Transcending the Nine Heavens

Dong Wu Shang didn't say anything. This matter of blocking the knife to save him wasn't a big deal for Chu Yang. But, Dong Wu Shang's heart was continuously trembling and burning because of it!

Dong Wu Shang's nature was quite different from that of Chu Yang's. It was somewhat similar to that of Gu Du Xing's instead…

Chu Yang's character was - whatever is said… must be done! A promise must be kept!

And, you must tell people about it after it is done!

Chu Yang had never shied away from taking credit; regardless of the situation. He had done a lot of good deeds in his past life, but he had felt embarrassed about talking about them. So, the people had often misunderstood him. And, he had seen many people who had been overlooked because they didn't speak about their achievements, and kept them hidden instead…

Therefore, Chu Yang had come to realize one fact - [How would other people know if you wouldn't tell them? How would others believe you if you wouldn't speak with confidence? This is a competitive world! Moreover, it's a competition that involves life and death!]

[One can't act like a fool!]

They walked for hundreds of feet. Chu Yang had mobilized his martial power to stimulate the medicinal efficacy as they had walked. He had gently been rubbing his hands together. And, his wounds had already turned into scars. A little pain still remained, but it was nothing serious anymore.

This left Dong Wu Shang to stare at Chu Yang's hands in bafflement.

Chu Yang smiled. He patted Dong Wu Shang's shoulder, and winked at him, "Relax, I have elixirs. So, I don't need to worry about injuries!" he again winked and added, "So, you don't need to worry either!"

Dong Wu Shang opened his eyes wide at first. Then, he suddenly felt relieved and laughed heartily. And, his mood suddenly became relaxed.

Chu Yang also happily laughed. He then abused with a smile, "Motherfu*ker, a sparring partner of Saint Level, ah! We have earned a fu*king big profit this time! That guy would be depressed to death if he found out that I have recovered so fast…"

Dong Wu Shang laughed so hard that he had to gasp for breath, "Right! Right! Ha ha ha…"

He laughed a lot at first, but suddenly came to a stopped. He then said, "Sparring partner or whatever… it's fine for now. But, I'll come back for Young Master Yu in time, and I'll make him pay for this knife-incident!"

Dong Wu Shang's voice became deep and low, "My martial arts goal was to be a Saber Emperor. I had never even thought of becoming a Saber Monarch. But, my goal had changed to becoming a Saber Monarch after I met you, Big Brother… But, I only have one goal now. And, that is to defeat Young Master Yu, and take revenge for what happened today!

"I will never forget about this knife-incident!" Dong Wu Shang stared blankly into the distance as he spoke in a heavy voice.

Chu Yang smiled, but didn't speak anything in response.

[It looks like defeating Young Master Yu has become Dong Wu Shang's long-term goal. It's a blessing to have such a goal!]

He pondered for a while and said, "We were talking and laughing freely one moment. In fact, we were sitting together and drinking wine. And, we encountered a situation of life and death the next moment. And, only the cold edge of the knife trembled at that time. No friendship, no feelings, no benefits… none of these things matter to this man. He got mad out of the blue, and suddenly got carried away by his whim. Then, he acted impulsively, and tried to kill someone!

"Moreover, he tried to kill a man who he can regard as a friend to some extent!"

He softly sighed, "Wu Shang, Young Master Yu gave me a profound and impressive lesson today!"

"This is the Jianghu of the Middle Three Heavens, Big Brother!" A rustling sound was heard as Dong Wu Shang stepped upon thick pine needles. He continued in a deep voice, "Middle Three Heavens and Lower Three Heavens are entirely different places! We must understand this point very clearly, Big Brother. You mustn't be merciful or lenient by any means if you don't have your brothers at your side some day!"

Chu Yang silently nodded.

"Don't tell anyone about Young Master Yu's strength," Chu Yang warned.

"I know." Dong Wu Shang's heart felt heavy. He had seen Young Master Yu's insanely powerful knife attack. And, Dong Wu Shang had realized his own insignificance as a result…

This feeling of despair had shrouded his heart. In fact, it had left Dong Wu Shang's heart to tremble.

[I don't want to feel this way ever again!]

He looked towards Chu Yang's bloodstained hands, and his heart throbbed. [I won't let my brothers bleed for me ever again!]

[I don't want to feel this kind of heartache ever again!]

[I need to get stronger!] Dong Wu Shang didn't speak again, but the expression in his eyes had become abstruse. Then, a firm conviction quietly arose within his heart.

Chu Yang was perhaps unaware that this knife of Young Master Yu's had changed Dong Wu Shang's conviction and his life's goal!

He would only aim to be on the top from now on!

They returned to the camp. And, they saw that Ji Mo and Luo Ke Di were badly battered since they were wrestling with each other. Dong Wu Shang had just experienced a crisis of life or death. So, he couldn't help but feel reprehensible when he saw that these two were messing around so mischievously.

He took a step forward, and kicked the two of them without showing any trace of politeness. The two of them were sent flying as a result. He then shouted, "Why are you deliberately causing a ruckus? Is it that amusing? Do you have so much free time? Stand up! Grandpa Dong will accompany you in this farce of yours!"

"Motherfu*ker! You're insane!" Ji Mo turned over and jumped to stand, "I'm your Third Brother dammit!"

"Third Brother…" Dong Wu Shang mischievously laughed. He pulled out his black saber of 285 kg from his shoulder. He held it in his hand, and said, "I would like to swap pointers with my third brother if that's the case. Third brother, please teach me!"

Ji Mo's face turned black.

Dong Wu Shang didn't say anything further. He shouted loudly, and brandished his saber. And, a group of saber-lights shrouded the two of them. Ji Mo and Luo Ke Di turned pale in fright. They rapidly reacted, and joined forces to resist Dong Wu Shang.

They were beating each other up a moment ago. And, they were fighting side by side now. These two people were truly shameless! In fact, this even gave Chu Yang an inferiority complex when it came to being shameless.

Chu Yang shook his head, and broke into laughter.

Suddenly, a sharp 'sword intention' swept over from a distance. The person whom it belonged to hadn't arrived yet… But, this kind of cold aura had made people's bodies shiver.

A faint voice was then heard, "Why are you fighting amongst yourselves? Eh?! Big Brother…!" The dense 'sword intention' immediately transformed into a spring breeze, and brushed against everyone's faces. Then, a slim silhouette suddenly appeared.

Gu Du Xing!

Gu Du Xing became pleasantly surprised when he saw Chu Yang, and rushed over.

Chu Yang also turned around, and went forward to greet him. The two of them were inexplicably happy to have met each other again…

Chu Yang looked-on with his sensitive vision, and noticed that Gu Du Xing's complexion was somewhat pale. It was evident that he had sustained serious injuries, and still hadn't recovered completely.

"Open your mouth," Chu Yang said.

Gu Du Xing didn't get any time to speak since Chu Yang stuffed a pill into his mouth the moment he opened it to say something. A pure spiritual power welled up from his Dantian as a result. And, it made him very comfortable…

"Circulate your martial power now!" Chu Yang patted his shoulder.

Gu Du Xing realized that this was some kind of rare elixir. So, he didn't dare to be negligent, and sat down cross-legged. After that, he started to circulate his martial power.

...

An hour later…

The five brothers were sitting together. Gu Du Xing had completely recovered from his injuries by now!

"Du Xing, your injuries have healed. But, don't reveal this to anyone for the next two days. Wait until the crucial point, and unleash your full strength in one fell swoop!" Chu Yang said.

"I know. I will have to pretend to be an injured person for these two days. That's very easy." Gu Du Xing had met Chu Yang after a very long time. So, he was very excited in his heart. He was even talking in a cheerful voice. Gu Du Xing mobilized his martial power as he acknowledged Chu Yang's suggestion, and his complexion turned wax-yellow once again. He reverted to his 'seriously injured' appearance and said, "Is this okay?"

Luo Ke Di and Ji Mu burst into laughter, "Second Brother Gu is very skilled!"

Gu Du Xing felt like his head would explode in anger, "Motherfu*ker! Say that again and this Second Brother will slice you up!"

Everyone burst into laughter together.

"Only two days are left. I will give you a special training for these two days." Chu Yang slowly said, "This matter concerns Ji Mo's marriage. And, that would be a major turning point of his life. So, we mustn't show any carelessness! Ji Mo has taken a fancy to this woman. So, we won't just snatch her, but we will also win the matches in an extravagant fashion! Fair and square! We must do it with absolute perfection!"

Chu Yang paused for a while, and then continued, "We can't rely on other people. We brothers have to do it ourselves! Got it?

"Yes." Gu Du Xing, Dong Wu Shang, and Luo Ke Di solemnly replied in unison.

Ji Mo felt a warm feeling in his heart, and his eyes turned red. His lips quivered a few times since he had been emotionally moved by this. He spoke-up with a smile, "Thank you! I'll treat you to drinks as soon as I get my wife. Ha-ha…" he could only laugh twice since his voice was already shaking…

However, the rest four of them didn't make fun of him for being overexcited. Gu Du Xing and Dong Wu Shang were infamous for their naughty behavior, but even they reached out with their hands and patted on Ji Mo's shoulder.

[We understand, brother! We understand!]

"We will open the Heavenly Armament Pavilion… in the Middle Three Heavens after this matter is over." Chu Yang exposed a smiling expression on his face and said, "Moreover, the Ao, Xie, Ou, and Mo clans… are going to provide us a lot of money this time. In fact, Mo Tian Yun will be our biggest help when it comes to the opening of our Heavenly Armament Pavilion!"

"Ha ha ha…" everyone laughed out loud, and got overwhelmed with joy. They tried to imagine how miserable Mo Tian Yun's face would look when he would go bankrupt. A villainous guy would be at the receiving end. So, they were looking forward to the day.

...

A day later…

Armored cavalries surged forward towards the mountain. And, they issued loud rumbling sounds as they proceeded forward…

Anyone watching from the summit would see elite troops riding over from far away like a roaring black dragon!

Every horse was an extremely rare and precious breed! Every rider on those horses was an extremely rare expert… the likes of whom could be found only one in a radius of thousands of miles!

The men looked majestic as they sat motionless while they rode their horses. Their figures were tall and straight!

The horses were rushing over like dragons. Their auras could swallow the rivers and mountains!

The banners on the poles fluttered in the wind. The banners were black in color. And, clusters of golden bamboos stood proud and aloof in the darkness of the banners' backgrounds. The banners were fluttering in the biting cold winds of Mt. Dingjun!

This was the aura that reigned over the world. It spread out wreaking havoc everywhere!

Countless cheers exploded from different directions on Mt. Dingjun. And, these cheers reached straight up to the sea of clouds. Countless Dark Bamboo flags were raised tall and upright in quick succession! And, the entire mountain got covered in the flags of Dark Bamboo!

This prestige was genuinely world-shaking. It was astonishing, and wide-spread!

The black-armored troops surged forward like molten iron, and ran into the Mt. Dingjun. It seemed that a tsunami had crashed into this mountain!

"Jun Xi Zhu has arrived!" Gu Du Xing walked up to Chu Yang's side. He looked at the cavalry troops that were surging towards Mt. Dingjun like a mad dragon. The troops were sprinting up the mountain and towards the mountain-top at the moment. A keen glint was issued from Gu Du Xing's eyes…

[This kind of influence, this kind of might, this kind of aura… that can swallow the rivers and mountains to reign over the world should belong to a man! But, it actually belongs to a woman!]

The cavalries of Dark Bamboo had already entered the road on Mt. Dingjun. And, the smoke and dust they had left on the road behind had reached up to the sky!

"It's no wonder that the subordinates of such a mighty tyrant have managed to unify the underworld of the Middle Three Heavens!" Chu Yang sincerely exclaimed in admiration.

The black troops reached to the platform of the mountain after a long while. They appeared on the platform with a rumbling sound. Then, they pulled the reins of their horses in unison, and the horses neighed loudly. After that, all the men stopped at the same time! Then, the cavalrymen dismounted from their horses, and stood perfectly straight on the side of their warhorses!

A graceful figure in black clothes came out from a carriage, and stepped down to the ground. Her stature wasn't very tall. She looked short amongst the men. But, she leisurely took a few steps forward. And, she looked around in a disdainful manner as a powerful aura scattered out from her body.

The invisible power and influence swept across Mt. Dingjun in a flash! And, the huge crowd fell silent!

This black figure slowly raised her head, and solemnly said, "It seems everyone had to wait for a long time!" her voice wasn't too loud, but it spread over the entire Mt. Dingjun. Unexpectedly, her voice didn't echo!

After that, she swept her eyes, and looked around the mountain. And, the entire mountain-range got filled with chilling cold… as if severe winter had arrived!

The Lord of Dark Bamboo… the overlord of the underworld of the Middle Three Heavens… Jun Xi Zhu!

Had arrived!