, 君, means ’lord’. It is also the ’Jun’ of ’Qiushan Jun’.