Transcending the Nine Heavens

The soil moved and Chu Yang’s dusty head emerged. He looked around cautiously like a turtle, and then laughed. “It looks like we are safe.”

Behind him, Dong Wushang said in a muffled voice, “Boss, this plan is incredible! How did you know that they’d only search the bottom of the cliff?”

Chu Yang humphed and said, “That’s a secret.”

Dong Wushang laughed but asked no more. His character was such that he chose not to think about things that he couldn’t understand, especially for good things. Anyway, there were people who would think about it…

Last night, the three arrived here and spent a huge amount of energy digging a tunnel through the mountain. And then, they dug another hole underneath the cliff. First, the Sword Spirit located the underground river, and then the three worked together, finishing only this afternoon. After a bit of rest, it was time for action at night.

Yet the actual hiding place was truly here.

Everyone saw them jumping off the cliff at the moment the mountain collapsed. In fact, after they leaped down, they actually hooked to the side and started digging backward.

And the mountain collapsed at the same time as well. Everything left no trace at all.

And there was that tunnel to the underground river. Everyone would only suspect that they had already left without a trace. They’d never imagine that they were still here, and on top of the cliff!

With everyone working hard under the cliff, what could they find no matter how powerful the Supreme Martial Artists were?

The poison in the three was still big trouble.

If Chu Yang were to dissolve them, he’d have to use the complete Nine Tribulations Pills. However, their poison would be good nourishment for Chu Le’er. Not only this kind of poison but any poison under the sun would be great nourishment for Chu Le’er.

Therefore, after Chu Yang suppressed the effect of the poison for the three using Spiritual Spring Water, he wanted the three to go back to Chu Clan. However, it was thousands of miles away, and for the three to travel together, the target would be far too big.

He was afraid that before they could go a few hundred miles, they’d be caught again. And if they were to follow himself toward the North-West, the way would be even more dangerous…

Chu Yang thought for a long time but couldn’t make a decision.

Dong Wushang said, “How about Butong and I escort them back to Chu Clan first, and then come out to look for you? In that case, though you will be alone without assistance, you will also have no concerns and can be flexible to deal with situations as they come up. On our side, we’d also be able to take care of it properly.”

Chu Yang thought for a moment and said, “Okay. But even if you are escorting them, you’d also need very good disguises. Oh yeah, where’s Butong?”

“I’m here,” a weak voice answered. Immediately, a head moved out from the bottom of a pile of stones. Rui Butong climbed out, all dusty and muddy. He said, “I’ve had huge gains this time. I’m at second supreme level now.”

Chu Yang thought of something suddenly and said, “How about, you lie down and don’t move, Wushang and I will beat you to death thousands of times today, won’t your ability be unparalleled in the world then? We’ll fear nothing.”

Rui Butong yelled, “How is that different from suicide? Suicide is death as well!”

Dong Wushang clapped his hands and his eyes shone. “Yes! Yes!”

Rui Butong said angrily, “If the Great Nirvana Technique can really be used like this, every phoenix will also become the most powerful being in the world. Can’t you think of that?”

“Then why is that?” asked Chu Yang. “Can there be limitations?”

“Of course there are limitations!” Rui Butong rolled his eyes and said, “The reason behind it is not what you would understand even if I tell you. In a word, it’s things like “death, hatred, grievance and fear caused by irresistible external forces”, etc… Even if one is reborn through Nirvana, that fear when facing death is completely real… You don’t understand that feeling… It’s too devastating…”

Chu Yang replied with an “oh”. Though he still couldn’t completely understand, he had some vague understanding that completely irresistible, accidental factors, and many other factors were at play…

“Every time I’m beaten to death…” said Rui Butong bitterly. “I have to spend a long time adjusting my mood… You all only see the progress in my cultivation, how do you know my sufferings…”

Chu Yang and Dong Wushang were both silent.

This guy was such that even though they knew that he had gone through a lot, they still felt very much like beating him up right now!

The six people left secretively. From the beginning till the end, Rui Butong’s body covered the sight of Chu Yang and Dong Wushang, not letting them see what was written on the tombstone.

Well, Rui Butong was very curious right now about the kind of expression Luo Kedi would make when he comes up and sees this tomb…

When he thought about that, Rui Butong felt that his suffering was worth it… And he smiled crookedly.

That night, the six found a small village to stay in. And then, Chu Yang used his good skills to alter the appearances of all the others carefully.

They were completely and drastically changed.

During this time, Sha Xinliang still asked something that made the other five roll their eyes and made Han Xiaoran almost beat him up.

“Chu Yang, you can’t be the Extraterrestrial Demon, right?”

…

The next day, Rui Butong, Dong Wushang, Han Xiaoran and others had already strutted into Ye Zhou, and bought a huge supply of urgently needed goods for the Southeast in the manner of nouveau riches. They hired two big carriage teams right away, and some blood payers as guards. They drove all the way towards the Southeast.

And Chu Yang headed towards the Northwest all on his own, only carrying his sword.

In the middle of the chaos in the whole continent, Minister Chu stayed low and observed the situation. He traveled freely and without restraint.

…

The whole had been turned upside down!

Chu Clan had become the target of public criticism in an instant!

The newly-arrived Law Enforcement Hall first stopped all of Chu Clan’s trade, and then cut their supplies and severed cooperation with them. And then, it colluded with Xiao Clan in the Southeast to attack Chu Clan.

Should this happen in the past, Chu Clan might really panic, but now…

The attitude of grandmaster Chu Xiongcheng was extremely tough! Beat all who dare to come!

The Law Enforcement Hall and Xiao Clan were furious!

Eventually, they mobilized the martial forces of the whole Southeast to besiege Chu Clan.

At this critical point, Chu Yang’s maternal grandfather, Old Master Yang Bao gave up the family business and brought his whole family over to Flat Mountain Ridge to stand together with their in-laws…

It seemed that they had no choice. The Purple Crystal mine of Yang Clan had long been coveted by law-enforcement officers, and they would not be able to drag on any more this time. Though Yang Bao had a bad temper, he knew how to prioritize. He decided to give up on his family business and rush to Flat Mountain Ridge over the night.

To combine the forces of two clans was better than taking the enemy on his own, after all.

Even if he were to die, it didn’t matter where he died…

The martial artists of the whole Southeast were gathering here!

And Chu Clan also started bigger moves, allocating half of Flat Mountain Ridge to itself, and then going out to resettle the citizens around Flat Mountain Ridge.

The people also knew that there was about to be a big battle here, and if they stayed on, they would only suffer.

After all, they had left the dangerous place.

Within a few days, the martial warriors who gathered here from the whole Southeast actually amounted to several thousand. After that, people rushed over from all directions, their number increasing in hundreds and thousands. The situation was becoming ever more dire.

Some people already relied on their numbers to go to show off their strength at Chu Clan’s gate and speak insults.

Chu Clan’s tightly closed gate opened, and a little girl wearing pretty makeup walked out. She waved her hand, and then closed the gate and went inside.

The people made some fuss, but didn’t dare to break the gate and enter after all, so they returned.

Yet after returning, all the people who went on the day got a strange disease: they felt their whole body very itchy! They used a big saber to pierce their skin, yet they actually didn’t feel any pain, but only itchiness. After they scratched so much that they were covered with blood, even after they broke one of the bones, they actually still felt itchy!

That was extremely uncomfortable indeed.

Within only a day, these people were already tortured so much that their suffering was worse than death. At the same time, another news broke out: another group who went to Chu Clan to insult them previously also got this same strange disease… At that time, everyone was thinking of ways to scratch.

Besides, wherever they went, anyone who came in contact with them would get such a disease within half a day…

Three days later, there were already four to five thousand martial warriors who got the strange itchy disease.

This was when Chu Clan opened its gate and laid out a table to sell a strange-shaped rake. It was thin and made of bamboo. A bamboo would probably be enough to make hundreds of them.

But there was a benefit to this rake: it stops itchiness!

Itchiness at any place could be stopped temporarily by scratching with this rake.

Its effect was to stop the itchiness for the time of burning one incense, but after that, one needed to scratch again.

It was heard that the young daughter of Chu Clan, Chu Le’er pitied these people suffering from the strange disease and purposefully made it; and its price wasn’t high, at only ten Purple Crystals each.

To be honest, the price of one Purple Crystal was enough to buy a hundred yards of bamboo forest! Ten Purple Crystals were enough to buy the whole bamboo fest on Flat Mountain Ridge and still have leftovers.

Right now, such a thin little piece of bamboo was actually sold for ten Purple Crystals. It was outrageously expensive.

But as compared to that kind of uncomfort, ten Purple Crystals… was not that expensive after all.

At first, the people didn’t believe in it and didn’t buy. Yet as the itchiness became worse and worse, finally, someone dropped ten Purple Crystals to give it a try, and the itchiness really stopped.

This was an extraordinary beginning.

Everyone rushed over and flooded the front of Chu Clan. Those martial warriors who originally came to trouble Chu Clan started giving Chu Clan money.

There were also people who wanted to rob. Chu Clan didn’t stop the robbing, but once those who robbed got the item and scratched their bodies with it, large pieces of skin and flesh started peeling off…

And then, their own body festered into a mere skeleton. The skeleton was blown by the wind and turned into powder, scattering across the floor.

Everyone went totally silent.

May as well buy it.

This amazing rake was heard to be named “scratcher” by the kind and compassionate Miss Chu Le’er of Chu Clan.

The more they scratched, the more they itched; the more they itched, the more they scratched…