Transcending the Nine Heavens

Tie Bu Tian looked at the mysterious medicine. She felt extremely happy. The sudden excitement left her to blush. Her blushing girly face would’ve been completely revealed if not for the marvelous effect of the appearance changing technique.

[Satisfied. I’m truly satisfied!]

[Even if this medicine isn’t as amazing as Chu Yang has said... it really means a lot... even if Chu Yang doesn’t know what he has done for me...]

[Because what’s most important is... his intention.]

"No, I can’t take it," Tie Bu Tian’s eyes turned slightly red. He considered for a moment, and refused to accept the gift. He raised his head and looked at Chu Yang earnestly, "Minister Chu, I’m in the Lower Three Heavens. I’m going to lead a life full of extravagance and luxury. I may not come across any such difficulty in my life. But, you’re going to the Middle Three Heavens. So, you’ll be facing danger at every step. You may have disputes with treacherous people of Jiang-Hu. So, you need this kind of stuff more than I do."

Tie Bu Tian gazed at Chu Yang with determination and spoke, "It’ll be more useful if it stays with you."

Chu Yang felt a warmth in his heart. He blinked and said, "I already have some more."

Tie Bu Tian stared at him for a while, and saw an earnest look in his eyes. Tie Bu Tian could tell that Chu Yang wasn’t lying. So, he smiled and gently took the purple jade bottle from Chu Yang’s palm. He grasped it in his fist, and clutched it firmly. He smiled and said, "Such being the case... I accept it."

"Well... that’s great." Chu Yang smiled gently.

He didn’t notice that Tie Bu Tian’s body was shivering. It seemed that she was deeply touched by this gesture, and was trembling in excitement...

Her facial expressions were calm. She had been clutching the purple jade bottle tightly in her hand since the moment she had received it. In fact, she had clutched it so hard that the joints of her fingers had turned white...

Chu Yang felt relieved. He spoke with a smile, "I’ll take my leave then."

"Alright," Tie Bu Tian said. She found it extremely difficult to maintain her calm.

Chu Yang smiled. He then stood-up, raised the curtain and jumped out of the carriage.

Tie Bu Tian sat quietly with her head lowered. The corners of her mouth revealed a happy smile. [It’s not like I didn’t get anything... I finally got something...]

She continued to admire the purple jade bottle for a long time. Her eyes were full of tenderness. It seemed as if she would keep gazing at it, and would never get enough of it.

Then, she brought the purple jade bottle to her bosom; as if to make it feel her warmth. It stayed like that for a long time.

Chu Yang had carved an artwork on the purple jade bottle. It was extremely beautiful. However, Tie Bu Tian didn’t cherish its beauty.

Tie Bu Tian put down the purple jade bottle after a long time. Then, his hands went around his neck, and untied a small thing from behind it. It was a strange jade tablet...

Then, Tie Bu Tian picked-up a small mirror.

There was a flash of dense light as soon as the jade tablet left her body. The previous youthful appearance of a boy was immediately replaced by a stunning beauty.

It wasn’t easy to achieve this camouflage. It was an effect of the jade tablet. It was hard to tell what it really was...

Tie Bu Tian looked in the mirror. She looked at her beautiful face... a face so beautiful that it could cause the downfall of a nation... She looked on silently for some time. She then smiled bitterly, and said in a low and thin voice, "Perhaps no one will get to see this face in this life... right?"

Then, she used a strong silk thread to wrap-up the purple jade bottle. She tied a knot, and hung it around her neck. She then untied her upper undergarment in order to place the purple jade bottle near her private parts. She wanted it to stick close to her soft and delicate flesh.

"Stay with me. You’ll stay with me throughout my life. I’ll take very good care of you," Tie Bu Tian spoke in a soft voice as she looked at the reflection of the purple bottle partly visible in her bosom.

A drop of tear fell down from her eyes. Tie Bu Tian’s hands trembled, but she wore the jade tablet again.

A dense light fluctuated, and her short-lived peerless beauty disappeared without a trace. It was replaced by straight eyebrows that slanted upwards, and sharp eyes with an arrogant look in them; as if they were looking down on the whole world. This was the appearance of an Emperor who held the entire world in his hands.

Emperor Tie Bu Tian!

The transformation effect of the jade tablet even changed the complexion of Tie Bu Tian’s skin... along with the appearance.

Receiving the Nine Tribulations Pill seemed to have untied the knot in Tie Bu Tian’s heart... or one could say... had tied a tight knot in her heart ...

[From now on... this matter will only stay in my memories. I’m Tie Bu Tian – the current Emperor of Iron Cloud.]

[I’ll certainly ascend great heights to get a broad view of all the four seas. I’ll rule the entire world.]

The last ray of light fell past the horizon, and the boundless night swept across... as if to rule the earth.

Tie Bu Tian and Chu Yang started to worry about the situation of the war since they both had recovered from their injuries. The four of them sped-up their travel schedule, and abandoned the carriage. They resorted to use the ‘body-weight lightening’ technique, and took advantage of the starlight to rush forward on the road.

The two shadows, Tie Bu Tian, and Chu Yang dashed forward with a ‘swoosh’ sound as soon as they initiated the ‘body-weight lightening’ technique. Chu Yang was extremely agile. Moreover, he was quick and swift. He covered one-hundred-and-seventy feet in a single jump; he appeared like a fleeting wisp of green mist. His body didn’t need any support to leverage him in the air for long intervals. He gently stuck his hand into a deep hole at a spot, and pulled out a fat hare with a ‘swoosh’ sound. He did this without a moment’s pause.

Then, his eyes flashed. It seemed as if he had discovered something. Surprisingly, he didn’t fall to the ground. Instead, he strangely circled behind a big boulder that lay on the roadside. There was a thick patch of grass behind the boulder. Two pheasants were hovering there with their wings spread wide. Both of them were single-handedly caught by Chu Yang.

Then, he floated down to the ground – as if he was as light as a feather.

The eyes of the two shadows popped-out as they looked at Chu Yang. There was a bewildered look in their eyes. It seemed as if their eyes were trying to say — "What the hell!"

"What’s wrong?" Chu Yang was carrying a hare and two pheasants. He spoke with a smile, "Oh these... I was worried that we may not find enough food to eat later on. Luckily, we got our rations here itself."

The two shadows didn’t care about food and rations. They stared at him and asked, "Are you a king level expert now?"

Tie Bu Tian opened his eyes, and turned towards Chu Yang as soon as he heard these words.

[King level expert? When I first met Chu Yang a year ago... he was only seventeen years old... and a Fourth Grade Martial Pupil. But, he has become a king level expert within a year alone?]

[This is... just too unreal... right?]

"I’m ashamed to say this... but I’m only a First Grade King Level Expert... that’s all," Chu Yang answered modestly.

The two shadows glanced at each other; they seemed to be dumbstruck.

[Ninth Grade Martial Pupil, Ninth Grade Martial Master, Nine Grade Martial Great Master, Ninth Grade Revered Martial Artist... and then King Level Expert. This bastard has crossed forty levels within one year... and still has the guts to act shy and say – ’I’m ashamed to say that I’m only a First Grade King Level Expert... that’s all’...]

[That’s all?!]

[That’s all... my a*s. You’re not ashamed.]

[You’re trying to pick a fight or something...]

The two shadows seemed low-spirited. Their cultivations were at the Ninth Grade of King Level. However, they knew that this was the end limit of their cultivation. They were already sixty years old. It would be impossible for them to move even an inch forward in this life.

[Chu Yang is only eighteen years old... and he has already become a King level expert. So, how massive would his development be in the future?]

[Emperor level? It would definitely be more than that.]

[Then... the Saint level? Very likely!]

The two shadows looked at Chu Yang as these thoughts crossed their minds. He stood in front of them. They couldn’t help but admire him; very highly at that.

"You’re a king level expert now?" Tie Bu Tian looked at Chu Yang and asked. There was a trace of pride in her eyes.

"Yes!" Chu Yang smiled, "Actually, it’s not a big deal. It’s a trivial matter in comparison to your intelligence and aptitude... It isn’t even worth mentioning."

Tie Bu Tian also smiled and replied, "Not necessarily."

A shadow asked, "What type of a king are you?"

This question had no head or tail. But, Chu Yang understood the meaning behind this question. He replied with a smile, "I’m a Sword King."

[A Sword king!]

The two shadows were shocked.

[So, he isn’t an ordinary king level expert... but the kind of a king which is most difficult to achieve – a Sword King.]

The ‘sword’ had become the most sacred weapon in the Nine Heavens since the day the Nine Tribulations Sword’s Master first appeared in the Nine Heavens. This was the reason why the majority of warriors in the world were sword artists.

When a Sword Artist made a break through from King Level, he arrived at Emperor Level and became a Sword God rather than becoming a Sword Emperor!

The Nine Tribulations Sword’s Master had decided this nomenclature thousands of years ago. So, nobody dared to defy it. In fact, the ‘Sword God’ level had become the rank of supreme honor in sword cultivation.

It could be said that a Sword God could easily kill a Saber Emperor of the same grade.

So, the might of sword cultivation could easily be imagined.

"Such a young sword king..." The two shadows looked at each other; they were speechless. They had seen the meaning hidden in each other’s eyes, [How many sword kings of such a young age are there in the nine super clans of the Upper Three Heavens?]

[Such a person doesn’t appear often in the Upper Three Heavens... forget the Lower Three Heavens. What does this represent? How much do the nine super clans of the Upper Three Heavens have to spend in order to cultivate such a person? It would be an unimaginable amount.]

[It would encompass a vast amount of elixirs and Heavenly treasures. An ordinary and small aristocratic clan would go bankrupt in the process...]

[... Is this a good thing?] The two shadows thought in unison.

"The Heaven Splitting Mountain Pass is... in which direction...?" Tie Bu Tian stood on a tall boulder and looked into the distance. She had an indifferent look on her face. However, one could see traces of worry and anxiety on her face.

"Don’t worry. Everything will be fine." Chu Yang comforted her and said, "Wu Kuang Yun is very clever at war. Moreover, he seems like a bold and straightforward person. He makes brave strategies... and takes quick decisions. We won’t give up that easily... he’ll continue to strive for victory. He has moved ahead of time. So, covering a few hundreds kilometers to get back shouldn’t be an issue. In addition, the Heaven Splitting Mountain Pass is a natural stronghold. So, it certainly won’t meet with any mishap."

Chu Yang knew that Tie Bu Tian was worried about something. His words worked as a tonic to dispel all of Tie Bu Tian’s worries.

[Yes... Five-hundred-thousand people would be crowded in a narrow pass. It’s too late for all the troops to withdraw inside the mountain pass. Wu Kuang Yun must make sacrifices in order to ensure the safety of the large forces... and to ensure that the mountain pass doesn’t fall into the hands of the enemy.]

[The most crucial point is to make sure to not give-up midway.]

They hadn’t imagined that the offensive and defensive operations on the Heaven Splitting Mountain Pass would be so tragic and earth-shattering.

Diwu Qing Rou’s calculations were accurate. He was thousands of kilometers away. However, everything that he had speculated – down to every minute detail – had turned out to be correct. He would certainly be able to rout Tie Bu Tian’s entire army in one fell swoop if everything worked according to his plan.

However, there was one point that he hadn’t considered. This un-calculated point had led to a change in the course of the war.