Transcending the Nine Heavens

Dong Wu Shang and Gu Du Xing were completely different. Gu Du Xing could be considered an inborn swordsman. But, Dong Wu Shang would undoubtedly be an inborn war-general! He was a trailblazer; through and through!

Chu Yang nodded, and looked to the front. Some people were already whispering things in each other's ears. They seemed to be somewhat fretful. They obviously hadn't imagined that Dong Wu Shang would be so overwhelmingly powerful and bold! Dong Wu Shang's reputation had become prominent in recent times, but he was much younger than Li Xiong Tu. Who could have thought that Dong Wu Shang would be able to push Li Xiong Tu into such a disadvantageous position?

The gamblers had especially fixed their eyes on the arena. They were very nervous. In fact, they couldn't even dare to gasp for breath.

However, a few people had gathered together, and had started to talk to each other in whispers. These people were the top members of the Gao Clan, the Li Clan, and the Tu Clan. And, they were looking at the arena with a somewhat heavy expression in their eyes.

A light flashed in Chu Yang's eyes. He thought to himself, [I see… So, that's how it is. These clans want to form alliance with each other with the help of this contest. They don't even care about the outcome. This is probably the reason why the Gao Clan has made this battle into such a big event…]

[It doesn't matter if Dong Wu Shang wins or loses. The Dong Clan and the Li Clan will definitely become rivals after this battle. These two clans are equally colossus. And, this rivalry will get worse and worse with time. And, Li Clan will have to lean against the support of powerful allies to get help in the hour of need if that happens!]

On the other side, Jun Xi Zhu gently sighed from the secrecy of her black veil and said, "Li Xiong Tu will lose." Young Master Yu was standing with his hands crossed behind his back on her side. And, he was watching the match without blinking his eyes. He slowly nodded and added, "But, both of them have amazing strength."

Jun Xi Zhu thought for a while and said, "Dong Wu Shang seems stronger." Then, Young Master Yu said, "Li Xiong Tu made a strategic mistake. Li Xiong Tu may not get defeated if he had another match with Dong Wu Shang."

"But, Dong Wu Shang is five years younger than Li Xiong Tu." Jun Xi Zhu said, "You are only looking at his combat strength, and not considering this age factor. However, this is a very crucial point. In addition… you must pay attention to this point - Dong Wu Shang has started to progress rapidly since he has met Chu Yang! In other words, he wouldn't have been able to defeat Li Xiong Tu if he hadn't progressed so much in an insignificant period of more than a year.

"This is the key point." Jun Xi Zhu sighed and continued, "I am suddenly very interested in this King of Hell Chu."

Young Master Yu lightly nodded and spoke, "He's indeed a strange person. Moreover, he has so much potential that… it is frightening." Jun Xi Zhu's eyes lit-up at this remark, "Frightening?" She then pondered for a while and said, "Have you seen it in the past?"

Young Master Yu replied, "Yes." Suddenly, his figure distorted, and he disappeared from Jun Xi Zhu's side.

Jun Xi Zhu's eyes flashed. She whispered to herself, "Little Yu's agility skill of 'transcendent hidden shadow' has enhanced this much? What has he obtained to have stimulated such progress in his skill?" Jun Lu Lu faintly smiled at this remark, and a glint of pride flashed in her eyes.

Young Master Yu arrived at Chu Yang's side. And, he saw that Mo Qing Wu was sitting in Chu Yang's lap. She was merrily peeling an orange. She stuffed a piece of the orange in Chu Yang's mouth, and then another piece in her own. She then puffed her cheeks and tenderly asked, "Sweet… isn't it sweet?"

Chu Yang moaned in satisfaction and replied, "It's very sweet. And, it has become even sweeter after touching Little Wu's hand."

"Hee hee…" Mo Qing Wu laughed in satisfaction, "Then, you eat this one. It's very sweet."

She again tore a piece of the orange, and put it in Chu Yang's mouth.

Chu Yang chewed the orange. He suddenly went absent-minded when he heard 'it's sweet'. Suddenly, a name surfaced at the bottom of his heart - Little Tian Tian…

He couldn't help but sigh…

The nearby space distorted, and Young Master Yu appeared beside him. He said, "Nice, nice… spending leisure time, are we?"

Chu Yang snorted and replied, "Your injuries have already healed?" Young Master Yu also snorted in reply. He then sat down on the empty seat next to Chu Yang and Mo Qing Wu. He then said, "Your injuries look good as well. They have healed so quickly!"

"Just like yours," Chu Yang winked.

Chaotic metal-clanging sounds were echoing from the arena. Dong Wu Shang's shouts had become more and more loud and majestic. Li Xiong Tu would also roar madly as he'd try to retrieve the lost ground.

Only two men were battling at this time. But, the battle was so violent that the imposing aura of these two men appeared similar to that of a mighty army of thousands of men!

Dong Wu Shang suddenly let out a loud roar!

Then, the saber-light and sword-shadows violently clashed into each other!

Chu Yang closed his eyes and sighed, "Li Xiong Tu has lost!"

Young Master Yu nodded.

The saber-light and the sword-shadows converged in the arena. Dong Wu Shang stood perfectly straight in the arena. A waterfall of blood had started to flow-out from his shoulder. Li Xiong Tu fell back in a staggering manner. The veins on his forehead had bulged to an extent that they were visible to the naked eye. There was a terrible slash wound on his chest. He moved over a hundred feet back, and landed. He hastily lowered his sword to the ground to leverage support. However, his sword suddenly broke off with a 'snap' sound!

This sword and Dong Wu Shang's black saber had clashed several hundred times by now. So, it was already past its durability limit, and had been riddled with scars. Thus, it broke off when Li Xiong Tu tried to take its support.

Li Xiong Tu staggered at first. Then, he sat down on the ground. He bellowed loudly, and gasped for breath. After that, he suddenly exposed a bitter smile. He then looked up, and shouted loudly, "It was fun!" he further continued, "I surrender!"

Dong Wu Shang's face was expressionless. He lowered his saber, and showed courtesy to the opponent. After that, he turned around to walk away.

"Dong Wu Shang, I will definitely seek you out for a payback. So, you don't need to be lenient towards me."

Dong Wu Shang replied without turning his head back, "Next time — I will kill you!"

Li Xiong Tu laughed in a heroic manner. He then said in a loud voice, "Dammit! I got defeated! And, the opponent even flaunted his kindness by not killing me. I have been defeated in its truest meaning today!" Then, he turned over, and looked at the Master of the Ceremony in a devilish manner, "Hurry up and announce the result dammit. Motherfu*ker, is it fun to see me sitting here in a mess?"

The Master of Ceremony got startled. And, he hastily announced in a loud voice, "First match of the contest between the seven great aristocratic clans - Dong Wu Shang versus Li Xiong Tu - is won by Dong Wu Shang!" He announced this, and hurriedly went to support Li Xiong Tu. He lent an arm to support him since Li Xiong Tu didn't have least bit of strength in his body. But, he still laughed as he walked away. In fact, he continued to shout, "It was fun! This fight was truly fun!"

Young Master Yu said, "What do you say?"

Chu Yang obviously understood what he had meant. He replied, "It was very good. Dong Wu Shang's victory was expected. But, Li Xiong Tu hasn't admitted defeat in his heart. It's quite rare."

Young Master Yu laughed, "You genuinely understood what I had meant. An ordinary man would've lost his will to fight with Dong Wu Shang again if he had lost the way Li Xiong Tu did today. Let's ignore the firm determination of Li Xiong Tu's martial way for a moment. He has lost to Dong Wu Shang, who uses a similar fighting style. But, this has actually become a good thing for his progress since he didn't lose his heart."

Chu Yang nodded. [He is one of the twelve influential figures of the future generation in the Middle Three Heavens. How can he lose heart that easily?]

The complexion of the three men - Ao Xie Yun, Xie Dan Qiong, and Ou Du Xiao - had turned heavy on the other side. Ao Xie Yun softly sighed and said, "What do you guys think?"

Xie Dan Qiong felt embarrassed as he forced a smile, "I could've used my Jasper Flower Attack, and could've attempted to bring the match to a draw if I had fought with Dong Wu Shang instead. But, the consequences would've been inevitable. I would've died, and he would've been seriously injured. But, it would be equivalent to my defeat!"

Ou Du Xiao nodded and said, "I could kill him. But, I would have to use my poison! However, there's a possibility that I may not get enough time to use the poison. And, I would get chopped by his saber first if that happens. So, I'm not sure whether I would be able to use my poison technique in the face of such attacks."

Ao Xie Yun nodded, "Dong Wu Shang has become one of the top-tier experts after this fight." He pondered for a while and added, "I would certainly win if I had a fight with Dong Wu Shang… but, I would have to pay a big price for that. It is hard to imagine that Dong Wu Shang has become so dreadful now!"

Dong Wu Shang came back with large strides. And, Luo Ke Di greeted him with a bear hug.

"Second match! Gao Liang of Gao Clan versus Luo Ke Wu of Luo clan!" the voice of the Master of the Ceremony spread across the distance.

Luo Ke Wu laughed out loud. He then looked at Luo Ke Di in an apologetic manner. After that, he stood up and walked to the arena.

"Gao Liang is a junior from a branch clan of the Gao Clan. He was originally a slave in the Gao Clan. But, they realized that Gao Liang possessed exceptional aptitude. So, the clan bestowed him with the 'Gao' surname, and trained him vigorously. He's a thirty-two-years-old First Grade Sword King at present." Luo Ke Di said with a solemn countenance, "I'm afraid that my elder brother will probably lose this match."

Chu Yang squinted. He looked at the two men who stood in the arena. He then spoke with a sigh, "It's not like he will 'probably' lose… his defeat is certain! Luo Ke Di, your elder brother… doesn't have a heart to fight, ah. He can bring the fight to draw if he wants to. But, the problem is… he doesn't want to fight."

Luo Ke Di sighed, and lowered his head.

Luo Ke Di knew his elder brother's way of thinking. Luo Ke Wu had never considered him as a threat to his position in the clan since he wasn't born to the first wife. Therefore, they had always shared good brotherly relation. But… the problem was that this matter hadn't been acknowledged by the Luo Clan. However, it was a great thing that his elder brother could come to fight for him.

The opponent party had intentionally set up the fight between these two men. It was probably because of the aforementioned reasons. And, there was one more reason… Luo Ke Wu had once received a favor from Gao Liang. So, Luo Ke Wu would at most bring the fight to draw even if he had the potential to win.

However, Chu Yang had already thought about this. So, he replied, "We only need to win four matches out of seven! So, it doesn't matter. It's alright."

Things proceeded as per everyone's expectations. Luo Ke Wu didn't use a single move, and got defeated in one strike.

The next match was between Ji Zhu and Gao Meng. Gao Meng was the Second Young Master of the Gao Clan. He wasn't a child from the first wife. However, he was a martial arts genius.

Ji Zhu entered the arena. And, the two men went through tosses-and-turns in the battle. However, both of them became exhausted after they had exchanged numerous blows. So, they had no better option than to shake hands, and call it a draw.

Now the score of Ji Mo's team was - one victory, one defeat, and one draw.

"What a pity!" Young Master Yu shook his head and sighed. Jun Xi Zhu was also watching the match on the other side. She also uttered the same words - what a pity!

Young Master Yu noticed the look of disappointment on Chu Yang face, and said, "Ji Zhu could've won. But, his cultivation of 'Grand Dream Divine Technique' is stuck at the bottleneck. And, he's on the verge of a breakthrough. So, his cultivation would turn back to its primary form if he were to get injured. And, he would've had to wait for the next opportunity to practice it from the beginning if that would've happened. Ji Zhu obviously can't afford to wait that long. So, he had no choice but to moderately conclude the fight."

"Dream Big Divine Technique?" Chu Yang laughed, "No wonder he's so lazy… he practices such a lazy technique."

Young Master Yu smiled and said, "Actually… you can help him breakthrough quite quickly."

Chu Yang curled his lips and replied, "I don't have that kind of skill." Young Master Yu merely smiled at him in a profound manner.

"Fourth match! Tu Wan Cheng versus Dong Wu Lei!"

Dong Wu Shang's complexion changed. He said, "We would have to concede defeat in this match!" Tu Wan Cheng was one of the previous generation King Level Experts of the Tu clan. He had always been merciless and vicious. Moreover, he was a generation older than Dong Wu Lei. In fact, even Dong Wu Shang wouldn't necessarily win if he were to fight this match. How could Dong Wu Lei stand a chance?

It was obvious that Tu Qian Hao was fu*king with them!

Chu Yang calculated the updated scores after Dong Wu Lei admitted defeat - one victory, two defeats, and one draw. They were in disadvantageous position at this time!

People who had bet on Gao Sheng had started to beam with joy.

"Fifth match! Tu Clan has chosen their candidate for this match! It is Tu Qian Hao versus Gu Du Xing of the Gu Clan!"

These words created a serious atmosphere in the entire vicinity.

Many people had made their bet based on the fact that Gu Du Xing was injured. So, it could be said that this match was a crucial point. In fact, there would be no need for the competition to continue if Gu Du Xing were to be defeated.

How could he defeat Tu Qian Hao who was at the same level as him while being severely injured?

But… no one knew that Gu Du Xing's injuries had recovered!