Transcending the Nine Heavens

Chu Yang tried to adjust his breathing. He lay motionless on his stomach in a scrubby patch of grass. His body was concealed by a few trees.

Right now, he must do the exact opposite of what was expected.

He would have a slim chance of survival if he did something like... hiding in a bush; the least expected move. However, Chu Yang would be consigned to eternal damnation if he made even the slightest mistake.

The pursuers were continuously chasing him, and could find him at any moment. And, Chu Yang had chosen this patch of grass... where it was easy to be discovered.

The terrain was smooth and flat. So, it was easy to get spotted. But, the people of the Golden Horse Riders Department knew that King of Hell Chu was very crafty. Therefore, they were checking every dark corner of the mountain-forest – along with high peaks and boulders that were located in midst of lush trees...

But, no one paid any attention to ordinary places.

This is a basic flaw of the human psychology. And, it had given Chu Yang a chance to survive.

Heaven never seals-off all the exits. Therefore, one can use anything to one’s own advantage as long as one is bold and careful. One must always try to find a way to survive even if one is certainly doomed to die.

But, how many people in the entire world are capable of accomplishing such a feat in a situation like this?

Chu Yang let out a sigh, and relaxed. His entire body felt sore. He had thirty unhealed wounds on his body; they were burning with pain. He strived hard to control his breathing, and used his spirit sense to block the pores in his body since he needed to stop the fragrance emanating out of it. Meanwhile, the Sword Spirit hurriedly started to instil medicinal efficacies within his body.

The Sword Spirit had previously complained about Chu Yang accumulating too many medicinal efficacies. Absorbing too many medicinal efficacies would make him dependant on them; it wasn’t good for his cultivation. But now, he was afraid that Chu Yang hadn’t absorbed enough medicinal efficacies.

He had even started to complain, “The deposit of medicinal efficacies is very less; it isn’t enough...”

Chu Yang felt that his strength was restored to some extent. His stiff body had regained some of its vitality. His heart – previously pounding like thunder – had also pacified. Now, he wanted to change his hiding place...

[This spot is temporarily safe. But, I can’t be sure when someone would turn-up with squinted eyes... and possibly find me. The pursuers can easily catch a glimpse of the exposed flesh of my buttocks if they chase-over.]

[But... my body is in a terrible shape. My restored strength wouldn’t allow me any physical activity. The fatigue has reached my spirit and is affecting my mind... especially after this rest.]

[I was thoroughly exhausted before I arrived here. But fortunately, this place is Beyond the Heavens Sect; it’s like my maternal home. My pursuers are large in number, but who can catch me in the terrain I am so familiar with?]

Chu Yang comforted himself. Then, he rolled horizontally; like a cat. He propped his elbow against the ground, and horizontally rolled on the grass at a rapid speed.

He needed to do this lateral shift very carefully. He couldn’t jump. Also, he couldn’t move the grass – to avoid its rustling sound. His entire scheme would go to nought if his movements were heard. But, he couldn’t hold his body too high from the ground either. He would be discovered if he were any higher.

Therefore, he could only use his elbows to prop-up from the ground. Then, he continued to move laterally. He used the tips of his toes to gain support on the ground, and used his elbows to move. He did this dozens of times. His elbows had started to bleed since they were rubbing against sand and stones.

However, Chu Yang had succeeded in moving a hundred feet on his side; he had got closer to a grove of short pines.

The pine grove was short in height. However, it was much taller than the patch of shrubby grass. Moreover, it was dense. It would be difficult to discover Chu Yang as long as he stayed in the grove.

Chu Yang observed his surroundings. He became steadier as he got closer to his goal. He knew that people tend to relax after reaching near their goal, and then... they suffer. He had learnt this from the mistakes of other people. So, he didn’t become complacent.

A black-attired man was hidden behind a dense branch on the upper left side of a pine tree. His vigilant eyes gazed attentively at every dark corner. He looked focused; like a hunting-dog hunting its prey.

However, he had overlooked a short pine tree that was located right below him.

[Well as they say... it’s the darkest under the lamp. And... it seems that it’s really dark under this lamp]. Chu Yang praised the spirit of the Golden Horse Riders Department’s experts’ professional commitment. His entire attention was fixed on spotting the enemy. Chu Yang took the advantage of his enemy looking in other direction. His body floated-up; it was riddled with bruises. However, he used the last bit of his strength, and hid behind the short pine tree. Then, he rapidly got down, and curled-up his body in the shadow of the short pine.

“What was that...?” The man heard a faint sound. He absentmindedly glanced below him, but didn’t find anything. So, he turned his head back up. He mumbled, “I feel paralyzed. Catching this King of Hell Chu is so painful and hectic... I’m extremely tired... I’ve been squatting on top of this stinky tree for three days and three nights. F*k me... it’s such a boring task. I’m just sitting here and going through this torture... Also, there are too many damn foxes, squirrels and hedgehogs in this mountain. The next time I see any... I will f*ck its grandmother!”

The man had mistaken the sound to be that of a passing squirrel or fox.

Chu Yang heaved a sigh of relief. He had never thought that this man would talk about f*cking the grandmother of a squirrel, fox or hedgehog; the mere image of it was extremely disturbing. He took out the juice of plants which he had accumulated in the Nine Tribulations Space. Then, he smeared the juice on his bleeding wounds. The pain was extremely difficult to endure. It wasn’t beneficial in healing the wounds either. But, it masked the smell of blood that was coming from his body.

Then, he began to treat his wounds – right under the nose of that Golden Horse Riders Department expert.

And then, he waited for the day to get dark.

He would have a higher probability of escaping in the dark.

The mountain winds got stronger with the passage of time; the whistling sound of the wind rang in every direction. A whirlwind would occasionally roll-over and hit the treetops with a whistling sound; it sounded like a ghost’s cry... or the sad and shrill howl of a spirit. This would inevitably provoke the man on the treetop to curse-out loud...

Suddenly, a man wearing a black robe appeared with a whooshing sound; one of his arms had been severed. The person on the treetop became alert. He turned his head and asked, “Who’s it?”

“It’s me!”

“Oh... it’s the King Level Expert!”

Jing Meng Hun had arrived there to take the status report.

“Did you see anything?” Jing Meng Hun frowned; he had a sullen countenance. Jing Meng Hun had become more and more irritable in the past few days. He was almost on the verge of exploding.

“Nothing. King of Hell Chu hasn’t come here.”

“He hasn’t come here?” Jig Meng Hun knitted his eyebrows and said, “That’s impossible! I’ve been following the smell of blood; it disappeared somewhere around this place. How could he not have come here?”

The black-attired man on the treetop was startled, “The smell disappeared somewhere around here?”

Jing Meng Hun didn’t answer. He was sniffing and inspecting carefully. Suddenly, his expression changed as he walked-over to a darker spot and looked carefully.

It was clear that someone had lied on his stomach there. Someone had taken shelter there, but had left by now! This individual had left some traces behind. The spot wasn’t even fifty feet away from the man on the treetop.

Jing Meng Hun crouched and flipped through the patch of grass carefully. His fingers brushed against the grass blades. He raised his hand; there was a bright-red spot of blood on his fingers. He smelled a faint orchid fragrance as he brought his hand closer to his nose.

Jing Meng Hun’s facial expression turned ferocious. He stood-up and flung his arm without turning back. Smack! The man in black got slapped, and was sent flying in a circular manner. His head buzzed; blood spurted-out of his mouth and nose. However, the stupid person still didn’t understand what was going on, “King Level Master... you... you... what are you doing?”

“What am I doing?” Jing Meng Hun was extremely angry. He started to shower abuses, “I’ll do your grandmother! King of Hell Chu was lying here on his stomach for a long time. He even bled here. He rested here to restore his physical strength... and then escaped. All this happened... but you were dreaming!”

“King... King of Hell Chu?” The man in black was petrified. [King of Hell Chu was right under my nose a while ago?]

“If it wasn’t King of Hell Chu... then who was it? Your Grandpa?” Jing Meng Hun was furious. Chu Yang had been tightly surrounded for the first time. Jing Meng Hun was aware of the heavy price they would have to pay if he were to escape. [King of Hell Chu is so badly injured that even a three-year-old will be able to kill him if he’s found.]

[But, this stupid man missed such a great opportunity. King of Hell Chu was lying on his side... bleeding... and on the verge of dying... for at least a quarter-of-an-hour. But, this man was dreaming... and didn’t have the least bit of awareness of his surroundings...]

[This...how could he be so dumb? What level of stupidity is this? He should be chopped into pieces...]

Blood rushed to Jing Meng Hun’s head as he looked at the patch of grass where King of Hell Chu had lay on his stomach. His remaining hand flung another hard slap on the black-attired man’s face. He shuddered from head-to-toe in anger; his eyes had become bloodshot. He trembled as he said, “You see... it was so easy to spot him. There’s nothing in the vicinity to hide behind. Even a rat could’ve been seen in just a glance... and you couldn’t spot something as big as a living person... You... your eyes are nothing but a pair of anu*es...”

Jing Meng Hun felt that he was at a loss for words.

There weren’t enough words to describe the degree of foolishness of the man who stood before him. So, he continued to stare at the expert. He huffed and puffed in anger; his brain had become blank with anxiety...

King Level Expert Jing looked at the man fiercely; it seemed as if he would swallow that man alive. The man in black shuddered; his face looked deathly pale...

[I’m finished... I’m so finished. King of Hell Chu... you’ve killed me...]

King of Hell Chu was still hiding on the side. His attention was entirely concentrated on healing himself. He might’ve laughed out loud if he had heard Jing Meng Hun flying into a rage... Then, King Level Master Jing would’ve hit the jackpot, and might’ve easily captured King of Hell Chu.

But suddenly, a few men arrived at the scene with a whooshing sound; they were panting. “King Level Expert, have you found anything?”

“Found anything?” Jing Meng Hun’s nostrils released blasts of air as he pointed his finger at one of them, “Previously... there was only one moron here. But now... it’s overflowing with stupid bastards... How shameful! Even if I had found anything... it would amount to nothing!”

Everyone was startled. They looked at the black-attired man with suspicion.

“What are you looking at? Get this guy the hell out of here. Looking at him reminds me of my dead mother and makes me want to cry... but I’ve no tears to shed...” Jing Meng Hun waved his hand, “King of Hell Chu couldn’t have gone far. Hurry-up, and search this place!”