Transcending the Nine Heavens

“You have to pay attention to the way out he left for them. He had the general of the group attack Du Shi Qing, but he did not kill the man. And because of that, everyone felt closer to Chu Yang! In the end, this general escaped but Chu Yang left a great impression on the army. If Chu Yang ever needed to use the military to fight in battles… his first choice would be this group! You should know, that general is one of the ten famed generals of the continent, Wu Kuang Yun! We need to pay particular attention to this point!”

“Send people to gather Wu Kuang Yun’s military habits and diligently analyze them. If some time in the future, the two sides clash and their military movements change, you must mobilize a big force to eradicate them at all costs! Because at that time, it will be King of Hell Chu, himself, leading the troops!”

“Yes!” Han Bu Chu wiped his cold sweats.

“The third step was after he entered the citadel; he created Heavenly Armament Pavilion! Why did Tie Long Cheng, himself, come? Was it really just because of the words Heavenly Armament?” Diwu Qing Rou’s gaze suddenly became deep and profound, “Tie Long Cheng came because… he wanted to meet Chu Yang, the person who gave the army that tried to kill Du Shi Qing a way out. Tie Long Cheng wanted to meet the person who defeated Wu Kuang Yun single-handedly with barely any effort. That is all!”

“Then there was step number four: Joining Bu Tian Pavilion. Without knowing the internal issues, he became the boss right away; this is not without thanks to Tie Long Cheng and Du Shi Qing! Tie Long Cheng greatly admired talents; and if the attempted assassination was publicized, Tie Bu Tian would have to make Iron Cloud short of one famed general! As for Du Shi Qing, he held Chu Yang in high regards and spared no efforts in praising him in front of Tie Bu Tian.”

“These are Chu Yang’s first four steps! Four steps to reach the heavens through the use of human nature!” Diwu Qing Rou’s voice became deep, “At this point, Chu Yang has achieved his first goal, his phase one.”

“Then is his second goal Bu Tian Pavilion?”

“No, his second goal was to cleanse!” Diwu Qing Rou continued to explain, “First, he used lightning quick strategies to remove all of the spies in Bu Tian Pavilion!”

“His methods involved careful analysis and reverse deductions. Everything was based on a possible result that he postulated; then he would dig out carefully guarded secrets and eradicate all spies!” Diwu Qing Rou chuckled, “This is easier said than done!”

“Yes! In the beginning, Golden Horse Riders Department sent spies everywhere. Their strategy was to use common actions to gain everyone’s recognition and ensure the spies’ safety. King of Hell Chu hit this exact spot.” Han Bu Chu thought and said slowly.

“Exactly! That is why after he took over Bu Tian Pavilion, his next step was to deal with all the spies. He used human blood to establish his authority! And from this step, he became mysterious with his mask and black robe; at the same time, he sent out rumors all over the land…”

“These rumors were aimed at preventing actions from King level leaders Yin and Kong. In other words, this Chu Yang recognized Iron Cloud’s weakness and planned his traps with unparalleled clarity. These were actions to make way for his future high position…”

“During that time, you all saw him as a joke because we all knew that King of Hell Chu is Chu Yang. No matter what confusion he tried to sow, his identity cannot be changed. But you have ignored a key factor in any situation; and that is the fact that these confusions could lead to these earth-shattering changes!”

“And the recent mistakes by the two King level leaders were also attributed to these damaging rumors! Bu Chu, did the two King level leaders we sent not know King of Hell Chu identity? Why did they doubt this in the end? These things speak to King of Hell Chu’s deceptions and psychological warfare!”

“Everyone has doubts; even the most intelligent minds are filled with uncertainties. I am afraid King of Hell Chu would use his resourceful head to turn a little bit of your doubt into full blown suspicions and cause you to question your own conclusions!”

“This person’s brain… has a full grasp of human nature! He is truly a frightening person!”

It was as if Diwu Qing Rou was slowly pulling each silk strand from a cocoon and pointed out every little bit of Chu Yang’s meticulous arrangements. This proved that he felt that Chu Yang was the greatest threat he had ever encountered. As he spoke, his voice gradually grew heavy.

Han Bu Chu unconsciously straightened himself as he listened attentively to Diwu Qing Rou’s analysis.

“At that same time, he started to straighten out the royal court of Iron Cloud. He started with lower ranking officials; with each person he caught and verified, he became bolder. His saber swung nonstop, but he continued to leave Number One untouched.”

“It was because he wanted Number One to make contact with us. After verifying this, Chu Yang made his move to capture Number One. Plus, he used Number One’s identity to create many traps! Everything is connected!”

“He even managed to speculate the fact that Number One was holding on to some hope and our reactions!” Diwu Qing Rou sighed, “If it were not for extremely accurate intelligence, I would be wondering whether this distant foe is a youth of seventeen or eighteen or a few hundred years old fox! Such meticulous and careful moves…”

“Yes. Even if we knew Number One ran into trouble, we trusted that Number One would not say anything. Plus, the fact Chu Yang did not make a move against Number One only solidified our beliefs… Therefore, no matter what traps were laid, we continued to step into them!” Han Bu Chu sighed, “Even though Chu Yang did not know the relationship between Number One and you, he still set these traps… That is already more than enough!”

“After he got a hold of Number One, he already knew that he could not fight against us! With his strength, he could not withstand just one of our moves. This was King of Hell Chu taking a risk. With his mouth, he could not swallow a big fish like Yin Wu Fa. Lucky for him, a clan from Middle Three Heavens appeared to support him. King of Hell Chu essentially came back from the dead! He made full use of this clan, and continually framed us! Using the established power of a super clan without any effort on his part, he was able to topple our two heavenly pillars severely injuring our two King level leaders!”

“And now, King of Hell Chu’s second goal is successful! For this second stage, the goal is to seek security!” Diwu Qing Rou sighed deeply, “The next step he makes will be to use all forces to surround King level leaders Kong and Yin! I hope Yun He will be able to hold it together!”

“Seek security?” Han Bu Chu was somewhat puzzled.

“Exactly! Golden Horse Riders Department has a total of four King level leaders. Currently, two are essentially disabled! The two remaining ones are in charge of protecting Golden Horse Riders Department and absolutely cannot leave! If it continues like this, King of Hell Chu could make use of this period to develop Bu Tian Pavilion and rebuild Iron Cloud!”

“Everything King of Hell Chu has done was just to gain time!” Diwu Qing Rou sighed, “And he has to make the most of this time because it would last no more than three months. Tie Shi Cheng cannot hold on any longer! At that time, Iron Cloud Nation will face inevitable chaos! And King of Hell Chu will take the opportunity to hit hard at Golden Horse Riders Department because he know that during Tie Shi Cheng’s death, we cannot send powerful assassination groups or make any other big moves against them.”

“At that time, even if our forces are just slightly weakened, it is still a great thing for Iron Cloud Nation! Never mind such a big loss like this!” Diwu Qing Rou suddenly spoke fiercely, “While I do not want to admit this, it is true! King of Hell Chu will be able to use this time window!”

Han Bu Chu’s mind was in shock.

He had judged King of Hell Chu very highly, but he could not believe that it was still an underestimate!

With each step forward, King of Hell Chu had already prepared the next strategy. With each careful step, he adapted to the situations at hand and gradually made more powerful moves… All in all, everything had changed in a most delicate manner.

“However, these things are still not enough! He is far from being able to shake our Golden Horse Riders Department’s foundation! Therefore, King of Hell Chu must have other plans!” Diwu Qing Rou thought and said, “In his next step, King of Hell Chu will extend his reach into Great Zhao! Before he makes his move, I cannot predict what he plans to do!”

“Prime Minister, doesn’t King of Hell Chu have any weaknesses?” Han Bu Chu asked.

“Weaknesses? Even with superior wisdom, this King of Hell Chu still has many weaknesses!” Diwu Qing Rou said, “His one weakness is using unusual tactics to surprise people. Such people like adventures and risks! Such people can rise quickly, but will immediately fall to rock bottom the moment they fail!”

“Risky tactics can only have two possible outcomes! One is total victory; the other is total annihilation!” Diwu Qing Rou said slowly, “Patience is required when dealing with this kind of person! It would be enough to just grasp one opportunity!”

“Also, while King of Hell Chu is called the King of Hell, he is not the kind that’s ambitious and unscrupulous! I can see that Tie Bu Tian is a heroic figure, and King of Hell Chu is also one as well! If that is not the case, then King of Hell Chu would have gotten into a confrontation with Tie Bu Tian! A hero could admire an ambitious person, but an ambitious person would never work under a hero!”

“The word hero is a funny title! With heroes, they always value friendship!” Diwu Qing Rou explained slowly, “Ambitious people are afraid of losing, and heroes are afraid of heartaches! If we want to deal with Tie Bu Tian and King of Hell Chu, we must aim at the word friendship! For such people, they will fail if their hearts are injured!”

“We just need one opportunity… That will be enough!” Han Bu Chu muttered to himself, “Aim at affection…” He suddenly seemed to sense something and became agonized.

Having heard Diwu Qing Rou’s step by step analysis, Han Bu Chu realized how truly frightening King of Hell Chu was! There were many things that were considered ordinary and without meanings by others; yet they were carefully prearranged by King of Hell Chu!

Such discipline, such mentality… For someone with superior intellect like Han Bu Chu, this was still shocking! Thinking about King of Hell Chu step by step course of action, Han Bu Chu did not even realize that cold sweat had drenched his clothes.