Transcending the Nine Heavens

A thought crossed Chu Yang’s mind. He thought of Wu Juecheng’s identity — This man was one of the Nine Tribulations back then.

The Nine Tribulations and the Nine Tribulations Sword Master were ultimately thorns in Chu Yang’s heart!

As well as an eternal mystery!

Chu Yang believed the Dharma Supreme’s claim that he was once one of the Nine Tribulations. He was initially also trusting of what he had said. However, later on, as the Dharma Supreme’s way of doing things became increasingly sinister and ruthless, Chu Yang gradually started to become suspicious of his words, to the point where he couldn’t believe him even if he had wanted to.

But in front of him now was Wu Juecheng, the best target!

What he said was definitely going to be much more trustworthy than the Dharma Supreme.

Chu Yang pretended to be drunk and asked, “Elder Wu’s brothers back then must have been heroes and great men who shook the heavens and earth.”

Wu Juecheng smiled lightly and said, “My brothers may not necessarily be heroes who shook the heavens and earth but they were people who sincerely cared for me! We treated each other with utmost sincerity and were thus fearless!”

Chu Yang replied, “Oh? May I request that Elder Wu share with us some old stories so that we can broaden our horizons too?”

Wu Juecheng chuckled. He raised his wine cup and downed the contents. “My brothers! Haha… Those were my brothers! My brothers were upright and chivalrous, prideful and dignified, upstanding and dauntless, good and honorable men! Every one of them was the best!”

“How good were they?” Dong Wushang interjected.

Feng Yurou looked thoughtful as she asked, “Could Brother Wu share a little about back then…”

“Back then… Hurhurhur, back then…” Wu Juecheng pursed his lips, a hint of mistiness in his eyes. He downed three large bowls of wine in succession and said, “I’ll speak a little about myself. Firstly, as a warning to everyone; secondly, my little disciple also needs to know what kind of person her Teacher is! And similarly be a witness for me, Wu Juecheng, in front of so many people!”

Everyone put down their chopsticks and listened to him with undivided attention.

Wu Juecheng smiled lightly and said, “Let’s speak as we eat. My story is not the most pleasant one. You can forget it after I’ve finished.” He raised his cup in invitation.

But who was in the mood to eat right now? This was a story about the Nine Tribulations!

The top-secret in the Nine Heavens!

“My temperament wasn’t like this in the past.” Wu Juecheng’s voice rang out impassively. “I, Wu Juecheng, was born into a prestigious family. Back then, my clan was also one of the Nine Super Clans. During my generation, several heroes were born and innumerous geniuses were abound!”

“I was but a young master of an influential family.” Wu Juecheng gave a self-mocking smile. “Truth be told, as everyone may already have been able to tell, even after so many tens of thousands of years, there is still a kind of aura around me now that’s unique to the son of an influential family.”

“I wished only to enjoy life back then; I didn’t want to join the power struggle in the clan. As such, when my older and younger brothers were engaged in internal strife over the position of the head of the clan, I snuck out secretly to travel around the world.”

“Several years passed. Other than going home once a year to visit my parents, I was basically always wandering outside. However, my elder brothers still didn’t let me off. They hired countless assassins to assassinate me… I fought my way through just like that — I would fight whoever came after me. I was well aware of who they were sent by, yet I… didn’t return home to confront any of them.”

“Right at that point, I met my Teacher.” Wu Juecheng smiled lightly. “And learned a whole portfolio of poison techniques.”

“Later on, staying in the Upper Three Heavens became just endless heartache for me, so I went to roam about in the Lower Three Heavens. There, I met someone; a scholar. At that point, I was already a Martial Saint but that man was only a Martial Arts Great Master. But for some reason, we got along very well and so, we went around the world together… I constantly displayed a cultivation level that was weaker than his and he also took care of me all the time. In several crises of life and death, he always risked his life to cover for me… I was very touched and we became sworn brothers. I was younger than him by a year and respectfully addressed him as Big Brother.”

“Later on, as Big Brother and I wandered the world, his cultivation improved at an astounding speed. In addition, there was an abundant and endless supply of elixirs and legendary herbs on him. Our brothers increased one by one, each and every one of them a good man! When we went to the Middle Three Heavens, there were already ten of us.”

When Wu Juecheng reached this part, Dong Wushang and Rui Butong both had a stunned look in their eyes. They exchanged a look.

“At that time, my brothers thought, ‘Why not charge up to the Upper Three Heavens? And set out to achieve great things?’ Coincidentally, at that point, my eldest brother in the clan had steadied his position within the clan and was only left with me as a threat. He sent countless experts to the Middle Three Heavens to besiege me.”

“Because of me, my brothers would get hurt day after day. This continued for several months; every single day, at least one of them would be hurt because of me!”

There was fury in Wu Juecheng’s eyes. “This went on until the point where my third younger brother covered for me and took a sword stab for me. The sword went through his chest and his blood dripped into my mouth as he urged me to leave… The next day, my sworn Big Brother, in order to cover for me, his Dantian was stabbed by the enemy and he was suspended in the air and burned, going through horrific torture… Suddenly, I reached a point where I couldn’t tolerate it anymore. I vowed to rip my elder brother in the clan into a million pieces!”

“And so, my brothers and I charged up to the Upper Three Heavens together. After making a living wandering about, we made enemies everywhere. In the end, when everyone had reached the level of ninth-grade Martial Saints, the Boss revealed to us that he was actually the Nine Tribulations Sword Master and that uniting the Upper Three Heavens was his calling.”

“And so, we worked toward this common goal. We eliminated the opposing forces in my own clan and used my clan as a foundation to conquer the world!”

“When we were all Supreme Martial Artists, at the point where I was a fifth-grade Supreme Martial Artist, the Nine Heavens were united by us. The new Nine Super Clans were also formed at last. The Wu Clan naturally continued to flourish for another ten thousand years.”

“But at that point, Boss betrayed us! He cruelly and brutally stabbed us in the back! And used our living souls to nourish the Heavens!”

Wu Juecheng let out a tragic laugh. “At that point, I only felt that all my sincerity had been betrayed! All of our past was a lie!”

“When we were together, we had given too much of ourselves to each other. Each of us was true and sincere toward each other. But my sworn Big Brother shattered our hearts!”

“Even till our last moments, my brothers couldn’t believe it at all!”

“I was fortunate enough to escape. Only after a very, very long time, I managed to reconstruct my physical body. I searched for Boss for revenge but I couldn’t find him.”

“Only after I searched and asked about in various places did I know that the Nine Tribulations of each generation had all been used to nourish the Heavens.”

Wu Juecheng continued passively, “Therefore, from that point onward, I started to oppose the Nine Tribulations Sword Master in order to avenge my brothers! I killed both good and bad men, simply based on whether he was helping the Nine Tribulations Sword Master! Because of this, I was even willing to go against my conscience to kill good men!”

“And actually, that’s about it.” Wu Juecheng smiled and said, “You shouldn’t hold any kind of fancy fantasies about the Nine Tribulations Sword Master and the Nine Tribulations. They are just normal people, that’s all.”

Yue Lingxue was contemplative as he asked, “That Boss of yours, could he have had some kind of difficulty or reason for doing what he did?”

Wu Juecheng was stunned for a moment. “He didn’t say anything. If he had told us or if he really had his reasons, would us brothers need him to personally take action? It’s not impossible for us to end our own lives for him. We, brothers, had gone through unimaginable hard times and countless life and death crises, each of us throwing our lives aside for our other brothers numerous times. If he really had his reasons… what was death to us brothers?”

Both Feng Yurou and Yue Lingxue kept silent.

Chu Yang could finally confirm something.

And that was — Every Nine Tribulations Sword Master, hmm, perhaps not every but definitely the majority of the Nine Tribulations Sword Masters were people who valued relationships and friendships before they had united the Upper Three Heavens.

However, once they had united the Upper Three Heavens, they would immediately become vicious and heartless. And immediately become sinister and ruthless?

Immediately slaughter their brothers?

Besides, every Nine Tribulations Sword Master disappeared mysteriously after uniting the Nine Heavens.

This point was undisputed by both the Dharma Supreme, as well as Wu Juecheng.

But why exactly was that?

No matter how he thought about it, Chu Yang just couldn’t understand — Why would someone who valued relationships and friendships suddenly change in the blink of an eye?

He could cover for his brothers countless times, go through life and death together countless times, be tormented for their sake countless times… All these definitely couldn’t have been just an act! …But why was it that they would turn traitor at the very last moment?

And completely overturn his entire life in the blink of an eye?

Why?

To say that there was no reason behind this at all, Chu Yang would never believe it even if you killed him.

Inside the Nine Tribulations Space, he asked the Sword Spirit about it. The Sword Spirit thought about it for a very long time before he answered, “I don’t have any memory of that time at all.”

Chu Yang pondered about this. “This is indeed a mystery.”

He turned and asked, “Wushang, Butong. If there comes a day where I have my reasons where I need to sacrifice your lives to save myself, would you save me?”

Dong Wushang smiled lightly and replied, “Boss, would you save me if it were me then? You need not ask such a question among us brothers.”

Rui Butong laughed aloud. “Me too.”

Chu Yang’s brows were knitted. “This is indeed a mystery!”

He had said this sentence twice.

Even Wu Juecheng could tell that something was amiss. He asked, “What is the mystery?”

Before Chu Yang could answer him, a cold smile appeared on Yue Lingxue’s face. “Someone who had spent his life valuing relationships and friendships changed into a completely different person in the blink of an eye — Why would there be such a thing on earth? If there was, then there must be a reason behind it! Just that we do not know this reason.”

Yue Lingxue was also a straightforward man. Toward this issue that everyone else pretended not to see, he very bluntly raised his doubts!

He was confident that if it had been him, he would never have changed!

Wu Juecheng frowned and said sinisterly, “Are you saying that I’m lying?”

Yue Lingxue smiled coldly and said, “I didn’t say that. However, though you have been in grief and indignation over this matter for tens of thousands of years, have you ever considered something else? Would you betray your brothers?”

Wu Juecheng flew into a mad rage. “What kind of rubbish are you saying! Am I, Wu Juecheng, someone who would betray his own brothers?!”

Yue Lingxue replied, “Then, would those few men who had died with you have betrayed their brothers?”

Wu Juecheng became even more infuriated. “F*ck you! The sun and the moon are testimony to the ties among us brothers! We went through life and death together and endured through countless trials and tribulations! No matter what, none of us would betray our brothers! If any of them did, I’d rather pluck my head off for you!”

Yue Lingxue smiled harshly. “Did your Boss not go through life and death together and endure through countless trials and tribulations with all of you? Before your Boss had betrayed you, did you dare to doubt him? Did you doubt him? Weren’t you as trusting of him as to how you’re trusting of your other brothers right now? Before that incident had happened, if someone had told you that your Boss would kill you, would you have believed it?”

Wu Juecheng was immensely stunned!

The wine cup in his hand suddenly dropped onto the floor with a crash and broke into pieces.