Transcending the Nine Heavens

Diwu Qing Rou insipidly said, "It can’t be impossible if he has showed-up in person." Jing Meng Hun just stood in a daze with his eyes opened wide in a stare. Diwu Qing Rou stood up.

A team of Iron Cloud’s soldiers – seated on their horses – were neatly arranged in a formation on the battlefield. Their backs stood erect as they waited in silence.

The strong east wind was blowing the Iron Cloud’s army flag up towards the sky. The flag was fluttering magnificently in the wind, and was producing a fluttering sound. This peculiar sound was capable of inciting passion for war in the hearts of those who heard it. The ones who heard this sound felt a murderous desire rise from the depths of their hearts.

Two fast horses stood motionless before the team. Two people were seated on the back of one horse. It was hard to tell their age. They were just sitting upright on the horseback, and seemed indifferent. They were standing before a mighty force, and the sun was shining at its best in the sky. However, the figures of these two individuals appeared somewhat fuzzy.

There was lone dark horse more than a hundred feet ahead of them. A person in black robe sat on it back. This person had put on a golden mask. His large black robe was fluttering magnificently in the east wind. And, his sleeves were issuing a creepy sound in the wind.

A bone-chilling cold energy was surging around this black-robed man. This cold energy was constantly rolling over-and-over in a turbulent manner!

Only a single rider was present before the Great Zhao Army, but the soldiers still had a strong feeling in their heart, [it looks like an ancient devil has come out in this broad daylight from the depths of hell!]

Wherever his sharp vision fell... everyone felt a burst of bone-chilling cold!

[King of Hell Chu!]

It wasn’t like he had introduced himself or anything. However, this name had cropped-up in the minds of the Great Zhao’s soldiers immediately after they had seen him!

[Such an imposing presence and such a tyrannical aura can easily rival those of Prime Minister Diwu! And, only a character of such caliber can storm across a distance of 6500Km, and still come out alive in spite of being chased by the Golden Horse Riders Department!]

[And, he has finally appeared here!]

A bugle sounded on the side of the Great Zhao’s army. The entire army formation suddenly separated to the sides to make way in the middle.

The look in everyone’s eyes changed; it suddenly became respect and full of reverence.

The slow hoof beats sounded, and Diwu Qing Rou’s guards appeared. There was a leisure-chair in the middle of the guards. Diwu Qing Rou was seated in it. He appeared before King of Hell Chu with the hint of a smile on his face.

The guards hesitated a little, but Diwu Qing Rou used the folding fan in his hand to signal them to move forward. He had done so in a very strict manner. The escorting guards were helpless, and had to continue to carry him forward. They stopped only after they had crossed the half-way line.

After that, Diwu Qing Rou waved his hand, and the guards retreated. Only the leisure chair remained in the field along with a solitary group of a thousand soldiers of Diwu Qing Rou’s.

Then, Diwu Qing Rou raised his head, and smiled as he looked at Chu Yang... who was directly across him. His smile was light like the clouds, but various meanings were hidden in it.

The two shadows were almost ready to cause trouble any moment now, [don’t know why this Diwu Qing Rou is considered a legend. He doesn’t even know martial arts. Isn’t this a heaven-sent opportunity to capture him or kill him?]

The shadows moved slightly, but were interrupted by Chu Yang’s whisper, "Do you want to die?"

The shadows were stunned.

"Diwu Qing Rou is an Emperor Level Expert!" Chu Yang spoke in a low voice.

The two shadows were suddenly drenched in cold sweat from head to toe, and their eyes turned somewhat lifeless. [Emperor Level Expert? So, Diwu Qing Rou has been deceiving the world?]

Then, Chu Yang urged his warhorse, and resolutely advanced towards Diwu Qing Rou; step by step.

The distance between the two was getting shorter and shorter.

Center line!

The two men only had a distance of 30 feet between them at the moment! This was a very risky distance. It was especially more dangerous for Chu Yang.

Chu Yang stopped his warhorse. Then, he raised his eyes, and looked straight ahead. Diwu Qing Rou had also raised his head, and his warm eyes were gazing at Chu Yang.

The four eyes met each other.

For some reason, the people present behind these two individuals felt a strange feeling rise within their hearts when the gazes of these two men clashed.

It seemed as if the whole world had suddenly trembled, and then gone completely dark.

Then, Diwu Qing Rou laughed gently. He was seated in his leisure-chair, and seemed to be at complete ease as he spoke, "Seeing your whole face really isn’t easy."

Chu Yang gave a tit-for-tat reply, "Maybe because Prime Minster Diwu lives a sheltered life... and has little contact with the outside world."

Diwu Qing Rou laughed merrily. He then said, "Internal affairs need qualifications... but like external ones."

Chu Yang also laughed.

This meet with Diwu Qing Rou was just a flash in the pan.

He had initially thought to stay hidden in the shadows, and use his skills to engage in sabotage. He would then look for an opportunity to strike like the thunder. However, he had considered for a long time, and had finally given up on his initial plan. He planned to meet Diwu Qing Rou directly thereafter.

The news of King of Hell Chu being alive would’ve reached Diwu Qing Rou’s ears sooner or later. However, it wouldn’t have left such a psychological impact if he had come to know about it from the mouth of someone else. That was because Diwu Qing Rou would’ve obtained enough time to be mentally prepared, and would’ve adjusted himself for their meeting. In fact, he would’ve formulated countermeasures too. And then, he would’ve had a feeling of satisfaction while facing Chu Yang... as if everything was in his grasp.

However, as it stood... Diwu Qing Rou was sure that King of Hell Chu was already dead. However, he had suddenly appeared, and had asked to have an audience with Diwu Qing Rou. This had landed a heavy blow on Diwu Qing Rou... that too at a time when he was enormously proud of his success.

This way, he had managed to make Diwu Qing Rou feel a sense of defeat, [so, he didn’t die! So... that means the big price I paid was for... nothing!]

Chu Yang needed for Diwu Qing Rou to perceive such a sense of defeat since even a trace of it would make him feel as if everything had deviated from his master-plan.

This was necessary because the outcome of this war wasn’t dependent on the number of troops on either side... but on Diwu Qing Rou! The entirety of Iron Cloud’s efforts would eventually go in vain if Diwu Qing Rou’s master-plan would stay unhindered. It would be an arduous and long war, but Iron Cloud would most likely lose in the end!

So, Chu Yang wanted to do everything he could to break Diwu Qing Rou’s state of mind, and create a hole in his confidence. And, this sudden meeting was his first move to do just that...

Diwu Qing Rou looked at his grim mask with interest, and spoke with a chuckle, "You should let those two come forward."

Chu Yang also chucked and replied, "I should let them come... and give you enough reason to kill all three of us before everyone?"

"No!" Diwu Qing Rou smiled, "They will surely die if they come forward! But about you... I’m not so sure." He gently exhaled and insipidly said, "Mysterious King of Hell Chu. The King of Hell Chu who bravely rushed 6500km from the Great Zhao, haha..."

Chu Yang laughed, "This Chu is honored to be called ‘mysterious’ by the Prime Minister."

Diwu Qing Rou was silent for a while. Then, he asked, "In the Great Zhao... you were the younger one out of the two Young Masters of the Chu Clan, right?"

"Yes." Chu Yang didn’t deny; denying would be pointless at this moment anyway.

"And, the one who got injured by my palm attack was also you?" Diwu Qing Rou asked this question, but in a rather affirmative tone.

"Yes."

"I see..." Diwu Qing Rou’s tone was getting more and more tranquil. He asked, "The one who sneaked into my hidden treasure house, was you?"

"Hidden treasure house?" Chu Yang knitted his brows.

"It wasn’t you?" Diwu Qing Rou asked in a soft voice.

"No," Chu Yang answered. This matter involved the secret abilities of the Nine Tribulations Sword; Chu Yang couldn’t possibly admit it.

"I see... so it wasn’t you," Diwu Qing Rou quietly said. His prying gaze fell upon Chu Yang... as if to observe him carefully. It seemed as if his sharp glance had penetrated through Chu Yang’s mask to see every inch of his face.

Diwu Qing Rou slowly said after a long time, "It seems like that was someone else." He unconsciously stopped paying attention to this matter, and was secretly relieved in his heart.

[King of Hell Chu isn’t the Nine Tribulations Sword’s Master!]

"Prime Minister should guard his Hidden Treasure House properly." Chu Yang reminded him, "It would be a huge loss if someone stole stuff from such an important place."

"Are you taking pleasure in others’ misfortune?" Diwu Qing Rou couldn’t help but laugh out loud. But then, his eyes turned sharp as he spoke, "You wanted to meet me today; I doubt if it was for some idle chatter, correct?"

Chu Yang nodded earnestly, "I wanted to take a good look at the man who rules the entire Great Zhao, and plans to take the whole world in his hands. Prime Minister Diwu, I wanted to see what you look like."

Diwu Qing Rou gently smiled, "And, also to give declaration of war... I presume."

He looked calmly at Chu Yang, "The moment you appeared here and asked to see me — I knew that the war between the two nations has started."

"Prime Minister Diwu, this war will decide who shall control the world. You may probably have to go all out." Chu Yang’s eyes gradually sharpened as he spoke in a soft voice, "An illustrious man like yourself mustn’t lose or allow his reputation to fall."

"I will go all out." Diwu Qing Rou nodded slowly. However, he didn’t respond to Chu Yang’s aggressiveness in a similar fashion. He just calmly made a point, "Look at this war-torn battlefield... it is covered in the flames of war that reach the sky. Who can decide the final outcome of the war...? Who can dictate the ups and downs..."

"King of Hell Chu... Ha ha ha..." Diwu Qing Rou gently said, "Don’t disappoint me."

"I’m afraid that Prime Minister will be struck by the unexpected," Chu Yang replied indifferently. His eyes suddenly sharpened like a sword as he stared intently at Diwu Qing Rou. It seemed as if two divine swords had broken through the blue dome of the heavens, and had been directed at Diwu Qing Rou’s heart!

Diwu Qing Rou remained unaffected. His pupils contracted slightly as he replied, "Even if something unexpected comes at me — I shall face it, and I shall win!"

They no longer talked...

The sun was burning strong above, and there were no clouds to be seen for thousands of kilometers in the sky. However, the armies behind these two felt as if it was about to rain. It seemed as if the blue sky would fall down any moment now.

A long time passed... Chu Yang raised his head up to look towards the sky, and spoke in a deep tone, "Prime Minister, your name ‘Diwu Qing Rou’ will become immortal on this continent if you lose this war. The world will always remember your name! You will become a legend."

Diwu Qing Rou calmly replied, "I also guarantee that I’ll have your biography written after the Iron Cloud Nation is destroyed. Then, the name of ‘King of Hell Chu’ will become a legend of the continent!"

The two men laughed heartily.

Chu Yang suddenly turned his horse around, and urged it to gallop towards the Iron Cloud’s formation. He faced upward towards the sky, and let out a long laugh. Even the wind and clouds trembled in his wake. His laughter never stopped, but the trembling sky proclaimed along with him, "Ha ha ha, that’s not needed! I – King of Hell Chu – have already become an immortal legend in the Lower Three Heavens!"