The Steward Demonic Emperor

Chapter 1091: Choice

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[What?!]

Qiao’er shuddered, looking between Zhuo Fan’s frozen figure in ice and young Sanzi on the snow, barely breathing. 

“He-he-he, what’s there to think about, little Thunder Phoenix?”

Sea Ao’s bewitched, “You said it yourself, there are only five great sacred beasts, that we’re a family. The Qilin will die along with this young Qilin. While this filthy human has been using you. It’s obvious then. You only have to nod and I will make mince meat out of his corpse. Then the Qilin can be saved, ha-ha-ha…”

Qiao’er gave a stiff shake, her eyes turning red as she choked, “No, he’s my father. I don’t want him to die.”

“I take it you’ll be saving the human over the Qilin?”

Sea Ao’s snicker once again echoed, having a blast in her torment and weaving deceit, “Then take the human while I’ll have young Qilin for dinner, he-he-he…” 

“How could you? You’re a sacred beast too. How can you harm brother…”

“And you aren’t? Why then do you choose a human over him?”

“I…”

Qiao’er was stuck, unable to reply as she looked between her father and brother with pain and sorrow.

Whoosh~

Four figures then flashed in her eyes, led by the best in mortal domain, the Invincible Sword. 

Looking at the prevalent white and the boundless ice, Baili Yuyun was baffled, “That’s strange, we’ve been running around the mist forever. Where did we end up this time? Why is there a world in the black mist? Patriarch, do you know anything about this place?”

“It feels familiar. I seem to have heard about it once.”

Baili Yutian frowned, looking just as puzzled at the ice and snow, but then he noticed someone.

He shot straight for Qiao’er with Sword Kings in tow.

“Lass, why are you alone? Where’s Sir Zhuo?”

Qiao’er’s lip quivered, pointing with bleary eyes and a frail voice, “There.”

The four flinched as they saw Zhuo Fan encased in ice.

[What on earth? What happened to Sir Zhuo? And…] 

They then looked down and noticed the sea ice below them holding scores of bodies.

Baili Yuyun turned to Qiao’er in panic, “Girl, you wanted to come here, right? Then you must know where we are!” 

“D-dad called it Ice Mountain.” Qiao’er strained to speak through her pain, “It’s what everyone is calling it.”

[One of the three danger zones, Ice Mountain?]

Sss~

Baili Yuyun gasped, his heart stuck in his throat as the news scared the life out of him.

Anyone knew that no one came out of the three danger zones alive, and now they ran into one.

The three Sword Kings were now tearing up as well, lamenting their fate. That was why the brash and cocky lass turned so meek and distraught. Anyone would cry in this heaven forsaken place.

The Invincible Sword found his predicament amusing though, “Ha-ha-ha, I’ve been roaming around for thousands of years and yet never stumbled upon any danger zone, only now ran into it. Though what makes this place so bad to be called a danger zone?”

“Lass, what’s so dangerous about it?”

Baili Yuyun got the hint and turned to ask Qiao’er. In such a bad place, being in the dark as to what might attack them was the biggest danger.

Qiao’er sniffed, pointing at Zhuo Fan.

In other words, ‘that’s the danger, so watch it.’

Baili Yuyun bobbed his head and asked, “How did Sir Zhuo turn up like that?”

From the looks of it, the Ice Mountain made it very easy for one to end up sealed.

[The problem is how.]

Qiao’er was the only one to see it happen to Zhuo Fan and so the Sword Kings got over their rivalry and asked.

“Humph, it’s obviously the work of that wretched Heaven Sealing Sea Ao!”

“Heaven Sealing Sea Ao, the hell is that?”

“The North Sea demon.” Qiao’er rolled her eyes with a huff.

The three exclaimed.

[The sea demon sealed the crafty punk!] 

Baili Yutian’s eyes shone, the thirst for battle reignited. he looked around and shouted, “Sea demon, I’ve long heard of you and have come for a challenge!”

“Patriarch…”

The Sword Kings looked tense at Invincible Sword, sweat trickling down their brow.

The sea demon was famed for its savagery and challenging it before knowing its strength was ill-advised. 

[Patriarch, you just finished fighting a 9th level imperial beast and are exhausted. You’ll only be worse for wear if it turns out the sea demon is to be at the same level.]

[Best you rest a couple of days then challenge again for best chances…] 

The strong had a powerful drive to challenge the stronger. The Invincible Sword was called such because he had been through countless deadly fights, but always prevailing.

Where was the challenge in fighting a winning battle?

The old guy had a nasty temper too, eager to throw himself into the fray against the sea demon, regardless of its power, “Sea demon, I’m the strongest in the five lands, the Invincible Sword. Show yourself now, or are you afraid? Ha-ha-ha, then you should be running back to the sea, not coming to shore!” 

“Hi-hi-hi, yokels are the most ignorant.”

Sea Ao’s creepy voice crackled, “I’d have turned all you humans to pieces if it weren’t for that heaven-sealing barrier. Now someone comes to run their mouths? You have a death wish!”

Baili Yutian’s eyes shone, resolved to fight no matter what, “Anyone can talk, but hardly anyone can put their money where their mouth is and fight me. Stop hiding like a coward and yap along. That’s the way of the weak!”

“You call yourself strong? Hi-hi-hi…”

Heaven Sealing Sea Ao laughed louder, “Foolish human, if you’re strong, the crickets and bugs ought to kill themselves in shame, ha-ha-ha…”

Baili Yutian turned cold, brandishing the Sundering Sword as he shouted, “Sea demon, enough talking. Show your face if you dare, so I can kill you!”

“The Sundering Sword?”

The sea demon cried, “So that’s why, you’re the Sundering Sword’s successor.”

Baili Yutian spoke coldly, “I’ve been using the Sundering Sword’s art for thousands of years, reaching perfection. Scared?” 

“Ha-ha-ha, scared? That swordsmanship can’t harm me. The scared one should be little Thunder Phoenix. The five sacred weapons might look intimidating but they hold no sway in my domain. Human, you shouldn’t have brought it along, hi-hi-hi…”

Baili Yutian was perplexed.

“He-he-he, so you don’t know. The sword is divine, but your strength is unable to unleash its potential. For the divine swords to restrain us, they need sacred stones. Now, you no longer have that chance!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Baili Yutian shouted.

Rumble~

The world shook and the distant mountains of ice and snow crumbled. It was like an omen, that a demon was clawing its way out of hell.

“You’ll be staying here, along with the sword, hi-hi-hi…”

The rumbling grew more intense, like the world was about to crumble. Even Baili Yutian began to sweat, his heart seizing. 

Outside the domain, Ouyang Lingtian, Murong Lie and Shangguan Feixiong used their divine swords as lanterns to ward off the black mist that prevented them from advancing, each shining in its own light.

The three had red faces and gnashed their teeth, their body stretched taut as they strained themselves. 

With a sudden boom, the entire mist exploded, the shockwave flung back the trio and shook their insides till they coughed blood. The divine swords fell from their hands and into the mist.

“Our swords!”

They cried to no avail. The swords were gone and they were too weak to chase. They were helpless to even stop the shockwave from sending them into buildings until they fainted…