Transcending the Nine Heavens

Chu Yang flipped over his wrist and spoke, "This is for the three of you!" He looked at the thin and tiny pieces of jade in his palm and felt embarrassed as he continued, "Cough cough… these are a bit small... But, cough cough… the original pieces weren't big… so..."

Chu Yang clearly had a guilty conscience as he said this sentence. [Not big? It's actually as big as a mountain. But... how can I say that? I can't say that my Nine Tribulations Sword's Spirit is so stingy that he doesn't want to give you any more than this, can I?]

However, the other three people had already been stunned!

The three pieces of pink jade in Chu Yang's palm were issuing a bright reddish luster under the illumination of sunlight. It seemed as if these jades were melting in sunlight, and were exuding a burst of dense vapor...

A warm aura suddenly spread out, and shrouded the three people.

"The Mysterious Yang Jade!" a shadow suddenly called out in surprise, and his eyes opened wide in a stare. The two shadows stared at the jade pieces, and it seemed as if their eyes would pop out!

[No wonder this place is barren and not even a blade of grass can be seen growing here! No wonder this mountain peak is called Chun Yang Peak! It's indeed pure yang energy. It's the purest form of yang! So, such a priceless treasure - that can even startle the heavens - was hidden in this peak. It actually contains the power of pure yang…!]

[The Mysterious Yang Jade!] The shadows were moved to tears, [so this treasure wasn't just a legend. It 'really' exists in the real world!]

Tie Bu Tian didn't know what kind of an item the 'Mysterious Yang Jade' was, but he could tell by the reaction of the two shadows that this tiny jade was no ordinary treasure.

"This jade... His Majesty can have it, but we can't!" the shadow said with great difficulty. His eyes were fixated at the Mysterious Yang Jade in Chu Yang's palm.

"Why?" Chu Yang asked.

"An innocent ordinary man can get into trouble on account of a cherished item that can arouse the jealousy of others." The shadow sighed and said, "We are not carefree like you. Unlike you, we can't go wherever we want… or do whatever we want. But, His Majesty is the Emperor of this nation. He's far from being ordinary. There won't be any problem if he is to carry such a precious treasure on his body. However, our case is different. We have a Family. And, we must return to our Family from time to time..."

The look on the shadow's face was somewhat bitter and astringent. There was something he wanted to say but didn't, [The Family will certainly try to take this precious treasure away from us as soon as they find out that it's in our possession. It's certainly great that we are Ninth Grade King Level Expert, but the Family doesn't take this level of strength very seriously.]

Moreover, these two were already quite old. So, their future development wasn't going to be favored by their Family. Why else would they have been sent to the Lower Three Heavens?

"Are you implying that you won't take these?" Chu Yang was astonished and asked, "I brought them out for you two. Do you want me to take these back?"

The two shadows hesitated for a moment and finally made a decision, "Well, we definitely don't want that… So, let's do it like this… We will accept only one for both of us since we are a married couple."

Then, the shadow picked up the smallest and thinnest piece of jade. After that, he picked up the largest piece, and gave it to Tie Bu Tian. He then resolutely returned the last remaining piece to Chu Yang.

"We took this small piece, but it is our most precious heirloom now. We thank you for your kindness," the two shadows spoke with dedication.

As to why they gave the biggest pieces to Tie Bu Tian… the two shadows felt, [you lost your martial arts for the sake of someone else. You paid a big price by losing the most precious thing a woman has. So, it should be completely fine to receive a big piece of the Mysterious Yang Jade since it will nourish your body.]

"Your Majesty, this piece of jade is called the Mysterious Yang jade. You may carry it on your body, or wear it as an ornament. It won't just nourish your body, but also your soul. Moreover, it will take good care of your skin, and it will help you maintain a young appearance. You are burdened with the responsibilities of the nation, and you often have to deal with thousands of state affairs. It's difficult to escape from exhaustion when you have such an arduous job. However, all sorts of illnesses shall shy away from your body and your spirit — so long as you have this Mysterious Yang Jade. You will always feel full and energetic. In fact, you will forget what it feels to be tired or fatigued. Moreover, it will never harm your body."

Shadow solemnly suggested, "Your Majesty, this piece of jade must never be shown to others. You can also pass it on as a national treasure in the future!"

"Pass it on as a national treasure?!" Tie Bu Tian held that piece of jade in her hands. She had been playing with it since she liked its warm aura. She found it adorable, and couldn't part with it. However, she was suddenly startled when she heard the shadow's words.

Pass it on as a national treasure? Tie Bu Tian was the Emperor. So, how could he not know what sort of treasure could be passed on as a 'national treasure'?

Only a treasure that went against the heaven's will could be designated as a 'national treasure'.

"I will always keep this piece of jade with me… forever," Tie Bu Tian raised his head and solemnly said. There was a deep meaning in this sentence. At least the two shadows felt that there was a deep meaning in this sentence.

Chu Yang didn't feel anything though...

The two shadows sighed in their hearts after they saw the difference in those two people's demeanors... [what a pair this is… The man has someone else in his heart, and the woman is burdened with the incredible weight of responsibilities…]

[One is madly in love with the other and is willing to do anything for her love, while the other is completely oblivious... Can there really be such a strange emotional entanglement in this world?]

The four people went down the mountain. They continued to walk until it was early evening. They crossed several mountains, and went to the Heaven Splitting Mountain Pass via another direction.

Wu Kuang Yun was burning with impatience.

That was because Long Ao still hadn't moved an inch from the spot - not because he didn't wish to move… but, because he simply couldn't. There was a 'dwarf mountain' behind them, and it was blocking their path. He was trapped in such an awkward situation. He wanted to cry, but had no tears to shed.

[I can make my several hundred thousand men climb up the mountain cliff if want them to withdraw. But, what about taking the horses and carts outside... this is no fairy tale you know?]

[Also... there would be chaos and disorder if several hundred-thousand men start to climb the mountain. It would be a lot easier for Wu Kuang Yun to launch a surprise attack in that case... wouldn't we all be annihilated if that were to happen?]

Long Ao was very courageous, but even then he wouldn't dare to take such a ridiculous step. Let's assume they turned out to be lucky and managed to climb up… but what would they do if the megaliths fell at that time? This was a genuinely unpredictable matter!

Therefore, Long Ao could only tough it out.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Your…" Wu Kuang Yun received a report about the Emperor's arrival, and quickly rushed out to welcome him. He was overexcited. In fact, he was almost moved to tears. He wiped his tears, and excitedly greeted him, "... you finally came back. I… I… I... I nearly committed suicide…"

Tie Bu Tian smiled and spoke in a consoling manner, "No need to be anxious. I'm perfectly fine. Well, what's the situation in Heaven Splitting Mountain Pass?"

"The situation is excellent!" Wu Kuang Yun's short reply shocked Tie Bu Tian, [Excellent?]

"Yes, wa ha ha. This Old Wu has been way too excited the entire day. It was like the sky itself fell down. A huge mountain crashed down, and crushed those bastards to death. Wa ha ha…" Wu Kuang Yun grinned.

"Just one mountain can't possibly crush all of them, right?" Tie Bu Tian knitted his brows, [this Wu Kuang Yun is exaggerating, right?]

"But this mountain was rolling, Your Majesty! This mountain rolled down along the slanting valley... Moreover, the impact of the fall had caused vibrations throughout the valley. And, this induced landslides and rockslides everywhere. Ha ha, that scene was truly spectacular! I heard that even Jin Nankai and Yu Cheng Long were crushed to death… Great Zhao's casualties have surpassed six-hundred-thousand!"

Wu Kuang Yun was blushing with excitement, "Six-hundred-thousand ah. Six-hundred-thousand Your Majesties ah!"

[Six-hundred-thousand your majesties?]

Tie Bu Tian was baffled by this reply. [Did he actually say 'six-hundred-thousand your majesties'? What kind of a casualty figure is this? How can a nation have six-hundred-thousand Emperors?]

However, Tie Bu Tian also knew that Wu Kuang Yun was extremely excited… hence the incoherence in his speech. So, he didn't take it seriously.

"I will go in and see." Tie Bu Tian waved his hand to dismiss Wu Kuang Yun.

Wu Kuang Yun stealthily arrived in front of Chu Yang. His hairy hand patted on Chu Yang's shoulder, "Hey! Kid, do you still remember Great General Wu?"

Chu Yang raised his eyebrow, "You mean the general I was going to offer to the 'warhorses on aphrodisiac'."

Wu Kuang Yun suddenly gawked. He stared blankly and furiously said, "Fu*k!" [He just had to expose my mental scar from the very start of our meeting.]

Wu Kuang Yun was about to lash out, but realized that Chu Yang had already gone after Tie Bu Tian.

Wu Kuang Yun's heavy body thudded forward to catch up with them. He was about to assume an authoritative pose. But, Tie Bu Tian suddenly turned around. He then looked at Wu Kuang Yun, and spoke in a solemn tone, "You mustn't be unreasonable with Minister Chu!"

Tie Bu Tian's voice was very low; as if to let only Wu Kuang Yun hear it.

Wu Kuang Yun's jaw dropped. His mouth opened wide in bewilderment as he shouted in his heart, [Minister Chu? King of Hell Chu? ***! So that means that this guy is… King of Hell Chu?]

He recalled the uproar that the King of Hell Chu had caused throughout Iron Cloud. He could never have imagined that such a dreadful person would turn out to be a youngster... Wu Kuang Yun tried his best, but he simply couldn't seem to accept this absurd fact.

He opened his mouth to speak, but saw Tie Bu Tian glare at him. His gaze was sharp like a knife!

[His Majesty is clearly hinting me to not reveal the King of Hell Chu's identity...]

Wu Kuang Yun immediately made a tactful decision, and shut his mouth. However, he still thought in his mind, [why tell me if His Majesty doesn't want to reveal the King of Hell Chu's identity?]

The walked along, and saw that the Heaven Splitting Mountain Pass was in a mess. The house walls had collapsed everywhere. Tie Bu Tian couldn't help but sigh with emotion, [that was really dangerous.]

[Any other city instead of the Heaven Splitting Mountain Pass would've long been turned into a pile of dust...]

They went up the wall, and looked outside. Tie Bu Tian's sharp eyes continued to observe for a while.

Then, he said, "Minister Chu, I'm leaving the five-hundred-thousand troops and horses stationed here under your command from now on!"

Chu Yang was stunned, "My command?"

"Yes, your command." Tie Bu Tian replied with utmost trust, "I believe that you can bring this war to an early end."

Chu Yang looked outside the wall and said, "Very well!"

Wu Kuang Yun - who had been following them all along - finally understood. [So, His Majesty plans to leave the command of the army in King of Hell Chu's hands. That is why he told me his real identity...]

[Humph, it's not easy to command the army. A genius isn't equal to a commander!]

Wu Kuang Yun secretly cursed in his heart.

Then, he listened to Tie Bu Tian speak further, "General Wu, you are responsible for assisting Minister Chu. You must attend to him at all times. You must follow his order..." He looked at Wu Kuang Yun. He then asked insipidly, "Do you understand?"

"I understand! I understand!" Wu Kuang Yun nodded like a pecking chicken.

Chu Yang put on a black robe, and covered his entire face. He was dressed in the signature get-up of King of Hell Chu now. Then, he held the first military meeting.

A ghastly aura was lingering in the meeting room, and it was coupled with traces of the Seven Shades Cold Energy. He had done this deliberately. Therefore, this room had come to seem like an ice-cave in this burning hot summer, and everyone was left to shiver.

Several valiant generals of the army were seated around. There was dissatisfaction in their hearts, and they didn't wish to engage in anything as per Chu Yang's command. However, they would feel as if a snake was climbing up their backs whenever their visions would clash with King of Hell Chu's. They would feel a cold and creepy sensation seep into their bodies. So, the thoughts of revolt soon melted and vanished without a trace — just like snow under the hot sun.

"I won't talk any nonsense here. I only wish to say that the army in my command shall win us the war!" King of Hell Chu coldly looked at the audience, "I hereby announce my first order!"