Transcending the Nine Heavens

The past couple of days, many rumors began to appear in Iron Cloud Citadel. Some about how Tie Bu Tian murdered his father in cold blood in order to take over the throne. Others about how the King of Hell Chu conspired against the previous emperor in order to gain more power. There were also others about how Tie Long Cheng planned to rebel against the current administration...

All in all, this resulted in unrest and speculation due to the rumors in the cold Iron Cloud Citadel...

"I have to leave to Great Zhao!" Chu Yang said firmly as he sat down in front of Wu Qian Qian.

"Why would you want to go to Great Zhao?" Wu Qian Qian stood up as she was shocked by the sudden news and was filled with concern for Chu Yang. "Aren’t you aware of the current situation and the amount of danger you will be in?"

"I am heading there in order to fight for the world! I am simply unable to afford not going." Chu Yang told her in a gentle manner. "I will be handing Bu Tian Pavilion to you. You will now act as the King of Hell Chu in my place!"

"From now on, I am King of Hell Chu?" Wu Qian Qian stared at Chu Yang blankly. Her two eyes suddenly turned red as though she was about to cry, "You planned to leave all along, didn’t you?"

Chu Yang sighed and continued, "You are really just overthinking."

"You made it such that if you ever leave, King of Hell Chu would still remain here right?" Wu Qian Qian was about to break into tears. Her voice began to tremble slightly, "Is this your answer to Tie Bu Tian and to the sect?"

Chu Yang did not say anything. He stared at her for a brief moment and said casually, "Yes!"

"So all along, you planned to leave me here didn’t you?" Wu Qian Qian’s eyes widened in an effort to hold back her tears. She tried to calm herself down and continued, "Ever since the start, you had never intended to bring anyone with you! Am I right?"

"That is correct!" Chu Yang replied bluntly.

"I understand." Wu Qian Qian said with a sad smile, "Don’t worry, I will make sure that I will do a good job." She looked at Chu Yang and reassured him, "Since you have picked me as the person who will take over the position of King of Hell Chu, I will definitely do my job well."

Chu Yang remained quiet for a long time, speechless.

"Chu Yang, you really enjoy wearing black color clothes, don’t you?" Wu Qian Qian smiled mysteriously as she said in a sad tone.

"Yes." Chu Yang swallowed his saliva before he looked at Wu Qian Qian. Suddenly, he felt a great tension in the environment.

"Umm, I know." Wu Qian Qian nodded slightly; she turned and refused to look at Chu Yang, "Is there anything else?"

"These couple of days, there have been many rumors. I will not be dealing with them." Chu Yang paused for a moment before he continued, "You do it."

"I know." Wu Qian Qian said casually, "Haven’t you been training and nurturing me for this day where I am to take over your place?" Although her voice was calm, it felt as though there was pressure building inside waiting to explode at any given moment.

Chu Yang was able to feel it clearly. In Wu Qian Qian’s chest, her weak heart was beating violently! Although Wu Qian Qian was extremely calm on the outside, her emotions within could barely be controlled.

Chu Yang sighed as he said, "I would like to remind you that the enemy is the most dangerous when he doesn’t seem to be doing anything. As long as he makes a move, we would be able to deal with him regardless of what his target might be."

"I don’t need you to remind me about this." Wu Qian Qian said casually, "After shadowing the real King of Hell Chu for such a long time, I understand what is required of me."

"That is great." Chu Yang nodded and spoke in a low voice, "I will return in a year if everything goes according to plan..."

Wu Qian Qian remained silent for a long time without talking as she stood with her back facing him.

Chu Yang wanted to raise his hand and pat her on the shoulder but after hovering it in the air as he thought about it, in the end, he placed it back down by his side. He then said, "I shall be going. I will be going to the royal palace and leave immediately from there."

Wu Qian Qian kept silent and didn’t reply.

Chu Yang sighed. He slowly turned and walked out of the room as he didn’t know how to deal with Wu Qian Qian’s sorrow.

All of a sudden, Wu Qian Qian’s shoulders trembled. The moment that Chu Yang had stepped out of the room, he heard clear dripping sounds echoing from behind him. Wu Qian Qian was finally unable to hold back her tears.

The tears dripped and fell onto the glistening stone floor as they splattered, forming a small puddle...

Chu Yang paused at the door and thought silently: I am sorry... I really cannot give you anything right now...

He then left in the wind and snow. In a short moment, his figure disappeared from Bu Tian Pavilion’s main door.

Wu Qian Qian stood still for a long time in the room with her back to the door. After a while, she suddenly sat down. Both her hands were covering her face as she sobbed in silence...

Although she didn’t make a sound, her body was trembling violently. A long time later, she slowly stood up and looked at the gold mask Chu Yang had placed on the table. She gently picked it up and looked at it longingly. Taking a deep breath and looking as if understanding something, she held it tight in her chest...

Two streams of tears slowly flowed down and rolled over the mask before falling to the ground. Why? Wu Qian Qian looked at the chair facing her and asked.

The chair remained silent as it continued its quiet existence. It could not give her any sort of answer. Like Chu Yang, it was unable to provide an answer to Wu Qian Qian’s question...

Wu Qian Qian stroked the mask and the chair as she was filled with nostalgia. She then raised the mask up and looked at it for a long time before she placed it on her face. Her expression changed to mad, despair and then sorrow. However, it was always filled with a sense of attachment.

In the end, the mask was still on her face.

It covered her sorrow.

That afternoon, Chu Yang and Gu Du Xing, two black-outfitted men with black hair whizzed out of the southern gate like a whirlwind on a pair of strong stallions. Leaving behind two distinct trials of snow being displaced as they disappeared into the horizon.

On top of the gate, a golden figure stood quietly for a long time. He watched as the snow falling back down onto the ground. Both his arms were folded and there was a strange expression on his face.

"If you don’t come back, I... will immediately send troops over to Great Zhao and make them fight to the death." Tie Bu Tian said softly before he turned and walked down from the tower.

It was also that very day that Tie Bu Tian officially agreed to Diwu Qing Rou’s request and sent five hundred chosen soldiers to escort Tang Xin Sheng’s family straight to the Continent Center Citadel situated in Great Zhao!

The people of Bu Tian Pavilion were busy with work. The King of Hell Chu had given them orders to investigate all of the rumors! They were unable to find the origin of the rumors, they were supposed to bring their own head and report back to King of Hell Chu!

This order left Cheng Zi Ang and Chen Yu Tong’s faces in despair. They immediately mobilized all of their forces. Even the justice department and the military were being activated. Everything possible was mobilized all in search of where these rumors had come from.

After dealing with official business, Tie Bu Tian headed to Bu Tian Pavilion under the protection of the shadow guards. He went into Minister Chu’s room.

Wu Qian Qian was wearing a golden mask on her face and black robe as she sat quietly in the room. Upon seeing Tie Bu Tian arrive, she was about to take the mask off when Tie Bu Tian smiled and said, "Just keep it on, I came here just to rest a little."

Wu Qian Qian was startled. Two people sat opposite one another. One in front of the desk and the other behind it. The atmosphere felt unexpectedly heavy.

Tie Bu Tian sat for a long time before finally asking, "This robe is not new, is it? Is it the one he usually wears?"

Wu Qian Qian gently nodded and said softly, "I feel like the King of Hell Chu is still here when I am wearing his robe."

Tie Bu Tian’s gaze rested on the golden mask for a while, then he let out a sigh.

Wu Qian Qian did not know whether Tie Bu Tian sighed for her or for Chu Yang. Or perhaps... there was another reason?

However, she recognized that this sigh was indicative of some sort of loss and melancholy that Tie Bu Tian felt along with another feeling that she was unable to describe.

...

Heavenly Armament Pavilion

A blue figure shot into the premises in a flash. It hastily searched every room at least once. Finally, it stopped at Chu Yang’s room and searched it carefully for a long time. At last, he pressed his hand against the door of the secret chamber and it slowly began to open.

The person in blue smiled with satisfaction. With a flash, he entered the secret passage.

"F*! This damn punk!" The moment he entered, there were loud sounds of cursing. This place had been unexpectedly filled with traps.

Within the secret passageway was something that resembled cobwebs as well as clear threads which hung everywhere.

If it wasn’t for his high cultivation and keen sight, he would have collided into those thin threads which hung everywhere.

While these things were not deadly, they were extremely effective against intruders. The person who was dressed in blue was extremely annoyed. This insolent punk had gone to Great Zhao! Why did he bother setting all of these things up?

However, after mulling over it for a brief period, he suddenly felt a surge of excitement well up inside of him. Since he is so careful, these had to be something hidden inside!

He carefully disappeared in a soft puff of smoke and slowly moved through the layers of web threads. At last... he made it through. He looked ahead and there were no longer any more of those threads in the corridor as he entered into a large space.

The person in blue relaxed and landed.

The moment his two feet touch the ground, there was an unexpected swish. He had landed in a pit, and a stinky smell immediately rose up.

He hastily tried pulling his legs out but couldn’t help but yell in anger.

His legs were yellow and whitish. He had stepped on none other than what was the reincarnation of the five grains.

Before leaving, Chu Yang had changed the path of the secret passage. It had led him to the place where Mo Qing Wu had stayed before. He even brought in a portable toilet and arranged for it to be specially placed there.

Hmm, even a King level master must have... this kind of thing.

The person in blue jumped out and activated his martial power. His boots broke open. He covered his nose and ran out with his bare feet.

Even though such a trap was not capable of causing him any harm, it was really just too disgusting...

Grinding his teeth, he searched for a long time before finding Chu Yang’s closed room. However, the moment he entered, he yelled out loudly, "Oh, screw me!"

The stone chamber was empty inside apart from a stone tablet which had the following words engraved onto it: "You are here, but I have gone far away. I am ashamed that I cannot welcome you. Reincarnation is mysterious, and surely you are still searching. This is just a mere token of my sincerity; it is not enough to express my respect. If destiny allows, we shall meet again another day."

The person in blue looked at his bare feet and then at the words "reincarnation is mysterious." He was so furious, he wanted to vomit blood.