Transcending the Nine Heavens

Suddenly, a wild laughter resounded. The figure of a man could be seen riding a horse. It carried an eight-feet-long saber. He let out a loud shout which echoed like a burst of violent thunderclap. He and his men rode forward; like a group of gods who had descended from the heaven. Then, they broke into the vanguard forces of Bai Chang Tian’s army.

“Bai Chang Tian! Your Grandpa Wu has arrived.”

It was Wu Kuang Yun!

He beheaded countless people with a sweep of his saber; their blood was scattered in all directions. However, it was only a prelude to the upcoming massacre.

Wu Kuang Yun possessed an innate mysterious power. This power granted him incomparable might during chaotic fights.

He fought these kinds of battles with exceptional courage even though he wasn’t a martial expert. He burst into the enemy ranks, and continued to swing his saber. He ripped open a gap in the enemy’s formation by clearing out a dozen men. The soldiers of Iron Cloud clamored behind him, and rushed forward like wolves and tigers.

“Charge forward... and kill them all!” Tie Bu Tian’s voice resounded, “You’re forbidden to turn around. You may embrace death... but only after killing Bai Chang Tian and his men.”

“Attack! Everyone follow me! Let’s charge ahead...” Wu Kuang Yun gave a loud battle cry. He knew that the outcome of this battle would be decided in this stroke. He held his saber high, and nudged his horse with his legs. He killed his way into the enemy formation as he rushed forward.

Ten-thousand soldiers stormed frantically after him.

The vanguard unit – comprising of fifty-thousand soldiers – advanced like a giant unstoppable nail, and wedged into the enemy formation.

An army of three-hundred-thousand soldiers shouted “Long live the Emperor” as they came rushing like a tsunami.

Owing to the chaos, Bai Chang Tian’s command couldn’t be heard by his troops; he was despaired.

“General, let’s go!” The Deputy General’s face was flushed with blood.

“Go?” Bai Chang Tian smiled sadly, “Go where?”

He looked back, and saw his soldiers and horses crammed-up in the narrow area. It was so crowded that most of the men couldn’t even pull-out their weapons... The two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand soldiers at the rear hadn’t received any news of the latest developments. Therefore, they were still marching forward in a steady manner.

“It’s over!” Bai Chang Tian smiled bitterly, “It was hard to imagine that I – Bai Chang Tian – would get defeated in a place like this...”

He looked at Wu Kuang Yun. The man was soaked in blood; he was slaughtering his men. However, the army under his own command had lost its fighting spirit. His soldiers were screaming as if they were lambs for slaughter. They were trying to flee in all directions, but failed as they were stuck in the crowded place. They could only wait to get slaughtered.

[We’ve lost!]

[It’s a disastrous defeat. My entire army will get wiped-out...]

Bai Chang Tian started to laugh frantically. His laughter was full of despair. There was a ‘clang’ sound as he pulled-out his long sword with his right hand. Then, he muttered in voice that reeked of guilt, “It’s my fault.”

Bai Chang Tian’s long sword beamed with light rays as he swung it. Then, it hit Bai Chang Tian in the stomach. He was one of the ten great ‘Tiger and Dragon Generals’ of Great Zhao, but this ‘White Tiger’ General had chosen to apologize for his mistake by taking his own life.

“Take no prisoners until this battle is over. Pierce through them as fast as possible.” Tie Bu Tian hadn’t anticipated that even the ‘White Tiger’ General – known for his wisdom – would end-up getting trapped on this narrow mountain-road. His army was crammed-up like a package of dumplings; without any option of advance or retreat.

This was a heaven-sent opportunity. Tie Bu Tian realized that this might be the first time that they’d see a glorious victory over Great Zhao.

Therefore, he took a prompt decision and issued the command.

[Don’t take any prisoners...]

Their victory would be delayed if the army was to take prisoners. Moreover, the enemy was already crammed-up in a huddle, and had no hope to fight back.

It would be foolish to not grab such an opportunity to crush the enemy – once and for all.

The Iron Cloud army roared and trampled the enemy soldiers; like a massive road roller flattening the road surface. They wiped-out the entire army... leaving behind a vast stretch of narrow land.

The outcome of this battle had been determined by now.

Meanwhile, Chu Yang had fled to the Great Mount Ba.

This place was four-thousand kilometres away from the Continent Centre.

He had been overtaken by the experts of the Golden Horse Riders Department several times throughout his journey. He had indulged in fights with them, and had managed to escape every time. He had managed to reverse many hopeless situations despite sustaining countless injuries.

Chu Yang had been ferociously hit by Jing Meng Hun’s palm on his back; it had left behind a deep mark.

Chu Yang would’ve been buried in the barren hills if it weren’t for the Sword Spirit.

The number of scars on Chu Yang’s body had increased by eighty-ninety; the sight of it was awful. Even the astonishing healing power of the ‘Vitality Spring Water’ couldn’t heal his injuries immediately.

His old injuries hadn’t even healed when the new ones had appeared. Even the power of life absorbed by the Nine Tribulations Sword had been nearly exhausted.

Jing Meng Hun’s hatred for Chu Yang had surpassed all limits.

Chu Yang had drawn about a hundred-thousand-wolves in that primitive forest. Half of the six-hundred experts pursuing Chu Yang had lost their lives to the wolves.

Jing Meng Hun had used all his strategies to get out of that predicament. He had exhausted all his strength in getting the remaining three-hundred experts out of the forest. However, even the surviving experts had suffered many injuries. Even Jing Meng Hun didn’t go unaffected; there were three or four wolf bites on his body.

King of Hell Chu had caused the death of more than six-hundred skilled experts since the time he had escaped from the Continent Centre.

These experts had belonged to the Martial Great Master level and above. They were among the people who had been carefully selected by Jing Meng Hun.

It was impossible to make-up for the loss of these men. The multiple losses throughout the pursuit had made Jing Meng Hun’s lungs to explode with rage.

He was so furious that he had disregarded his own safety while pursuing Chu Yang.

Chu Yang panted and enjoyed the calm as he leant against a tree. He had used his endless clever tricks to reach this place. He had finally managed to break away from Jing Meng Hun and the other pursuers.

He had taken a constant beating over the last few days. The methods that he had initially employed to cover his tracks hadn’t been working of late. Moreover, there wasn’t enough time for him to cover-up the orchid fragrance that was coming out of his body.

Jing Meng Hun was pursuing him without taking any rest or sleep.

He would rather die than allow Chu Yang to escape. His stance was clear – he would do anything to make things difficult for King of Hell Chu.

Three days ago, the Sword Spirit had reminded Chu Yang, “The accelerated ripening is complete. Jade Snow Spirit Ginseng has ripened. You can take it now.” However, Chu Yang had been pushed to such an extent that he couldn’t find time to take medication for three days and three nights.

The deposit of medicinal efficacies stored inside his body by the Sword Spirit was reducing at a rapid rate; so much so that it was almost empty.

It had been used-up to heal his injuries over and over again. Therefore, even a tough body like his’ was on the verge of giving-up. Chu Yang was gasping for breath since he hadn’t got enough time to even breathe properly during his escape.

He felt a sharp pain in his heart as he closed his eyes.

Suddenly, the lovely figure of Mo Qing Wu – dressed in red and standing in white snow – appeared before his eyes. There was a trace of resentment in her gaze. She looked at him affectionately and asked, “Chu Yang, are you going to give-up?”

*** ***

Chu Yang woke-up with a shock. He started to suffocate as he took huge gasps of breath.

Little Mo Qing Wu was covered in red. Her eyes sparkled with tears. There was a piteous look in her eyes as she pursed her lips; she seemed to be on the verge of crying. “Brother Chu Yang, when you will come to meet me? Your Xiao Wu would be very happy... I miss you!”

Chu Yang was sweating profusely as he woke-up from another dream.

Chu Yang had lost all hopes. However, a strong will to live had exploded within him; so much so that even Jing Meng Hun was shocked. But, it made him even more determined to get rid of Chu Yang.

Chu Yang had gotten away from Jing Meg Hun. But, he had broken his arm in the process.

Chu Yang’s cultivation and strength had made a rapid progress. However, he couldn’t be compared to Jing Meng Hun, who was a Ninth Grade King Level Master. There was a huge gap in their strength.

Chu Yang couldn’t have defeated Jing Meng Hun even if he was the Nine Tribulations Sword’s Master. He – at the most – would’ve bypassed a rank or two and killed a First or Second Grade King Level Master. In fact, he could’ve used his tricks to injure a Third or Fourth Grade King Level Master. He would’ve sustained injuries, but he might have killed them.

However, he was helpless in front of a Ninth Grade King Level Master who was at his peak.

Death traps had been laid at every step throughout this four-thousand-kilometres-long route.

Therefore, time was extremely precious for him. However, he had decided to stop and rest for two hours.

Then, the Sword Spirit took out the Jade Snow Spirit Ginseng. Chu Yang was still panting. He closed his eyes, and stuffed it in his mouth; without waiting for his breath to become steady.

He felt a burst of ice-cold spirit rushing down to his stomach. Then, it burst into his meridians...

The Sword Spirit loosened his control on Chu Yang’s five internal organs, and made an opening for the spirit energy to reach the insides his body.

Suddenly, the spirit energy started to pour into the opening.

Chu Yang wrinkled his brows as his body trembled. He bit on his black robe tightly; so much so that it was nearly gnawed into shreds.

The most important thing after consuming the Jade Snow Spirit Ginseng was to allow its medicinal efficacies to melt within the body. Chu Yang’s five internal organs needed some time to get healed since they were severely damaged.

Two hours of time may or may not have been enough to start with. However, Chu Yang didn’t have any other choice. He would’ve died if he hadn’t consumed the Jade Snow Spirit Ginseng.

The Sword Spirit carefully guided the spirit energy. The spirit energy flowed like a gentle stream of river, and moistened his internal organs. Then, it began to repair them.

Finally, the protective layer of sword energy was completely released...

Even a little carelessness couldn’t be allowed now.

The spirit energy was injected into his internal organs under the Sword Spirit’s control. Slowly, the serious injuries inflicted on his internal organs began to heal...

Chu Yang’s internal organs had been nearly restored soon-enough; only a finishing touch was required to attain complete recovery. Then, Chu Yang would become perfectly healthy again.

His meridians had become unobstructed since his blood vessels had been cleansed. A strong orchid fragrance had started to erupt-out of his body as his internal organs were being restored. This was due to the effect of Diwu Qing Rou’s ‘Destroying Soul and Breaking Heart Palm’ technique. The fragrance floated out of his body, and spread-out in all directions...

Chu Yang was unaware of all this since he was adjusting his breathing patterns. He was probably in some kind of deep meditative state; he seemed to be under the influence of hypnosis...

Half-an-hour passed...

Chu Yang was on the verge of a complete recovery when a rustling sound was heard. A spirit mastiff’s low and gloomy howl resounded at first. Then, it started to get closer.

The branches and twigs in the jungle started to sway as people started to approach from all directions.

The experts of the Golden Horse Riders Department had found Chu Yang’s hideout with the help of the orchid fragrance.

Jing Meng Hun rushed-over like a whirlwind. His hair was dishevelled, and there was a fierce look on his face.

“Where’s he?”

“Reporting to King Level Master – the orchid fragrance is coming from the valley.”

“How many people have gone in? Don’t alert the enemy... got it?”

“Yes. The subordinate has taken it into consideration. But something seems off. There was nothing unusual as we approached the valley. The target hasn’t responded... I suspect that it’s only the orchid fragrance...”

“I’ll go and take a look.”

Jing Meng Hun’s body flew forward like a lightning bolt, and dropped into the valley where Chu Yang was hiding.