Chapter 166: The Nanxi Zhai Sword Formation of One Man
The great figures before the palace had no idea about those scenes in the imperial city, nor did they know exactly what had happened, let alone that the massive boulder had been cleaved into a thousand piles of snow, potentially forging a romance between a bear clan laborer and a noble lady.
But they did know what the swords flying from Chen Changsheng's scabbard had done.
Silence fell around the viewing platform.
Chen Changsheng had won again.
The Demon Lord understood clearly, as did the great figures present, where his victory lay and the meaning of that word "again."
Madam Mu's expression remained indifferent, her thoughts unknown, while the faces of the Xiang clan chief and the Deer clan grand elder turned somewhat ugly.
The Bear clan chief felt gratified, believing he had not misjudged Chen Changsheng. The Shi clan chief was even more satisfied, thinking that at such a tense moment, His Holiness the Pope had not forgotten to use such means to solidify the friendship between humans and demons—truly meticulous in thought and decisive in action.
Chen Changsheng had not thought that far. He had simply noticed something and then acted.
Acting according to one's heart—where was the need for scheming?
Countless swords flew back from beyond the viewing platform, merging with the several hundred swords around him.
At that moment, a voice, indifferent and lofty as if from the sea of stars, rang out.
"Stop."
It was Madam Mu who spoke.
Chen Changsheng did not stop.
He wanted to kill the Demon Lord, and the Demon Lord wanted to kill him. Since life and death had not yet been decided, the battle was naturally not over.
Until the very end, there was no true victory or defeat.
The air on the viewing platform was sliced into countless fragmented zones by the dense and imposing sword intent.
The rainstorm-like sword momentum seemed ready to overturn the clouds in the sky.
The Starlight Snowfield burned fiercely within his body.
Waves hundreds of feet high surged through his sea of consciousness.
The swords in the sky, guided by his divine sense, executed countless exquisite sword techniques, coordinating with one another as they charged at the Demon Lord.
Like a rainstorm, the swarm of swords descended with clear, ringing cries, their momentum even greater than before.
Facing such a powerful attack, facing this sword technique that no one could see through, the Demon Lord's face showed no fear.
Even though he had already lost twice to Chen Changsheng's swords.
His expression was calm, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, hidden within his sleeves.
Only he knew that Madam Mu's earlier words were not directed at Chen Changsheng, but at him.
……
……
Because of the abyssal aura the Demon Lord had emitted during the earlier battle, White Emperor City had grown several degrees colder. The streets and alleys, which had only briefly been warmed by sunlight, once again filled with countless mists. Suddenly, those mists swirled rapidly and surged upward toward the city.
Madam Mu finally made her move.
She flicked her sleeve, and a wind came from the depths of the Western Sea, blowing all the mist from both sides of the Red River to this place.
Countless mists surged into the imperial city, climbed the stone steps, passed through the flowering trees, and arrived at the viewing platform, eventually condensing into clouds.
These were the most real clouds, yet they possessed an unreal density. Compared to the Demon Lord's cold clouds, these were whiter, resembling a flock of sheep, seemingly simple. But if one probed them with divine sense, they might understand what true unfathomability meant.
The white clouds swallowed the Demon Lord's figure and then blocked the rain of swords descending from the sky.
Silence fell over the viewing platform.
Chen Changsheng and the Demon Lord were, of course, extraordinary—in any other era, they would surely become true saints.
Madam Mu had already been a saint for many years.
Even if Chen Changsheng and the Demon Lord wielded the national treasure and the supreme demon artifact, they could not possibly be her match.
Moreover, she was the Empress of the demon race. During the time White Emperor was in seclusion, her will was the loudest voice among the demons.
Perhaps for these reasons, the Demon Lord did not resist, letting the white clouds engulf him.
Just before his figure vanished completely, his hands remained hidden in his sleeves.
Chen Changsheng also did not let the swords in the sky continue their descent.
In silence, time moved forward. A moment later, the white clouds on the viewing platform finally dispersed.
The Demon Lord's figure had vanished without a trace, gone somewhere deep within the clouds.
Chen Changsheng stared at a crack in the stone floor, lost in thought.
The magnificent sleeve slowly fell, the white clouds scattered, cascading like a waterfall into the city below. Everything returned to calm.
Madam Mu withdrew her hand.
Chen Changsheng did not sheathe his swords.
He looked at Madam Mu.
The several hundred swords in the sky slowly shifted with his gaze, eventually aiming at Madam Mu.
This scene possessed a strange beauty, but also an unimaginable pressure.
Was he about to draw his sword against her?
"How dare you!"
The Deer clan grand elder's face was extremely ugly as he barked at Chen Changsheng, "Your Holiness the Pope, put away your swords immediately!"
Some clan chiefs and ministers also began to berate Chen Changsheng.
But more people remained silent.
That silence itself spoke volumes.
Footsteps sounded.
The Bear clan chief, carrying his iron staff, walked over and stood behind Chen Changsheng.
The Shi clan chief also followed, but he stood closer to Luoluo.
Then the Prime Minister, along with several grand scholars and an increasing number of great demon figures, stood behind Chen Changsheng and Luoluo.
The alliance with the demon race had been the will of both emperors and had been approved by most members of the Elders' Council. Yet during the palace discussions, forty percent of the clan chiefs, ministers, and demon generals had still expressed firm opposition.
Now, the situation was even more different.
His Holiness the Pope Chen Changsheng had appeared, bringing the human race's strongest response and driving away the Demon Lord.
Although Madam Mu had intervened to end the battle, anyone could see who had won and lost.
This point was extremely important.
Those great demon figures who were friendly to humans and cherished Princess Luoluo now had more confidence and backing.
And those who considered the demon race's own interests more carefully began to entertain different thoughts.
……
……
Madam Mu looked calmly at Chen Changsheng and said, "I saved your life. Instead of repaying kindness, do you intend to turn your sword against me?"
Chen Changsheng understood her meaning.
Just now, as his swords were about to fall, he had suddenly felt an extremely strong omen of danger, as if something very perilous was about to happen. Such a feeling was rare; the last time had been before he saw that pillar of light piercing the sea of stars at Snow Ridge.
He had noticed all along that the Demon Lord's hands remained in his sleeves.
Was the Demon Lord preparing to use the Starry Sky Kill?
But even if the Starry Sky Kill could be used again, how could the Demon Lord inform the starry sky of his position?
These questions had no answers, because Madam Mu had acted, preventing what might have followed.
Chen Changsheng knew that Madam Mu bore him no goodwill. She had acted for some reason, unwilling to let the Demon Lord use that means.
Nevertheless, she had stopped everything, causing that intensely strong omen of danger to vanish. So he did not refute her.
Madam Mu was unconcerned about the shift in the situation.
What interested her were Chen Changsheng's swords.
"What sword technique are you using?"
The Demon Lord had not known what sword technique Chen Changsheng used. Madam Mu could not be certain either. The extremely old and knowledgeable Xiang clan chief, as well as the exceptionally clever Shi clan chief, also did not recognize Chen Changsheng's sword technique.
Because no one had ever seen it before.
Since the Heavenly Book Stele descended to the world, this was the first time this sword technique had appeared under the starry sky.
Chen Changsheng said, "The Combined Sword Technique."
Most of those present had never heard these three words.
Madam Mu had heard of them and had already guessed something earlier, but she simply could not believe it.
Just like now, hearing Chen Changsheng's own answer, she still found it hard to believe.
She was silent for a long time before saying, "I never imagined—I doubt even the First Saintess ever imagined—that the Nanxi Zhai Sword Formation, which once shook the world… could be executed by a single person."