darknovel Chapter 66: The Choice
Chapter 66: The Choice
Without any preamble, Zou Yun stood in the hall and simply said...
"Since this thing is the Mandate of Heaven for the Great Qin, then as long as Your Majesty destroys it with your own hands, you can change the Mandate of Heaven for the Great Qin."
"rub--"
A sharp, metallic scraping sound suddenly rang out.
Almost the instant he finished speaking, Ying Zheng's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he suddenly drew the sword from his waist.
Without any hesitation, he strode quickly and walked up to Tianxing in just a few steps.
Ying Zheng raised his sword high, aiming at the Qin seal script on the celestial star, which seemed to be engraved with the trajectory of fate, and was about to strike it down fiercely!
However, at that moment, Zou Yun's calm and composed voice rang out again.
"However, with the Mandate of Heaven destroyed, the Taiyin Refinement Method can no longer be used, and Your Majesty will be unable to be reborn from the ashes."
"Buzz—!"
The sharp sword blade, accompanied by a whooshing sound, hovered abruptly less than an inch from the surface of the celestial star.
As if controlled by something, Ying Zheng's tall body suddenly stiffened.
He stood silently before the celestial stars, his deep eyes gleaming with intense light.
It was a frantic struggle between desire and reason, a fierce battle between immortality and an eternal imperial empire deep within the soul.
Time seemed to stretch out infinitely at this moment.
After uttering those words, Zou Yun fell completely silent.
He did not describe how he would assist Prince Fusu after destroying Tianxing, so that the Qin Dynasty could rise from the ashes.
It also did not demonstrate the supernatural powers it possessed that would allow it to lead the Qin Dynasty to an unprecedented golden age of "Immortal Qin".
It also did not reveal that this was an immortal being who could not die from physical destruction, a time traveler who knew the future, or a promise made by the founder of the immortal path.
now!
Unlike the previous grand promises made to Ying Zheng, there were no fantastical celestial scenes or bewitching special effects.
There was only one figure silently watching.
Zou Yun coldly observed Ying Zheng's struggle.
He was waiting, waiting for this self-proclaimed emperor, whose achievements surpassed those of the Three Sovereigns and whose virtue exceeded that of the Five Emperors, to make his final move at the crossroads of fate.
"Make your choice, Your Majesty."
Zou Yun silently murmured to himself, 'Would I abandon everything for that elusive immortality? Or would I abandon immortality for the glorious empire you've built?'
However, Zou Yun was completely unaware of this.
The moment he uttered "Fate can be changed"—
Suddenly, a colossal wave surged forth from a vast, boundless void.
That terrifying river, stretching across eternity and carrying its predetermined course, instantly boiled over.
Countless dark red, almost black, world-destroying bolts of lightning appeared without warning, frantically slashing and searching every corner of the void.
It felt as if some fundamental taboo had been violated.
Along the long river, countless fine tributaries branch out and extend like indescribable tentacles.
Ignoring time and piercing through space, they rushed towards Zou Yun's location in time and space along the suddenly taut line of cause and effect.
Deep within Zou Yun's consciousness, the dormant panel suddenly erupted with an unprecedented alarm light.
But those invisible tentacles that transcend time and space have already entangled and locked it in like a malignant tumor.
The remaining cultivation points on the panel evaporated instantly, like thin frost under the scorching sun.
The light on the entire panel suddenly went out, plunging it into a deathly silence.
All these dramatic changes, from their occurrence to their cessation, were compressed into a mere instant that is impossible for ordinary people to grasp.
Beyond the limits of perception.
Therefore, Zou Yun, who was in the hall, was completely unaware of the terrifying backlash that was enough to annihilate time and space.
He remained standing quietly in the hall, all his attention focused on the figure in front of him who would decide the fate of the empire.
The entire Zhangtai Palace was surrounded by these invisible tentacles.
The light in Ying Zheng's eyes struggled violently several times.
In the end, all the brilliance faded away, leaving only a bottomless pool.
"Clang!"
A sharp, metallic clang broke the silence.
With a loosening of his wrist, the precious sword, symbolizing supreme authority, fell limply to the ground.
Ying Zheng did not look at the key to immortality that was so close at hand, nor did he look at Zou Yun again. He simply turned away resolutely.
With his back to the main hall, with his back to all living beings!
In pursuit of immortality, he chose to abandon the vast empire he had painstakingly built with his own life's blood and sweat.
Perhaps it was his deep-seated belief that if he could be reborn, he would once again rule the world and create an even more glorious Qin Dynasty.
Or perhaps, it was the boundless fear of death that completely consumed his reason.
Or perhaps, it was some unseen hand in the dark that quietly shifted the scales of fate?
but......
Who knows?
Zou Yun sighed. He knew that Ying Zheng had ultimately chosen to continue pursuing his desire for immortality. So he composed himself and bowed to Ying Zheng.
"Your subject obeys."
"I will take this celestial star back to the Immortal Temple and refine it into Phoenix Gallbladder using a bronze furnace."
"Your Majesty, I shall take my leave now."
After saying this, he bowed again and then slowly withdrew from the main hall.
Zhao Gao, who was standing to the side, immediately gave a look to Jia Rong, the scarred man beside him.
The two understood each other perfectly, carefully lifted the meteorite that symbolized the mandate of heaven for the Qin Dynasty, and followed closely behind Zou Yun.
Like carrying the coffin of the empire's future.
In the blink of an eye, only Ying Zheng remained in the empty hall.
He stood like a solitary peak in the center of the palace, his shadow stretched huge and distorted by the candlelight.
For a long, long time...
A barely audible murmur escaped from his lips, as light as a whisper.
"Eternal life... I... am right..."
The sound was so soft that it seemed as if a gust of wind could dissipate it.
The voice was extremely heavy, as if it carried the fate of the entire nation and countless people.
-----------------
Outside the Immortal Temple.
Gazing at the familiar armored soldiers before the gate, Zou Yun sighed and looked at Zhao Gao, "Chief of the Imperial Carriage Office, are you afraid I'll escape?"
"No, no!"
"It's just that the remnants of the six kingdoms have become increasingly active recently, and His Majesty is worried that those scoundrels will disturb the Grand Master, so he sent people to guard them."
Zhao Gao immediately bowed, carrying Tianxing, who was tightly wrapped in cloth, his face almost overflowing with flattery.
"Oh!"
Zou Yun chuckled, shook his head, and didn't care about any of that.
Unlike before, Zou Yun was now fearless and therefore unafraid. After all, if he really wanted to leave, no one could stop him now.
Therefore, ignoring the armored soldiers on both sides, he stepped forward and walked straight to his small courtyard inside the temple.
The heavy celestial star was gently placed on the floor of the room.
"This item will now be entrusted to the Grand Master."
Zhao Gao put down his heavy burden, still smiling broadly, and flattered Zou Yun.
"The Great Master possesses boundless supernatural powers and limitless magical abilities. Once His Majesty consumes the elixir of immortality, he will surely enjoy longevity and profound blessings..."
"I'm tired."
Zou Yun interrupted him calmly, then lay down on the mat with his back to Zhao Gao.
"The magistrate of the Imperial Carriage Office may leave on his own."
Seeing that Zou Yun was not very interested, Zhao Gao, being very pragmatic, did not lose his smile. He simply bowed deeply again respectfully and then quietly left the courtyard.
The room gradually fell into a deathly silence.
"Great Master! Great Master!!!"
However, the silence did not last long before it was broken by a series of urgent shouts from children.
"I heard that!!!"
Zou Yun was speechless and had no choice but to get up from the table and walk towards the door.
"Great Master!!!"
Wei Shuqing was seen running towards them. Immediately afterwards, a series of figures squeezed into the courtyard.
Feng Zhixue, Zheng Ze, Wei Shuqing, Shi Gong, and even Liu Fangshi and Wang Fangshi.
The once quiet courtyard was instantly filled with this sudden noise.
Zou Yun looked at the commotion before him and couldn't help but twitch his lips.
But then, seeing the undisguised worry in everyone's eyes, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"Pfft... Hahaha...!"
A long-lost warmth welled up in my heart.
Looking at Zou Yun, whose lips were curled into a smile, Shi Gong couldn't bring himself to utter the words of accusation he had prepared. He could only sigh.
"Great Master...did you have a safe and successful journey?"
Zou Yun's gaze swept over everyone, his smile deepening, and he nodded with emotion.
"A lot has happened on this trip!"
"May I ask if you may tell me?"
"There's nothing wrong with that..."
As he spoke, Zou Yun slowly recounted the events that had occurred along the way, sometimes thrilling, sometimes poignant, eliciting gasps of surprise.
This prompted Feng Zhixue, Zheng Ze, and Wei Shuqing to occasionally chime in with additional details.
The small courtyard was filled with the long-lost sounds of laughter and conversation.
Like a warm stream, it flowed through the twilight of Xianren Temple, completely dispelling the gloom that had shrouded everyone's hearts for the past few months.