Transcending the Nine Heavens

Even as the sky turned black, the scholar continued standing unperturbed and motionless by the window with his hands clasped. Only after a servant shuffled in quietly to lit all the candles in the manor did the scholar reacted. He frowned and returned to his desk. Seemingly staring into a void, the scholar appeared deep in thought.

"Prime minister, Official Dong requests an audience with you." A man suddenly appeared out of the blue and reported.

"Dong Wufa? Please let him in." Echelons above the rest, this scholar was the top official of the Great Zhao Nation, Diwu Qing Rou!

The next moment, a tall, lean man entered the room smartly.

"How do you do, Prime minister?"

"Please have a seat." Diwu Qing Rou waved his arm gently and stared intently at the flickering flame of the candle. He asked quietly, "What brings you here, Official Dong?"

"I am here to discuss the strange phenomenon, of course." Dong Wufa had a towering build and his hands were as large as fans. His lean face was complemented with high cheekbones and his eyes were as sharp as those of hawks!

This was the most powerful official in the entire Great Zhao Nation’s military!

Dong Wufa was the representative of both the scholarly and military officials of the Great Zhao nation.

In a typical political setting, leaders of opposing factions would be akin to fire and water, absolutely unable to coexist with one another. However, the situation was quite the opposite. While Dong Wufa was older than Diwu Qing Rou, Diwu Qing Rou was the person Dong Wufa respected most!

"A strange phenomenon? Yes, it was certainly strange indeed!" A trace of worry appeared on Diwu Qing Rou’s charismatic face as he questioned softly. As he spoke, his gaze dropped lower as he immersed deep in thought. Soft tapping sounds were heard as he drummed the desk lightly with his fingers.

The room fell silent momentarily. Dong Wufa sat up straight facing Diwu Qing Rou. He remained quiet, hoping not to disturb Diwu Qing Rou’s thoughts.

After a long moment, the black clouds gradually dispersed and the sky turned bright again.

Clasping his hands together, Diwu Qing Rou stood up. He walked to the window and looked up before muttering, "In just one hour, the dark clouds gathered and the sky darkened, throwing the Heaven and Earth into chaos. But only a few seconds ago, the Heaven and Earth seemed to have returned to normal. This is the strangest phenomenon I have ever seen."

"Prime Minister, is something great about to happen?" Dong Wufa’s face turned pale.

Looking up at the cleared skies, a look of fear momentarily appeared in Diwu Qing Rou’s eyes. Dong Wufa had missed it as he was facing Diwu Qing Rou’s back.

Turning slowly, Diwu Qing Rou spoke with a smile, "Everything is fine. It is uncertain why the Heaven and Earth had merged together momentarily. But the fate of our world has just been rewritten. The future is no longer predictable!"

"Do you mean you won’t be able to see the future despite your strong proficiency in astrology?" Dong Wufa stood up all of a sudden as a look of anxiety appeared in his eyes.

"Regardless of what happens, the Great Zhao’s mission to unite all under the heaven is already extremely clear!" Although Diwu Qing Rou spoke softly, his words were filled with confidence. He assured, "Everything will proceed as planned." He paused for a moment before adding, "Smoother and swifter!"

"Yes!" Although Diwu Qing Rou’s tone sounded normal, its sharp aura gave Dong Wufa complete reassurance. It seemed Diwu Qing Rou’s words had the ability to make any catastrophe seem like trivial matters!

"It has been a while. You should take your leave." Diwu Qing Rou smiled warmly.

"Indeed, I have matters to attend to so I shall take my leave now." Dong Wufa stood up and turned to walk out.

Watching his silhouette disappear, Diwu Qing Rou’s smiling face suddenly turned mysteriously suspicious. He thought to himself, "How could this be happening? The signs were as bright as the afternoon sun. How could the enemy have exploited this rare event of a merger between the heaven and earth to reincarnate?"

Diwu Qing Rou paced continuously around the study. After a long while, he suddenly placed his left fist on his chest resolutely and said with sharp determined eyes, "With the candle being almost extinguished in the wind, what significance does another small spark make? With my very own hands, I will stop anyone from creating a big fire!"

As he came to a conclusion on his course of action, Diwu Qing Rou narrowed his eyes and said, "Come! Let it begin!"

His words were absolutely filled with inspiration and energy!

At the Iron Cloud nation, Tie Bu Tian, a messenger from the Heavens was deeply perturbed as he watched the sky. His face appeared so solemn that he seemed to have aged a little.

"Chaos! Everything has fallen into chaos!" Tie Bu Tian wailed. He shook his head helplessly and smiled foolishly, "Diwu Qing Rou, Diwu Qing Rou... Trapped in such a complicated situation, what will you do?"

As he said these words, Tie Bu Tian normally solemn composure suddenly appeared a little cheeky.

Not only did the Lower Three Heavens turn dark. The skies of the Middle Three Heavens and Upper Three Heavens had also darkened simultaneously! Even distant lands also showed foreboding signs...

When the sky was growing dark, an incredibly powerful pillar of energy from the sky had struck the ground suddenly in a desolate frozen land. Its immense power created a huge rift in the black clouds and caused a towering iceberg to shatter into fine ice. The next moment, a black shadow rose into the sky. He looked around to study his surroundings and make clear of the situation. Growing certain about what was actually happening, he suddenly threw his head back and laughed eerily into the night sky.

"The time has come for our godly family to reborn again," the shadow announced. Suddenly, he dropped to his knees and stared at the sky. With tearful eyes, he said, "The Nine Tribulations is nothing. Overturn the Heaven and the sky shall shine. The godly family will rise once again! Lord, oh my Lord! This curse has shackled us for thousands of years!"

The shadow’s melancholic voice echoed and lingered in the vast barren land of ice. After being trapped for so many years, the desolation and exasperation in his voice were as clear as the ice crystals flying in the air.

"My children! Are you bored? Let’s play an earthshaking game with the Nine Heavens! Hahaha..." The black shadow’s roaring laughter reverberated across the skies like rolling thunder!

Cheers and chants of excitement rose from all around!

At this point in time, the elite families of the Upper Three Heavens and the Middle Three Heavens were holding private meetings. The themes of their discussions were all the same – The strange phenomenon.

"The course of the world’s fate is about to change. The younger generation must take this opportunity to enter the Jiang Hu to begin cultivation. Otherwise, these changes will ultimately threaten the livelihood of our families and destroy us."

"The Nine Tribulations appear, the clouds waver, thousands of tribulations gone, thousands of stars wept in agony, the world evolves, people’s lives are worthless... This is Heaven’s order. Outstanding youths must enter the Jiang Hu immediately."

"As you cultivate and grow in the Jiang Hu, you must learn to subdue your rivals from other families at all costs! Regardless of what moves you use, you have to beat them! Remember this! The world is about to experience a major transformation. This is a moment when fate will have a crucial bearing on the rise and fall of the elite class. All of you, the younger generation, are the representative of your family’s destiny!"

At the respective meetings, these messages were carefully synthesized and conveyed to the descendants of every family.

Of course, there was something else not to be missed. These words were repeated continuously in the youths of each family, "Find the owner of Nine Tribulations Sword. If you befriend him, use everything you have to support him! If he is your enemy, obliterate him at all costs!"

The world was in shock. All these instructions and plans were formed and decided in less than an hour!

Chu Yang was still underground at the moment. He was totally oblivious that the appearance of the Nine Tribulations Sword could cause such dramatic change and chaos to the whole world. He was even more unaware that this incident had absolutely altered the fates of many powerful families!

All these changes had not happened in his previous life after all.