Transcending the Nine Heavens

However, he had let down his guard at the last moment. And, he had been caught off guard as a result! That was because the people of his clan and his elder brother were showing such goodwill. Therefore, this had made him let down his guard in his heart.

In fact, he had deliberately made himself let down his guard.

Nobody knew how much Dong Wu Shang cared about these brotherly sentiments! He and his elder brother had grown up together. And, he had always harbored deep respect for his elder brother. He had always adored and revered his brother. Similarly, his brother had taken care of him in every possible way. His blood brother had always pampered him in every way possible. However, he had now become Dong Wu Shang’s enemy. So, one could well-imagine his pain and grief.

His elder brother had finally shown a gesture of conciliation today... He had finally shown goodwill towards his younger brother.

Dong Wu Shang was rather wishful in his heart since he wanted to believe that all of this was true! He had been longing for returning to that environment of brotherly affection. And, he had put his own safety at stake for this reason.

It was a pity that he had lost this gamble!

He had received many injuries in his body. Anyone else in his place wouldn’t even have been able to stand. However, he had been firmly standing with difficulty. He was standing on one leg. And, blood was streaming out his body like waterfall. However, he was still able to stand straight!

He was still majestic and formidable as ever!

It was just that there was sadness and disappointment in his eyes. And, that had given his lofty form a seemingly desolate yet elegant demeanor.

He looked around... as far as his eyes could see... However, no one dared to look him in the eye. All of them averted their gazes one after another.

Dong Wu Shang smiled... But, it was a smile of misery.

He had lost all hope for reconciliation!

He suddenly recalled that Chu Yang had told him over and over again just before he had left, "Wu Shang, you must be careful!"

"Wu Shang, you must be careful by all means!"

[Big Brother had already anticipated this. Therefore, he had constantly warned me. But, he had never stated it clearly. He couldn’t say this clearly because Dong Wu Lei is my elder brother... my blood brother!]

[After all, it would’ve inevitably been a provocative behavior of sowing dissension between two brothers if Big Brother had been blunt about it at that time.]

[But, he had been warning me time and again. So, it was equivalent to saying — be careful of your elder brother!]

[I also had the same apprehensions. However, I still foolishly chose to have faith in the end.]

"Second Young Master, we don’t wish to do this," Du Liu Feng coughed twice. He then said with a little guilt, "But, our Dong Clan is in an unstable situation at this time. It can’t afford to withstand a big storm anymore."

"I understand," Dong Wu Shang slowly nodded. The look in his eyes became hazy. His despair had changed into intentional heartache. He was in so much pain that he didn’t want to live.

However, one would be awed if they looked his expression carefully. And, that’s because they would find that his vision had gradually become profound. It had been gradually condensing and... gradually becoming cruel!

He had understood... He had truly understood!

Dong Clan needed only one heir... just like there’s only one throne in the imperial families. Dong Wu Shang would’ve been fine if he were a little mediocre. But, he was so outstanding that it was unnecessary!

Therefore, he had ended up becoming the hidden crisis that could divide the clan!

Dong Wu Shang’s body swayed a bit. The color of his eyes had changed to that of the Black Saber. He faced upwards, and looked at the sky. He then muttered, "Common people pursue love and romance. But, who would’ve thought that ruthlessness is the key in this world! Or maybe, the reason why there are so many folklores about love in the world is that it’s filled with so much ruthlessness..."

His body suddenly issued an intense saber glow!

His eyes had turned splendid and brilliant.

Epiphany!

The Second Senior Elder was overwhelmed by shock as he looked at Dong Wu Shang. He had great cultivation and vision. Therefore, he could naturally see what was happening to Dong Wu Shang at this moment. [I hadn’t expected that Dong Wu Shang’s innate talent would be so unimaginable. His mind has received stimulation even in such a hopeless situation. And, he has received an epiphany at such a time!]

"A saber that causes no injuries... how great can it be? The worldly affairs are endless... who can endure to go through so much toil? This single person that flutters all across the Jianghu changes his way into ’Heartless Saber’ from now on!"

Dong Wu Shang faced upwards, and burst into loud laughter. There was endless grief and indignation in his heart even though he was laughing! He suddenly issued a long and loud cry, and slowly recited this poem. But, this wasn’t a poem in reality... It was a Secret Saber Art instead!

This was the Secret Saber Art of Dong Wu Shang!

Dong Wu Shang had suddenly experienced an epiphany when he had been attacked and gotten bruised in both body and mind... And, it seemed as if he had become an enlightened being. He had reached to the second grade of Saber Emperor!

His entire body issued intense saber energy. And, the expression in his eyes became increasingly cruel. It became increasingly calm yet increasingly...’heartless’!

Dong Wu Shang had reached the epiphany of ’No Injuries Saber’ at the first grade of Saber Emperor Level. But, the epiphany for his second grade Saber Emperor Level was the ’Heartless Saber’!

His saber would cause ’no injuries’. But, it would also be ’heartless’ from now on...

His body then issued cracking sounds. The bone of his chest had been broken, but it miraculously got healed in a split second. He then extended his left hand, and suddenly turned around. Subsequently, he shook his right shoulder. A cracking sound was heard as Dong Wu Shang slowly lifted up his right hand. He then slightly adjusted it.

His shoulder recovered!

He fiercely stamped his right foot on the ground. It issued an earth-shaking loud bang. And, billows of dust flew in all directions like an explosion!

His right leg also recovered...

The overall comprehension of the second grade of Saber Emperor Realm had healed all the injuries on his body. It seemed as if a miracle had occurred. His wounds weren’t completely healed, and he wasn’t at the peak of his strength. However, he would have no problem when it came to moving his body now. No one – not even Du Liu Feng – would be able to catch him if he were to retreat at this moment.

However, he didn’t wish to retreat... He wanted to kill!

His headband fiercely tore open with a bang. And, a head-full of black hair fluttered down, and hung over his shoulder. Dong Wu Shang’s tall and sturdy body stood straight and upright. Consequently, everyone in front of him was having all kinds of feelings at once at this time.

It seemed to them as if the person standing in front of them wasn’t Dong Wu Shang... He was instead a Demon God who had come from ancient hell. This God was looking down at them disdainfully out of the corner of his eyes... just like he would look down at all the creatures.

Dong Wu Shang looked at these people on whom he had once placed all of his hopes and trust. However, his eyes only contained indifference and mercilessness at this time. He then slowly lifted his right hand... It moved very slowly like an ox climbing a slope. However, his hand left behind a trail of clear afterimages.

Everyone clearly saw that he had lifted his right hand. His right hand was in midair... He then raised it to the level of his shoulder. Then, he further raised his hand up and behind... and then... his right hand grabbed the hilt of the saber.

His hand had grabbed the hilt of the Black Saber that had silently been there on his shoulder this entire time.

The afterimages that his right hand had left were still clearly visible in the front of his body at the time when his right hand gripped the saber hilt. In fact, every level of the afterimages was clearly visible in sequence!

The fifty-or-sixty people in front of him had felt a sudden jolt in their heart at the time when he had gripped the hilt in his right hand.

It looked as if the boundless sunny and cloudless sky had suddenly turned completely dark!

And, it seemed as if an earth-shaking lightning and thunder had filled up this darkness... It seemed as if the entire sky would be broken by just one lightning strike.

"You’re immoral... So, I’m heartless!" Dong Wu Shang bellowed as he suddenly unsheathed the Black Saber.

An earth-shattering black light was slashed out!

The afterimages of him drawing out the saber had still been lingering in front of his chest when he slashed the saber. His saber first smashed those afterimages in front of him. And then, it suddenly pierced through the air in front of him. It streaked across the air horizontally to a distance of eighty feet. The point of the saber went directly to the middle of Du Liu Feng’s forehead, and firmly hacked down!

Dong Wu Shang’s body arrived in front of Du Liu Feng as soon as he slashed down his saber. However, the blood-drenched Dong Wu Shang was still standing straight and tall eighty feet away! His stature was tall and straight... He was calm like the abyss, and stood as tall as a mountain! It seemed as if he alone could hold his own against ten-thousand people!

Two living Dong Wu Shangs that looked identical seemed to exist between the heaven and earth! However, one was still, while the other was moving...

The ’still’ one just stood straight. But, the ’moving’ one was killing people!

Du Liu Feng shouted. He instantaneously unleashed his full strength of eighth grade Emperor Level. However, he didn’t move forward... Instead, he fell back. His body fell back three-hundred feet away like a whirlwind along with a sharp whizzing sound.

Dong Wu Shang’s saber-blow missed by a bit. However, a deep trace appeared in the ground with a loud bang. It was only one foot in width. But, it was a hundred feet deep... and 250-260 feet long!

The might of the saber was terrifying!

"Attack... all at once! Kill him!" Du Liu Feng shouted in his shrewd voice. A thin and bloody scar had appeared on his forehead, and blood was continuously squirting out of it.

Dong Wu Shang’s saber couldn’t cut Du Liu Feng. But, the saber energy of Saber Emperor had grazed him. He would perhaps have been chopped into two halves if it had fallen on him a bit more heavily.

Du Liu Feng used his hand to pour his vitality onto the wound bit by bit. However, he couldn’t stop the bleeding...

Forty to fifty people of the Dong Clan pounced over crazily as soon as Du Liu Feng shouted. Everyone unsheathed their weapons... All of them had a sharp and murderous aura.

All of them knew, [We all are going to die today if Dong Wu Shang doesn’t die!]

After all, they were conducting this assassination in secrecy. And, they would be sentenced to death by the clan in case this matter got exposed.

Dong Wu Shang swept his saber whilst laughing wildly, and said, "No Injuries and Heartless Saber!" Suddenly, a saber light glittered. And, that pitch-black Black Saber in his hand frantically issued a saber-glow... It seemed as if it had issued all the colors in profusion!

The saber-slash swept across like lightning!

Screams repeatedly rose up... The bodies of seven people had already been cut into halves! The smell of blood filled the atmosphere in the battlefield. And, the atmosphere became even more frigid as a result.

Dong Wu Shang wildly laughed. He then took giant steps forward to attack. It seemed on looking at his body as if a towering mountain was moving. He seemed majestic to the point of being insufferably arrogant.

However, a soughing sound gently echoed at this time... Something dark suddenly appeared over his head the next moment. Du Liu Feng had jumped up in the sky... The sword in his hand issued a sharp sword-light. It then fell ’whooshing’ upon Dong Wu Shang.

Dong Wu Shang fiercely lifted up his Black Saber. A "buzz~~~" sound was issued as soon as he brandished the saber. And, a jet-black curtain of saber-light was formed from the ground... and, up to the sky! It congealed, and became seemingly tangible.

Clang!

A loud noise was heard as Du Liu Feng was sent out flying into the sky like a bird. He ferociously somersaulted a few times in midair, and then landed on the ground staggering!

Only the sword hilt remained in his hand... The web between his thumb and forefinger had shattered, and was dripping with blood!

However, Dong Wu Shang’s body also bent a bit. Consequently, he moved back a dozen or more steps while staggering... He left deep footprints with every step. And, the dust rising from his steps filled the air. This kind of power made it seem as if it weren’t two people that had clashed. It instead seemed as if two elephants had rushed at their highest speed, and slammed into each other!

It also seemed as if they had bumped into each other in a desert in which sand could easily arise.

Dong Wu Shang had attacked Du Liu Feng relying upon his strength of second grade Saber Emperor that he had just achieved. And, he had obviously used his more-than-250 kilogram Black Saber as well. However, it had seemed like the clash between two evenly matched opponents. In fact, it even seemed as if Du Liu Feng had fallen into the disadvantageous position. However, Dong Wu Shang’s injuries were heavier!

He was a Saber Emperor. So, he should’ve been far superior to an ordinary Emperor Level Expert.

However, he wasn’t strong enough to face an all-out attack of an eighth grade Emperor Level Expert! In fact, the enemy would’ve posed a serious threat to him if the weight of the Black Saber hadn’t counter-balanced the overwhelming strength of the enemy... This strike would’ve perhaps killed him on the spot in that case.

"Attack right now! He isn’t in a good condition! Make his injuries graver! He doesn’t have much strength left in him!" Du Liu Feng clenched his teeth and shouted.

.....