Transcending the Nine Heavens

The elder looked at the word and laughed bitterly. “Young friend, you have given me a difficult problem indeed. On the same day, three people in a row have asked to test the same word… You are going to ruin my reputation.”

Chu Yang smiled. “Your reputation is cast in stone. It can’t be ruined by just anyone.”

The elder laughed widely and said, “Too bad, you aren’t just anyone.”

He said “just anyone”, those two words, with a heavier intonation, seeming to have a hidden meaning behind it.

As he said, he held up the piece of paper to his eyes and studied it carefully. “Well written! Well written!” he said, “These steady bold strokes seem to be written with steel and you can see the clear murderous intent in it. I can see a large number of people who have been killed behind it. Looking at this word makes me feel as if I am looking at the fold of the Nine Heavens.”

He raised his head and looked at Chu Yang, saying with a smile, “Young friend, the sin of killing is great with you.”

Chu Yang smiled. “Please help me with this problem, wise man.”

The elder’s expression became serious. “May I ask what you want to know?”

Chu Yang gave a faint smile. “Since everyone asked about their prospects, I want to know mine as well.”

After he said that, everyone had a strange expression on their faces.

First, there was a white-clothed man who wrote the word ‘天’ ¹ and asked about his prospects; then sat a young lady who also wrote the word ‘天’ and asked about her prospects. Now, there sat a young man who still wrote the word ‘天’ and asked about his prospects.

What was happening was really an eye-opener for everyone.

The elder laughed bitterly again. “Your future… your future… haha… can’t you ask something else? Aren’t you making it difficult for me?”

Chu Yang smiled. “If it was someone else, I might have made it difficult for him, but it is definitely not difficult for you.”

The elder let out a huge laugh. “For that sentence, I have no choice but to try to protect my reputation.”

He held the word, studied it carefully, then made a few strokes with the grass again before sighing and said, “The word written by the white-clothed man was filled with arrogance and ambition. This young lady wrote it with a light and relaxed hand. However, you wrote it differently. The word you wrote is bold and strong and filled with murderous intent.”

He raised his head and looked at Chu Yang. “Although that white-clothed man is arrogant, he is still fearful and reverent towards heaven. Although this young lady wrote the word light-heartedly, she still respects heaven. However, you…”

Chu Yang asked calmly, “Me? What is it about me?”

The elder sighed and replied, “You do not believe in heaven!”

You do not believe in heaven!

That sentence jolted Chu Yang. He smiled and asked, “Wise man, do you believe that heaven exists?”

The elder smiled and replied, “Of course the heaven exists.”

Chu Yang continued probing, “If it exists, then where is heaven?”

The elder frowned and replied, “Heaven is above us of course.” As he said, he raised his hand and pointed, before continuing, “You can see the blue sky when you look up!”

Chu Yang smiled and asked, “Is there evidence?”

The elder replied angrily, “This does not need evidence!”

“Heaven is said to be the greatest, is there anything greater?” Chu Yang then asked.

“Nothing is greater!” the elder replied with a warm smile.

“If there is nothing greater, how did heaven come to exist?” Chu Yang laughed.

The elder was startled by his reply. He stared at Chu Yang for a long while before shaking his head and replying, “I’m not going to argue with you.”

Chu Yang laughed aloud.

The elder was silent for a while before he said, “You are still at the stage where you rebel against the idea of heaven. Only when you come to fear and respect heaven one day, can you improve beyond the limits of the world. This is the way of the world.”

Chu Yang thought about it for a while, before replying seriously, “Even though I do not agree with you now, I will remember what you have said!”

The elder studied the ‘heaven’ written by Chu Yang again. He had a strange look on his face. “Although this ‘天’ is filled with ambition, it is also hollow… with signs of Yin and Yang. Young friend, you were not born from reincarnation.”

Chu Yang felt his heart thump.

The elder let out a laugh. “Young friend, this word ‘天’ consists of ‘一” ² and ‘大'[3.’大’ means ‘big’ in Chinese]. However, in this case, it is not one person, not two people, but a huge crowd of people. By not believing in heaven, you are rebelling against heaven. Hence… you are relying on nine people… yes, maybe even more.”

Chu Yang’s heart jolted. Nine, nine…

He wanted to stop the elder from continuing. However, the elder had already changed the topic.

“Although the ‘天’ you wrote was filled with war, it is bold, confident and steady. It is well-balanced with every stroke connected. This is enough for me to tell that you are the one who values friendship and is upright. Hence… for your prospects, your future is filled with killing. However, there are many people who should be killed in this world… there’s nothing wrong with it either…”

He took a deep look at Chu Yang and said, “I gave some advice to this young lady earlier. I will give you some advice too.”

“Please say, I will take your advice to heart.” Chu Yang replied seriously.

The elder was solemn for a while before he said, “Travel around the world with a sword and kill whoever should be killed. You can see the light in a bloodbath and the sky among piles of bones. Mo Qingwu of the Nine Heavens, Ke Butian on the road of three lives; appreciate people who care about you, do not underestimate the evil in the air; Mo Tianji will not tolerate the human realm, it is not a waste to walk the earth alone; do not fear that love would not work out, since when do people feel lonely; it is better not to have regrets than never having been hurt, do your best to defeat your enemies, but be careful when talking to demons. It is a matter of time before the nine heavens become one and a new era begins. We do not know when life ends, do not trust the nine heavens easily.”

Chu Yang’s heart felt like explosions occurring and his head was buzzing.

His words were basically a summary of his entire life.

What kind of person was this old man exactly?

‘Mo Qingwu of the Nine Heavens’ this sentence could not have been clearer. Firstly, it was to be careful, secondly, it was the name Mo Qingwu. But Ke Butian from the road of three lives…

This…

He felt his heart pounding and for a moment, he could not tell where he was and where his heart was. He felt like he was in a trance. The crowd around him was loud, but at that moment, it seemed to be far away from him…

However, he fell into a place of absolute silence.

Vaguely, he seemed to have arrived at a place.

The place was completely dark, with only a bright road that meandered into the distance. A shadow flashed past, and he saw a person in front of his eyes. Chu Yang fixed his gaze on the person. It was the elder who helped to divine his future.

The elder let out a laugh and said, “Looks like you never came here before. Go on ahead… we will meet again someday. You have to let go of me. Even though it’s heaven’s will, I am quite unhappy about it. Haha… but you don’t even believe in heaven… this does make me really happy.”

With a wave of his hand, a beam of white light shone into Chu Yang’s forehead. He smiled faintly and said, “If we meet again, I hope you won’t forget the help I have given you today.”

He gave Chu Yang a push and laughed loudly. “Go, it’s only the Nine Heavens if you break out of the Nine Heavens!”

The elder’s figure started to fly suddenly amidst the laughter.

Chu Yang only felt himself moving backward without stopping, until he suddenly fell after having moved back a very long distance. He let out a gasp and looked up sharply, and felt the sunlight piercing his eyes.

He closed his eyes to process what had happened before opening up his eyes again. However, what he saw was the worried expressions of Zi Xieqing and Chu Le’er.

His heart jolted. However, when he looked opposite him, he only saw the table and chairs; the elder was gone.

“Where is he?” Chu Yang asked.

“He left already.” Zi Xieqing had a strange expression on her face. “I wanted to stop him, but he just vanished after he laughed.”

Chu Yang was shocked.

When Zi Xieqing said ‘vanished’, she meant that the old man disappeared without using his powers. Otherwise, Zi Xieqing would have been able to catch up with him no matter what and brought him back.

However, it was clear that she was powerless against the old man.

After thinking carefully about what the elder had said, Chu Yang seemed to have understood more, but also became more confused at the same time.

He stood up in a daze, as if he just had a dream. “Let’s go back,” he said and walked back unsteadily.

Zi Xieqing and Chu Le’er walked behind him worriedly.

Chu Le’er tugged at Zi Xieqing’s hand and asked, “Sister Zi, what happened to my brother?”

Zi Xieqing frowned and replied, “I don’t know either.”

She had a niggling feeling that Chu Yang’s godly spirit left his body for a moment. However, it returned back in the next moment, the very short time interval making her slightly befuddled.

On the way back, they suddenly heard a loud wail at an intersection. A large number of people were carrying a casket and turning at the front.

When Chu Yang looked closely, he saw that two of the people were those who went to give out food boxes with Diwu Qingyun in the morning, which made his heart jolt. He pulled away one of the people nearby and asked, “Who died?”

“Master Diwu Qingyun died from a sudden illness.” The person was a martial artist from the Zhuge clan. Upon seeing Chu Yang, he knew that Chu Yang must be one one of the doctors attending the Medicine Banquet. Hence, he answered Chu Yang immediately.

“Diwu Qingyun is dead?” Chu Yang frowned, finding it weird. He thought in his mind: Could Diwu Qingyun have gone to find Diwu Qingrou to get even with him and Diwu Qingrou, especially since his plans failed and he got berated, killed Diwu Qingyun in a fit of anger? However, Diwu Qingrou didn’t seem like such a petty person…

Chu Yang was right, Diwu Qingrou was not one who would kill in a fit of anger, but Diwu Qingyun did spoil his plans!

For this sort of plans, not just Diwu Qingrou, even Chu Yang would be unable to stop himself from killing someone.

Moreover, Diwu Qingyun was someone Diwu Qingrou wanted to kill.

Noises could be heard from afar, shouts of exclamations, shouts of excitement; someone shouted: the South Law-enforcement master, the South-east Law-enforcement master and the North Law-enforcement master had arrived.

From another side, another voice could be heard: the dominating family of the Nine Heavens, the Ye clan, had arrived too…

This voice was nearer.

The three law-enforcement masters seemed to turn at a corner, and were brought to another place to rest by the Zhuge clan. The Ye clan, on the other hand, were coming here directly.

Chu Yang pulled Zi Xieqing and Chu Le’er to stand at the roadside, feeling excited.

The Ye clan was here, but did the famous Ye Chuchen… the wife of his own teacher come?