Transcending the Nine Heavens

Among the brothers, the one who was beaten up the worst was definitely not Ji Mo, the first challenger!

Instead, it was the Evil Young Master — Ao Xieyun!

Ao Xieyun, the one who started it all, got it especially terrible because according to Chu Yang, how could someone of the Dragon race not have a dragon head? Besides, in the beginning, the one who had suggested beating Chu Yang into a ‘dragon head’ was precisely this fellow.

How could Chu Yang possibly let him off!

And so, Ao Xieyun’s ‘dragon horns’ were the grandest and most magnificent!

The Evil Young Master had begged for mercy as he fought. “Boss, today is my father’s birthday… Please leave me some dignity…”

Despite that, Minister Chu had only given him a simple answer —”You’ll look even more dignified if you transform into a Divine Dragon.”

After fighting the four of them in succession, Chu Yang was in an extremely good mood. He was very pleased too.

Other than Ji Mo who had immediately ended up as a dragon head after only one move due to him underestimating the enemy, the other three had given Chu Yang different degrees of great surprises!

Everyone’s cultivation level was the same but their fighting styles were absolutely different. This was what made Chu Yang the happiest — Everyone had their own unique style! Even if they stayed together every day, they definitely wouldn’t be influenced by the same style as others!

Their sense of individualism was extremely strong!

This was the most basic and most important fundamental requirement to become a martial artist of the pinnacle!

Luo Kedi’s offensive style that was akin to a lone wolf and his feral and ferocious swordsmanship shocked Chu Yang. Fighting with him was like facing a pack of wolves in a vast forest!

A pack of starving wolves!

They came from all directions, ready to rip the opponent apart with their teeth. A moment of carelessness and one would be ripped into pieces.

When Xie Danqiong’s viburnum flowers bloomed, their beauty surpassed everything in the world! Those bedazzling yet illusory and fantasy-like moves were even more of an eye-opener to Chu Yang.

When the viburnum flowers made their appearance, it was as though goddesses were scattering flowers that fell and flew everywhere. It was no doubt an incredibly beautiful sight, but behind this peerless beauty was an incomparable killing intent!

There were more than ten rips in Chu Yang’s clothes, thanks to Xie Danqiong’s viburnum flowers.

When Ao Xieyun displayed his Divine Dragon Battle Technique, Chu Yang experienced intense and overwhelming pressure! This was the first time such a situation had appeared in Chu Yang’s fights.

Chu Yang was a ninth-grade peak-level Sword Saint! Under the restrictions of martial domain levels, he could already fight on equal terms with a second-grade Supreme Martial Artist!

Ao Xieyun was but a first-grade Supreme Martial Artist who had only just broken through to this level.

Among the four of them, Ao Xieyun’s Divine Dragon Battle Technique was the only thing that Chu Yang could neither figure out nor see through.

But this fight boosted his confidence significantly!

This entire time, Gu Duxing had been watching from the side. The more he watched, the brighter his eyes got and the stronger his battle morale became. Chu Yang’s strength and unmatched talent as a fellow swordsman held a kind of fatal attraction toward him!

Sword intent rampaged within him, making him crave desperately for a battle!

Ao Xieyun and the others had already suffered defeat.

Gu Duxing was the only one left.

Chu Yang remained standing on the battlefield. He watched Gu Duxing with a smile, the sword in his hand gleaming in the light.

Chu Yang did not move. Neither did Gu Duxing!

Yet sword aura ran wild on the battlefield all of a sudden!

Areas of surrounding flora and fauna fell neatly to the ground!

The sword intent within them could sense a similar aura in each other! Even if the humans didn’t fight, their swords did!

There could only be one supreme ruler in a nation, just like how there was only one sun in the sky! Similarly, in the way of the sword, there could only be one ruler!

Chu Yang’s eyes became more and more piercing; and more and more intense!

Gu Duxing’s form straightened. All of a sudden, a loud clang echoed in the atmosphere!

He had originally been standing as straight as a spear. But with this straightening of his back, it was as though a peerless divine blade had suddenly been drawn from its sheath!

His expression and aura were completely different from earlier!

“Come!” said Chu Yang.

“Come!” said Gu Duxing coldly.

Chu Yang remained where he was. Gu Duxing spread out his arms. With a whoosh, Ao Xieyun and the other three were sent 30 meters away by him.

Then, he walked forward slowly. Every step he took, his sword intent became a degree sharper.

“Boss, your guidance, please!” Gu Duxing took three steps forward. “I’ve practiced swordsmanship since I was young. Having led a wandering and lonely life, the despondence in me has allowed me to create the Solitary Swordsmanship! When I met Boss in the Lower Three Heavens, my sword aura evolved for the first time and became the Solitary Guarding Sword!”

“Though I live in solitude, I will use my solitude as a means to watch over someone!”

“In the Middle Three Heavens, I encountered Tu Qianhao. In a battle to the death, I comprehended his Great Oblivion Swordsmanship! The Sword of Oblivion!”

“Solitude and oblivion!” Gu Duxing said emotionlessly, “Both swordplay techniques are in me but I haven’t been able to combine them as one! Today’s battle serves firstly as a means of enjoyment and contest in the way of the sword; secondly, I would like Boss to experience my Sword of Solitude! My Sword of Oblivion! My heart of solitude! And my oblivion toward the heavens!”

When he finished, Gu Duxing suddenly raised his head. His eyes were bright and shiny, as though swords glinting brightly as they sailed through the air!

Chu Yang smiled passively. “Duxing, I know you’ve been wanting to have a taste of the Nine Tribulations Sword Technique. Today, I shall fulfill your wish!” Chu Yang communicated to him telepathically.

He had already detected that Huyan Aobo and others were watching the fight. As such, he took precautions and did not say it aloud.

The moment he heard the words ‘Nine Tribulations Sword Technique’, the sword intent in Gu Duxing increased exponentially and his battle morale shot up. Suddenly, he let out a long howl!

This howl of his shook the heavens and earth!

The clouds in the skies were as though they had suddenly encountered a sharp wind blade; they were shredded into pieces and scattered into the surroundings!

His lifetime wish shall be fulfilled today!

Clang!

The Black Dragon Sword, accompanied by intense coldness and desolation, appeared in Gu Duxing’s palm, gleaming coldly in the light.

Gu Duxing strode forward briskly. Every step of his was dignified and imposing. However, each step of his crossed at least a distance of 30 meters!

But even after taking five to six of such steps, he still didn’t reach Chu Yang.

The moment Chu Yang reached out his arm, a sword immediately appeared in his palm!

He didn’t use the Nine Tribulations Sword!

In a spar between brothers, one didn’t need to use the Nine Tribulations Sword!

A bolt of lightning suddenly flashed in the sky. Gu Duxing’s voice could be heard. “The heavens are lonely!”

A grand wave of sword intent, accompanied by desolate solitude, came pouring down. Sword aura spread swiftly and permeated everywhere within a radius of 30 meters from where they were! With his hand on his sword, Gu Duxing rose into the air. His black robes fluttering, he transformed into a solid ray of black light and shot forward!

Just by this very first move of his, the countenances of Ao Xieyun, Xie Danqiong and the rest changed at the same time!

This move of his let them realize at once — Gu Duxing had never used his full strength when sparring against them usually!

With a passive smile on his face, Chu Yang communicated to him via telepathy. “Nine Tribulations Sword Technique, ‘A ray of chilling light illuminates ten thousand feet’!” With a point of his sword, a dazzling and icy cold ray of light suddenly appeared in the sky. Then, it suddenly dispersed into ten thousand rays of cold and piercing light, which covered the entire area and came forward with great momentum!

Excitement filled Gu Duxing! He shouted, “The solitude of Heaven’s heart! The solitude of Heaven’s will! The solitude of Heaven’s countenance!”

Three sword moves were launched in succession!

In this instant, desolation and bleakness seemed to permeate the heavens and earth!

When the ten thousand rays of chilly light and sword rain of solitude clashed with each other, both of them were thrown back at the same time, neither of them getting the better of the other.

Gu Duxing was astounded. The power of the Nine Tribulations Sword Technique was overwhelming indeed! He actually needed three moves to nullify just a single move! In the midst of being thrown back mid-air, Gu Duxing suddenly changed the direction of his retreat to rising into the air. He shouted, “Solitude of Heaven’s Way!”

A vast wave of sword aura of solitude shot out.

Even Chu Yang couldn’t help but be shocked. This move of Gu Duxing’s had already encompassed a kind of ‘Tao’ aura!

Chu Yang’s black-robed form did a mid-air flip in the midst of retreating. He shouted via telepathy, “Nine Tribulations Sword! ‘What harm is there in slaughtering the entire world’!”

A swift and forceful wave of sword aura was launched as well!

In mid-air, it clashed against Gu Duxing’s ‘Solitude of Heaven’s Way’!

With a light pop, the sword aura of ‘Solitude of Heaven’s Way’ dispersed. Although the sword aura from ‘What harm is there in slaughtering the entire world’ had been greatly nullified, the remnant force continued to shoot toward Gu Duxing.

“Impressive!” exclaimed Gu Duxing inwardly. He shouted, “Solitude of the Land!”

Yet another move had to be launched before Chu Yang’s move could be fully nullified.

Not only was he currently one martial domain level higher than Chu Yang, but this martial domain level was also even an extremely critical level.

Chu Yang was a ninth-grade Sword Saint but he was a first-grade Sword Supremacy!

But when up against the Nine Tribulations Sword Technique, he was surprisingly on the losing end!

The latter moves of Chu Yang’s Nine Tribulations Sword Technique followed closely after without rest, as though crashing great waves!

‘A sharp will buried deep will not change’, ‘Gather wind and cloud to rule over all’; ‘A sword’s edge famous for all eternity’, ‘The howling wind and clouds move unhindered from West to East’…

When he reached the Nine Tribulations Sword’s ‘Cut off the traveler’s attachments with worldly affairs’ and ‘Everywhere the sharp light reaches is put to rest’, Gu Duxing had already reached the end of his Solitary Swordsmanship!

The three types of solitude — Heaven, Land and Human — had merged and evolved into ‘Solitude of the Universe’ and ‘Solitude of One Above Heaven’!

But when Chu Yang’s ‘Steel walls and bronze gates have yet to see the end of strife’ came at him with impressive momentum, Gu Duxing’s Solitary Swordsmanship crumbled at last!

He shot backward and flew high into the air. The distance he traveled whilst in retreat made his form so small that it became almost a black dot.

Thereafter, he descended, an awe-inspiring aura around him.

With a flash of his sword, an inexplicable aura started to spread. Gu Duxing sighed with deep emotion. “‘A sword sails across the sky towards the peak’…”

He took a couple of steps in mid-air, his sword light bathed in intense desolation. This aura actually seemed to be able to let one completely forget everything in their past and sink into an intriguing state!

Chu Yang shouted, “The Sword of Oblivion is impressive indeed! Watch my ‘With this, what else can one want in this life’!”

In mid-air, their swords clashed against each other with great speed countless times. Soft clangs in quick succession echoed non-stop, as though leaves being rustled by the wind and raindrops pitter-pattering against the trees.

Gu Duxing’s form spun as he retreated, before spinning and advancing once more. He recited slowly, “‘Life or death… victory or defeat – everything disappears at a head’s turn’…”

With this move, that aura of emptiness in the universe intensified even further.

With a flip of his body, Chu Yang gathered sword aura in mid-air. All of a sudden, the atmosphere started to shake intensely, as though pouring toward him in this instant and intending to fill up the emptiness caused by Gu Duxing.

It was ‘Nine-colored clouds gather in unison’!

With a loud boom, sword aura came surging outwards swiftly and intensely, as though a bomb exploding in mid-air. A cry of shock escaped Ao Xieyun and the other three as they scattered in all directions.

During the battle earlier, Chu Yang and Gu Duxing had been keeping their power in check and preventing it from leaking. But now, neither of them could keep it in control anymore!

Trees and other greenery within a radius of several meters from where they were fell neatly to the ground. Sword aura rampaged swiftly and forcefully, leaving behind grooves and marks on the rocks around them!

Gu Duxing brought the sword in his hand up to his chest. He asked melancholically, “‘Where do I find someone who understands me in this world?’” At the moment where he was about to spin round, his sword, as though a wide expanse of silken fabric, covered the area within a radius of 30 meters. “‘By the time I look back, I have already forgotten about the feelings between us…’”

Chu Yang stimulated his spirits and launched two moves in succession —’Conceal the edge and shed the light, for the night has not yet ended’ and ‘Plan your strategy over long days and months’!

It was in this instant that he finally discovered what Gu Duxing’s biggest problem was!

Invested!

He was too invested.

Being too invested was a flaw!