Transcending the Nine Heavens

“This is human nature,” Zi Xieqing said lightly, “So you often see people lamenting on how sincerely he treated his friends, but how ungrateful his friends were to him… Actually, saying ‘ungrateful’ is wrong. It’s that he didn’t choose the right moment to display himself.”

“People often can’t remember happy things for long. But fear and grievances can survive in people’s memories until they die. When you help others, you must make his fear imprint in his heart first before you help him; when he has remembered his fear, he’ll also remember the favor you’ve done to him.”

Chu Yang smiled bitterly. “Of course I know this. But Wei Wuyan is a good person. I don’t want to use this kind of method to deceive the feelings of my friend.”

Zi Xieqing said slowly, “Wei Wuyan is indeed a good person, but Wei Wuyan’s teacher is born selfish and indecisive. This kind of person should be given a lesson first. Besides, you have to do this exactly because Wei Wuyan is a good person and you want to have a long-lasting friendship with him. This is not only for your own good but also for his good too.”

Chu Yang let out a long sigh. “Miss Zi, I don’t know why, but everything that’s spoken by you appears to be very sharp and harsh, even if you’re speaking the truth.”

Zi Xieqing was silent for a long time, before she spoke, “We’re born differently. I once had some years when I couldn’t feel any warmth nor affection, and only saw the weak standing as an easy prey to the strong. I only saw the victors enjoying themselves, and those losers becoming corpses, and…”

As she said till here, she suddenly stopped and let out a long sigh. She said while smiling bitterly, “Throughout these years, I tried hard to integrate myself into every world, but… I realized that everyone is actually the same. Everyone has their own schemes. No matter how noble a person may appear, there are also some dirty places in his heart…”

“Born differently?” Chu Yang frowned. He didn’t quite understand Zi Xieqing’s words. “I don’t understand. Regardless of big clans or poor peasant families, warmth exists everywhere. There’s indeed a lot of cruelty and darkness in the world, but touching moments exist constantly. I don’t understand what kind of place you lived in previously.”

“The place I lived in previously…” Zi Xieqing smiled sadly, then smiled bitterly. She shook her head, and didn’t talk again.

A slight gloominess appeared between her brows.

At this moment, Chu Yang actually felt sourness in his heart.

Such a fairy-like girl actually had such a sad past? She said that she ‘only saw the weak standing as an easy prey to the strong’ and ‘couldn’t feel any warmth nor affection’. If one were to think of how she survived in such an environment… that would really be frightening!

“I’ll try hard to study… the warmth of the world,” Zi Xieqing said quietly, “I hope that there’s one day that someone can move me emotionally.”

She said, sounding mockingly mischievous, “Then I can taste of… what is it like by being moved.”

…

As the duo spoke, beneath them, four neat rays of light had already arrived at the cliff top.

Passing through the vines on the cliff wall.

Then, the four stood to form a line in midair at the same time. Each of them wielded their respective swords and horizontally cut through the vines on the cliff wall!

Along with countless stones falling onto the ground, that big stretch of vines also fell down like a piece of rag.

Revealing the stone wall and a round cave entrance.

This made Chu Yang suddenly thought of something: this really looked like a person’s ass which was stuck out, and suddenly, a square piece of cloth was cut down from the person’s pant, and coincidentally this person didn’t wear underwear, thus revealing… that…

Such a weird thought utterly amused Chu Yang. He tried to suppress his laughter, while his belly twitched continuously.

Zi Xieqing frowned. Seeing that Chu Yang had suddenly changed from his serious expression to become the current dreadful and lascivious expression, she was extremely befuddled.

This man is really weird and complicated…

“What are you thinking?” Zi Xieqing asked, unable to suppress her curiosity.

“I’m thinking of… ass…” Chu Yang blurted out this unconsciously, as he smiled sheepishly.

Zi Xieqing’s face reddened, and she stared back at Chu Yang evilly. Gritting her teeth, and nodding her head, she said, “I’ll let you see your own ass tomorrow!”

She snorted and went away.

Chu Yang was instantly dumbstruck.

Chu Le’er, who’s on Zi Xieqing’s back, turned around and pouted her lips towards Chu Yang. “Big brother, you’re such a gangster! Humph!”

She turned around and lay on Zi Xieqing’s back, ignoring Chu Yang.

Chu Yang was very anxious and hurried up to them. “Miss Zi, you’ve misunderstood me. I’m not thinking of your ass… Urgh.” Chu Yang raised his hand and slapped his own face. What am I saying…

Zi Xieqing’s face looked as cold as ice and frost. She didn’t speak, and continued to stride forward.

Chu Yang followed up bitterly. He couldn’t help but yell in his heart: I’m really really over this time around…

Flames were already burning up from beneath. After some time, it was extinguished, then following which came thick smoke. Under the concerted efforts of the experts, the thick smoke drilled its way into the cave, like a black long dragon tossing its head and tail.

Zhuge Wen had his hands clasped behind his back as he looked at the smoke from afar. He was silently calculating the time that a Supreme Martial Artist would need to be really affected by these smoke!

Even if there’s only a slight effect.

But for Zhuge Wen, this would already be enough.

Ye Shiyu stood behind Zhuge Wen by about the length of a body, looking at him a little complicatedly.

The method that Ye Shiyu had thought of was similar to that of Zhuge Wen, but Zhuge Wen had thought of two more aspects: Cover the Supreme Martial Artist’s eyes to make them adapt to the dark, and cut off the cliff vines completely.

Ye Shiyu couldn’t help himself from admitting that these two steps were the most effective in reducing the losses on their own side under the current circumstances!

Ye Shiyu never thought that he would omit anything in his calculations. So, he would directly admit if others were better than him!

From here, Ye Shiyu predicted that Zhuge Wen’s wits were indeed better than his own. If he became Zhuge Wen’s enemy in the future, he might need the help of others, or try his best to conspire from areas that he normally wouldn’t think of. He must think twice before acting on any decision!

A deep, slight beam silently appeared in Zhuge Wen’s eyes, which then faded away.

Ye Shiyu must be very afraid of me now. If I became enemies with him in the future, he would definitely become more hesitant and indecisive because of the fear he had today.

By then, I can exploit his indecisiveness.

The nine big clans have been harmonious with one another for tens of thousands of years, but who knows about the conflicts among them? Now, the Nine Tribulations Sword Master is going to make his appearance, and the nine big clans may probably turn against one another… Isn’t the Li clan the best example?

Who dares to promise that the Ye clan and Zhuge clan won’t turn against each other?

These two young masters had their own thoughts as they stood.

Dense smoke continuously flooded into the cave.

Zhuge Wen had finished calculating the time. Waving his hands, he said, “Go in and get him out!”

Ye Shiyu’s heart jerked. I was slower than him again.

At this moment, the dense smoke had just entered the cave, and those people within it must have turned very anxious, and they must also have caught this off-guard; this was the best time for them to be attacked. If they reacted over and adapted to the smoke, they would calm down.

Supreme Martial Artists could endure such smoke.

Along with Zhuge Wen’s command, three figures swept through a distance of hundreds of feet and entered the dense smoke.

It looked as if the smoke had sent them in, or they were smoke themselves.

The moment they entered the smoke, three black cloths flew out.

They had removed their black cloths together at this moment.

When they blindfolded themselves with black cloths, they couldn’t see anything. As they entered into the dense smoke after adapting to the darkness, although the surroundings were hazy, they still could make out what the surroundings were like.

…

In the cave, Wei Wuyan endured the smoke and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?”

Hong Wuliang’s face was emaciated. At this moment, his face slightly contorted and revealed a little hesitation.

“They’ve already discovered our place… This…” Hong Wuliang frowned as he thought and said, “Our front or back must be blocked… And we can’t predict which way is better to escape. We can only… counter changes with changelessness.”

Wei Wuyan agreed respectfully, but he sighed sadly in his heart.

When are you going to change your bad habit of being hesitant and indecisive? You still want to ‘counter changes with changelessness’ at such a time…

Don’t you know that as long as you rush out from no matter what directions the moment the smoke comes in, the enemies will be off their guards?

You just didn’t want to take hold of such a good opportunity no matter how I persuaded you. Now, we’ve lost it, and going to be caught, you actually still want to wait and see?

A mountainous pressure came from the cave entrance.

Someone had already entered the cave.

“Hong Wuliang, do you know who I am?” A lordly sound rang through the cave.

“Ye Anran? This time around… It’s people from the Ye clan who have come?” Hong Wuliang responded lightly, as his eyes swept coldly around.

Wei Wuyan lowered his head in extreme agony: Our enemies are luring you to speak and confirm your position, and you… actually agreed just like this!

Teacher, you haven’t traveled the martial world for so many years. Have you really turned dumb?

As what Wei Wuyan had expected, with some commotion amidst the smoke, three figures had stood before them. Among them, one was exactly a Supreme Martial Artist from the Ye clan, Ye Anran.

Someone whom Hong Wuliang was familiar to.

“Brother Hong, how are you?” Ye Anran said lightly.

“There are three of you.” Hong Wuliang revealed a heavy and grieved look in his eyes; he originally thought that there’s only Ye Anran, and wanted to lure Ye Anran up. And at the same time, Hong Wuliang could make use of his geographic advantage and work with Wei Wuyan to clear Ye Anran up. But Hong Wuliang didn’t expect that there were three!

Three experts whose cultivations were no lower than his!

…