The Choice

The earth trembled and roared. Thunder flashed continuously within the dark clouds above the royal palace, followed by peals of muffled thunder.

Within the royal palace wrapped by the grand formation, chaos had already erupted.

A figure shrouded in starlight flew back and forth throughout the formation on the light wings behind his back. Quite a few guards gave chase from behind, yet they were always flung far away by that figure.

The battle underground had already begun. Since Wu Wang had decided to make his move, he had no desire to waste time. He openly sped through every corner of the royal palace, hiding Crystal Balls in various nooks and crannies.

The Star Invocation Technique had originally possessed no formation. But after enough tinkering, it had gained one.

After circling the palace several times, hundreds of figures were already trailing behind Wu Wang. Urgent arrows began appearing in the air, but they could not match the speed of the Star Wings behind him.

He suddenly changed direction and charged directly toward the queen's bedchamber. The imperial guards everywhere were thrown into instant disarray, cries rising one after another—the same old three lines:

"Assassin!"

"Stop him!"

"Protect Her Majesty!"

Unfortunately, the experts within the royal palace who could pose even the slightest threat to Wu Wang had all been dispatched to the palace hall in the northwest corner.

Wu Wang burst into the bedchamber as though entering uninhabited land, tossed down more than a hundred ice sculptures, then sprang up from the courtyard and rapidly descended toward the opening in the northwest corner.

On the bed in the bedchamber, the queen was still sleeping deeply. Her flushed cheeks bore a smile from drunkenness, though an ice-crystal necklace had appeared around her wrist.

The state preceptor, who lay sprawled beside the wine table without anyone bothering with her, dazedly opened her eyes and sat up while supporting her forehead.

"What... happened...?"

At the same time, deep within the Underground Palace.

The oddly shaped Fierce Beast had left the area where it had originally sat and was releasing roar after roar. Its strange human hand gripped a long staff, from which wind, fire, and lightning blossomed.

Each time its powerful four hooves charged and stamped down, the Underground Palace shook, and chains of rubble fell from all directions.

The generals who had followed Fengge here had already scattered apart. Most of them harassed it from afar with bows, attempting to shoot the Fierce Beast's vital points—its eyes, mouth, throat, and so on. Yet the powerful bows in their hands, capable of piercing stone and penetrating gold, were continually knocked aside by the beast's tough hide.

The generals confronting the Fierce Beast head-on... had already suffered considerable casualties.

That was only because the Fierce Beast's gaze remained fixed on Ling Xiaolan, while Ling Xiaolan had done her utmost to avoid densely populated areas as she darted and maneuvered.

At present, the main force attacking the Fierce Beast was undoubtedly Ling Xiaolan, Ji Mo, and Fengge.

Fengge gripped her long spear, her charging path turning into streaks of crisscrossing lightning. Each bolt that slashed across the Fierce Beast's four legs sent spurts of blood spraying out.

Charge, an endless charge!

Figures that approached the Fierce Beast were constantly sent flying. Generals were continually buried in seas of fire or swept up by fierce winds and hurled brutally into the distance.

Yet these warriors of the Women's Country showed not the slightest intention of retreating.

They roared and shouted sharply, wishing to use the fury in their hearts to slay this Fierce Beast that devoured their people's souls. Though their attacks were pitifully feeble compared to the beast's body, not a trace of fear showed in any of their eyes.

But in the end, people would still fall.

Gradually, the fallen figures became too weak to rise again, able only to lift their heads with all their remaining strength and watch...

"General! Tell your people to fall back!"

Ji Mo, standing in midair, shouted loudly. Both hands gripped the Small Hammer wrapped in lightning, purple light burst from his eyes, and the hammer rapidly swelled, abruptly transforming into something dozens of zhang long!

Fengge let out a whistle. Everyone surrounding the Fierce Beast immediately retreated far away. Ji Mo raised the immortal hammer high and smashed it viciously into the beast's spine, striking it into a stagger as its forelegs bent and it dropped directly to its knees.

The treasured sword in Ling Xiaolan's hand blossomed with dazzling white light. She shot into the sky, weaving and dancing through the air, scattering boundless Sword Qi.

Her sword was like rain, like rivers, as though the mighty waters of a vast river had come pouring down from heaven!

The Fierce Beast threw back its head in a furious roar. Its body was swallowed by Sword Qi, endless black mist exploded from all over it, and bloody wounds appeared one after another.

Fengge clenched her long spear and took a sharp breath. Seeing Ji Mo panting in midair, unable to wield the immortal hammer again for the moment, she grasped her spear, lowered her body, and charged forward once more.

One step, two steps. Lightning burst from the spear, and she moved like a gale, plunging into the spreading black mist.

In the air, the light in Ling Xiaolan's eyes returned to calm as she carefully distinguished the situation below. Yet she saw streaks of lightning flash through the black mist, while the Fierce Beast's body seemed to topple...

Had they dealt with it?

Ling Xiaolan swept her Spiritual Consciousness across the area, only to discover that the casualties were already devastating.

In an instant, a sudden change erupted!

The black mist rapidly expanded. A thin blood-red membrane surged in all directions like a shockwave, directly flinging Fengge away, while the wounds across the Fierce Beast's body began recovering at a visible rate.

Ling Xiaolan immediately prepared to dive down with her sword, but as the bloody light swept over her, she heard shrill cries beside her ears.

Her Nascent Soul shook, her soul trembled, and darkness flashed before her eyes. She nearly fell from the sky.

This was an art that wounded the soul!

Ji Mo's cultivation was inferior to Ling Xiaolan's, so he fared even worse. His body was sent flying outright, blood spraying from his mouth. His face was white as paper, and his eyes were filled with terror.

"General!"

A shout suddenly came from the side. Several generals rushed to Fengge's side after she had been blasted away. Their bodies moved like the wind as they immediately prepared to surround and attack the Fierce Beast.

"All of you, fall back! Surrounding it is useless! Fall back!"

Fengge gave a loud roar. "This is a military order! Take the wounded and retreat immediately! Fairy Ling! Buy me a moment!"

"Demonic beast, be slain!"

Ling Xiaolan cried out softly. Her sword moved like a swimming dragon, Magic Power surging throughout her body as she launched a fierce attack from the air. But the Fierce Beast waved the wooden staff in its hand, sending layer upon layer of red light rippling outward, and Ling Xiaolan was completely unable to approach.

The Fierce Beast's gaze locked tightly onto Fengge.

Fengge gritted her teeth, shoved aside the general beside her who still hesitated over whether to retreat, took two steps forward with her spear, and collapsed to her knees as her legs trembled.

Two vicious lights burst from the Fierce Beast's eyes. Its terrifying human face slowly closed in on Fengge, as though it intended to swallow her whole in a single bite.

Your Majesty... Jiayi...

A trace of confusion passed through Fengge's eyes. A few scenes surfaced in her heart, then swiftly faded away...

'State Preceptor, how should we deal with this person? She accidentally went near the divine temple.'

'Execute her,' the aged, white-haired old state preceptor sighed. 'Her soul has yet to mature. If she lives, she will spend the next three years in fear. Strengthen the watch over there. Do not let this happen again.'

'Um...'

She could never forget it. The small child who stepped out from behind the state preceptor, only seven or eight years old, her eyes rimmed red as she softly said:

'Can she be allowed to live?

Mother will soon succeed Grandmother's position. There will be at least several decades of peace. There are already enough sacrifices here. Can she become my guard?

State Preceptor, too many of us have already died, haven't we?'

'Your Highness, you suddenly say such things... Sigh. Let it be your decision.'

The scene shifted, to the swing beneath that tree.

'What is your name?'

'Your Highness, I... I have no name.'

'Then, can you be called Fengge from now on? My name is Jiayi. Please take care of me.'

"Jiayi..."

Fengge murmured. The confusion in her eyes instantly receded. Looking at the giant beast before her, its enormous mouth already opened, flames suddenly ignited over her entire body, and open fire danced upon her forehead.

Burn my soul, offer all as one!

"Freeze."

Dense icy-blue radiance suddenly appeared around Fengge. Her body instinctively leaped backward; a massive block of ice appeared where she had stood, only to be crushed by the giant beast's bite and explode into showers of ice fragments.

"So this is your plan? Pile up lives until the Fierce Beast dies?"

A puzzled voice came from behind them. Fengge and Ji Mo both froze, but Ji Mo looked behind him with immense delight and shouted:

"Brother Xiong, save us!"

"So it isn't the time when you drugged me with knockout medicine?"

A speck of starlight flickered, followed by a piercing rush through the air. Countless Ice Shards condensed into a river of ice in midair and shot straight toward the Fierce Beast's head!

Rapid incantations, spiritual energy rioting throughout the Underground Palace—several ice spikes pierced through the Fierce Beast's feet, bringing forth dense bloody light.

Fengge saw a figure fly out from behind that river of ice, a pair of starlit wings spread behind his back, seven Crystal Balls brimming with starlight orbiting around him.

In this empty Underground Palace, it was as though the starry sky had descended.

The Fierce Beast immediately prepared to pounce, but walls of ice appeared before it one after another. Countless ice spikes erupted from the ground, making it afraid to move recklessly.

"General Fengge, take your people and fall back."

Wu Wang slightly turned his head to look at Fengge, his lips curling faintly. "That is not how you fight a Fierce Beast."

Taking a deep breath, Wu Wang raised a hand and grasped the necklace at his chest. He smoothly placed several pills in his mouth, his Star Wings lightly trembled, and he shot straight toward the Fierce Beast. The instant the beast raised its wooden staff, he dived rapidly toward the ground, circling past its foreleg.

Several Crystal Balls hovered by the Fierce Beast's ankles, stars shining within them.

"Praise the Star God."

Starlight erupted. Pure star power condensed into huge ice blades that forcibly sliced into the Fierce Beast's ankles.

The Fierce Beast staggered, its forelimbs dropping straight to the ground.

Yet Wu Wang had already appeared to its left. Hexagonal snowflakes emerged behind his Star Wings, and a violent wind carrying freezing air swept over half the Fierce Beast's body, then, as Wu Wang circled around it, scattered across every part of its body.

Several Crystal Balls exploded into an iceberg, smashing directly toward the highest point of the Fierce Beast's spine;

Silver-white lightning burst toward the Fierce Beast's eyes, forcing it to squeeze them tightly shut;

Cold air condensed into a hundred-zhang ice sword that slashed down at the Fierce Beast's head.

Who would have expected that all of these were feints meant to draw the Fierce Beast's attention? Wu Wang's figure appeared ghostlike at its ankles and back. Targeting each of its joints, he tossed out Crystal Balls and swiftly withdrew.

His voice also echoed continuously through the Underground Palace:

"The Women's Country may have use for this knowledge. You would do well to remember it.

When dealing with a large Fierce Beast, you must find its weak points. No matter how powerful a Fierce Beast is, as long as it cannot kill you instantly, it cannot possibly be so strong as to have no weaknesses.

The larger its body, the greater its destructive power, and the more weaknesses it has.

Generally, you should prioritize attacking its ankles, armpits, and similar areas to cripple its mobility.

Then, use the Spiritual Sense fluctuations produced whenever it activates arts involving wind, fire, lightning, and so on, to locate its beast core. Strike its beast core with your strongest attacks whenever possible. Even a needle piercing its beast core can injure it.

..."

The people of the Women's Country stared blankly at the scene before them, listening to that calm and composed voice.

"General, why didn't we... invite this divine envoy from the beginning...?"

The flames around Fengge had already faded. Her face was pale as she muttered, "How was I supposed to know he could be this powerful? I feel like he is about as strong as the state preceptor. How could this be?"

"When it comes to fighting Fierce Beasts, Brother Xiong clearly has more experience than we do."

Ling Xiaolan's voice came from above them. Everyone looked up to see that Ling Xiaolan had already taken out a jade flute and was gently playing it by her lips.

Waves of green ripples spread from around her, then gathered toward Wu Wang, enveloping him as he flew swiftly about.

Wu Wang's forward speed suddenly surged, and he nearly failed to stop in time, almost crashing directly into the Fierce Beast's chest!

Wu Wang turned his head and glared at Ling Xiaolan. She pursed her lips and closed her eyes, smiling a little sheepishly...

"Play again!"

Wu Wang gave a sharp shout, flying above the Fierce Beast, which was already covered in wounds.

Ling Xiaolan once more played an immortal melody. Layer upon layer of ripples wrapped around Wu Wang, and the aura around his body abruptly rose another level.

Ji Mo looked at Ling Xiaolan helplessly, his eyes full of frustration.

Why had he never received this treatment after all this time? He had not enjoyed even once the signature skill upon which the Heavenly Origin Mystic Maiden Sect had built its fame.

Smack!

Wu Wang pressed his palms together, then forcefully pulled them apart. A rapidly spinning sphere of ice turned in his palm. He dragged it with one hand and hurled it straight at the Fierce Beast's face.

The wooden staff in the Fierce Beast's hand swept horizontally, and those blood-red Shockwaves appeared again.

The necklace on Wu Wang's chest bloomed with icy-blue light, completely enveloping him. Like an icy-blue reef, he stood unmoved amid the relentless impacts.

With a half-snort, Wu Wang moved as fast as lightning. His hands formed seals continuously as Crystal Balls spilled from his sleeves.

His figure flashed like a flicker. For a time, only Wu Wang's afterimages remained in the Underground Palace.

The Fierce Beast's wounds had no time to recover before its body was already pierced full of holes by ice spikes, its limb joints embedded with ice blades.

Finally, Wu Wang stopped directly before the Fierce Beast, crouched down, and pressed both hands against the ground. The chant he had been reciting immediately rose in pitch, and dozens of ice spikes shot from the earth, piercing through the Fierce Beast's now-immobile body.

The Fierce Beast collapsed with a thunderous crash, all the blood on its body already frozen.

Wu Wang gently exhaled and swallowed the last pill in his mouth, replenishing his depleted Spiritual Sense.

The flute music did not stop immediately. Instead, it became gentler, making Wu Wang feel quite comfortable, and a bold thought arose in his heart...

He wondered whether the disciples of the Heavenly Origin Mystic Maiden Sect had trouble finding employment. Their Northern Wilds desperately lacked a troupe of musicians.

This was far too comfortable.

If not for his strange illness, and if Fairy Ling had not found it inconvenient to grow close to others, he would have wanted to slaughter chickens and ducks and go propose marriage.

"Your great grace, Divine Envoy, shall never be forgotten by the Women's Country!"

Fengge shouted loudly, striding over with her long spear. She immediately prepared to leap up and finish off the Fierce Beast.

But Wu Wang suddenly acted. The ice wings behind him exploded apart, yet transformed into walls of ice that protected the Fierce Beast behind him.

Fengge frowned at Wu Wang and said steadily, "Divine Envoy, what is the meaning of this?"

"First, let me state my position," Wu Wang said loudly with his hands behind his back. "I support humanity in fighting and killing every Fierce Beast that harms humanity. I support the Women's Country in breaking free from the shadow of Fierce Beasts."

After a pause, Wu Wang continued, "But the premise is that everyone present has the right to know the truth."

Fengge asked in return, "What truth?"

"The truth about this Fierce Beast," Wu Wang said calmly. "General Fengge, have you concealed something from the subordinates who followed you here?"

The warriors of the Women's Country, supporting one another, could not help but turn to look at Wu Wang.

Fengge said, "Everyone saw that the Fierce Beast devours human souls."

"Then what about the fact that this Fierce Beast is the formation core of the Women's Country's national guardian formation?"

Wu Wang asked, "Do they know? If I am not mistaken, this is a secret known only to the state preceptor and the queen."

Fengge could not help tightening her grip around the spear shaft, her face shrouded in darkness.

"The formation core of the national guardian formation? What does that mean?"

"General, isn't this Fierce Beast merely the Guardian Beast?"

"Does this concern the border barrier?"

Fengge's entire figure sank into shadow, her long spear trembling lightly.

Ji Mo flew over on a magical artifact, one hand pressed to his chest, and asked quietly, "General Fengge, this seems somewhat different from what you described in your request for aid."

"The general does not wish to speak? Then I will."

Wu Wang swept his right hand. A disk formed from starlight appeared above his head, upon which labels such as royal capital and border emerged.

He said:

"This is the map of Women's Country I recorded. The entire nation is a grand array. It draws upon the power of the earth veins and Star Power, covering an area sixteen hundred li in radius and turning this place into a paradise.

The one who created this grand array was clearly an Innate God.

According to your mythological records, that Innate God later left this place for some unknown reason. Though there were no explicit words stating it, the priests' resentment seeped through every line.

The goddess who abandoned this place left behind a calamity that would destroy Women's Country—the flickering stars around the perimeter. Every star represents a Fierce Beast. You should have seen their stone statues along the border.

I surmised that once the barrier faded, those stone statues would immediately come alive and advance toward your capital.

Clearly, that goddess did not wish for the paradise she built to be defiled by other gods."

He paused, looked toward Wu Wang, the owner of those hundreds of gazes, and found himself unable to say another word.

Wu Wang continued, "The foundation of the entire grand array is the Spirit Nurturing Pool. That should be a supreme treasure, the factual foundation for Women's Country's existence.

And this Fierce Beast is the eye of the entire array. If it dies here today, the barrier will shatter, and the hundred and eight colossal beasts at the border will awaken. Women's Country...

By my rough calculations, about thirty percent of the population will be lost. That is still a relatively ideal outcome."

Silence. For a moment, the Underground Palace was quiet enough to hear a needle drop.

Wu Wang continued, "If we retreat now, the Fierce Beast's injuries will recover in half an hour."

"Then why are you helping us?"

Fengge suddenly spoke, staring fixedly at Wu Wang. "You explained all this, and you even helped us suppress the Fierce Beast. What exactly are you trying to do?"

"The right to know."

Wu Wang said coldly, "Women's Country's fate should not be left to one person's decision. You cannot decide it, nor can the Queen.

For the sake of personal interests, disregarding enormous casualties and making no contingency plans—is that appropriate?"

"I spent decades training a large number of elites at the border!"

Fengge's voice suddenly rose. "We have long been prepared to fight the Fierce Beasts!"

"Your performance tonight showed that you know nothing of the Fierce Beasts' strength," Wu Wang said. "If those hundred and eight Fierce Beasts appeared in the Northern Wilds, even the strongest Wave Tribe would be trampled flat overnight.

The one you should hate is the Innate God who founded Women's Country and then abandoned it."

"Then we should all the more bring an end to everything that Innate God left behind," Ji Mo declared loudly from the side. "If all of Women's Country can only continue existing by relying on the sacrifices of woman after woman, what meaning does such an existence have?

Brother Xiong, if its very foundation is unjust, what future can this nation speak of?"

"But the people of Women's Country have nothing to do with this," Ling Xiaolan said. "To bury so many lives because of the decisions of a few people—that is the true injustice."

Fengge raised her spear and stepped forward.

Wu Wang was just about to step in to stop her when Ji Mo landed in front of him. His face was pale as he looked at Wu Wang, but his gaze remained resolute.

Fengge took several steps, only for Ling Xiaolan to appear before her. Her longsword, rippling with layers of watery light, pointed at Fengge's throat.

Ling Xiaolan said, "Move the civilians first."

Fengge gritted her teeth and cursed, "What do you people know!"

Just then, a figure came stumbling in from the palace entrance. Seeing the nearly ice-sealed Fierce Beast, she could not help crying out:

"Your, Your Majesty... what, what are you doing!"

Your Majesty?

Wu Wang froze. Was this Fierce Beast connected to the sleeping Queen?

No. The Queen's divine soul was intact. Her aura was utterly different from this Fierce Beast's, and even their Spiritual Sense fluctuations bore no resemblance. They were absolutely not one and the same.

Could it be...

"Ah—"

Fengge suddenly screamed. Dazzling flames burst from her entire body, bright fire ignited once more on her forehead, and waves upon waves of fire surged around her, sending Wu Wang, Ji Mo, and Ling Xiaolan flying!

She leaped into the air in a single step, raised her spear high, and her eyes were filled with resolve.

The instant Wu Wang was knocked away, he suddenly understood the missing link he had failed to grasp before.

The Fierce Beast, the disc, the goddess's fading divine light...

The Fierce Beast here was part of a succession ritual. The one lying there was very likely the previous ruler of Women's Country—the current ruler's mother...

The fading divine light most likely meant that the Queen who walked to the array eye gradually could no longer withstand the erosion of some divine power, fell into beasthood, and relied on devouring souls to sustain her existence.

From the corner of his eye, Wu Wang caught sight of Fengge, drenched in blood. Her spear, bearing the flames of her divine soul, had already pierced the Fierce Beast's forehead.

A blood-red beam shot straight into the heavens, punching through the earth, through the Royal Palace Grand Array, bursting apart that layer of dark clouds, and becoming a wave mark several li wide as it spread across the sky...