Chu Yang's body shook a little. He quickly immersed himself in his thoughts. The phrase ‘remove and replace’ was unceasingly revolving in his mind.
"Rush to the Upper Three Heavens with the support of the ambitious clans of the Middle Three Heavens… "Chu Yang sneered and said, "This plan doesn’t sound very reliable! The experts of the Middle Three Heavens are at most at the King Level right now. There aren’t many Emperor Level Experts in the respectable clans! But, look at the expert who’s currently with us. He’s already a Ninth Grade Emperor Level Expert! So, just imagine how many Monarch Level Experts and Saint Level Experts would be there in the nine super clans of the Upper Three Heavens? How can we possibly ‘remove and replace’ the super clans of the Upper Three Heavens with the tiny strength of the clans of the Middle Three Heavens?"
"Every generation of the major aristocratic clans of the Middle Three Heavens has harbored the ambitions to rush to the Upper Three Heavens! But, they don’t dare to reveal their ambitions. Do you think that the heritage of these super clans — who have been in power for thousands of years — is going to be small?" Sword Spirit snorted and said, "How many genuine experts do you think are roaming out there in search of such an opportunity? And, what do you think they’d do once they find out that someone is giving them a chance to exterminate the nine ruling clans of the Upper Three Heavens?"
"But, the Gu Clan has just one genuine expert, and even he failed to become an Emperor Level Expert. And, the Gu Clan imprisoned the Clan Lord’s biological daughter named Gu Miao Ling because of that. Moreover, this also confirms that the Gu Clan doesn’t have an Emperor Level Expert." Chu Yang believed in the story told by Gu Du Xing because there was no reason for Gu Du Xing to lie to him.
"How old is the Gu Clan?" Sword Spirit spoke in a condescending manner, "It’s a clan that’s maybe a few hundred years or even a few decades old. Is it that strange that they have no Emperor Level Expert?
"You will face a lot of resistance when you start to conquer the Middle Three Heavens!" Sword Spirit slowly explained, "But… you must remember that the more the resistance… the bigger the power!"
"Every previous Master of the Nine Tribulations Sword had to do that?" Chu Yang frowned.
"Obey me, and prosper. Defy me, and perish!" Sword Spirit said solemnly, "This is the main path of the Nine Tribulations Sword’s Master!" He paused for a moment, and then continued, "You have the correct disposition. Your mind is tempered enough for the job! Your wisdom is also sufficient. The only thing you lack is the ‘Way of the Tyrant’– Obey me, and prosper. Defy me, and perish!"
"Exploit the hidden ambitions of the major clans…" Chu Yang’s eyes sparkled as he let out a long breath. Then, these eight words completely immersed themselves into his mind.
[Obey me, and prosper! Defy me, and perish!]
[Confronting the innumerable experts of the nine heavens while having the crazed mentality of a world tyrant?! What kind of indomitable spirit must one have for this?!]
Chu Yang sat back, and began to think of those previous Masters of the Nine Tribulations Sword. These masters must have rocked an unmatched heroic bearing while they had conquered the nine heavens with the help of Nine Tribulations Sword. They must’ve advanced unhindered as they would’ve followed the Way of the Tyrant. The thoughts of their outstanding and heroic demeanor suddenly gave birth to a heroic feeling in his heart!
The Nine Tribulations Sword in his Dantian also got infected by this mood. It somersaulted in his Dantian with a sudden ‘clang’ sound. The sword’s majestic energy surged as the Sword Point let out a cry, and then burst into Chu Yang’s Dantian like lighting. It then instantly travelled throughout his meridians!
Chu Yang suddenly felt a tearing pain in his meridians. He felt as if his meridians were being torn to pieces. This unbearable pain suddenly triggered a wave of ominous and fierce wild energy in his body. He nearly raised his face upwards and let out a long and loud scream!
He was incredibly frightened in his heart. He immediately operated the Nine Heavens Martial Technique at its full potential in order to contain the raging wild energy of the Nine Tribulation Sword, and tried to push it back into his Dantian! He used his willpower and his divine sense to forcefully suppress this rampant energy. [I must conquer! That's my job! I don’t need to be ordered around by a sword!]
[I shall conquer the nine heavens with own strength!]
[With my own strength... conquer the nine heavens! Obey me, and prosper. Defy me, and perish!]
The Sword Spirit in Chu Yang’s consciousness sighed, [I don’t know whether I should praise or what! No wonder! It’s no wonder that the ninth master of the Nine Tribulations Sword is like this!]
[It turns out that he’s fundamentally different from the previous eight masters of the Nine Tribulations Sword! He wants to use the Nine Tribulations Sword, but he won’t allow it to take control of everything! The Nine Tribulations Sword is incredibly strong, but he won’t blindly believe in its strength. He only trusts in his own strength!]
The Sword Spirit such reached a revelation while he was thinking of all this. [He’s possibly the true master of the Nine Tribulations Sword! Because… only he has truly dominated it!]
[The first eight masters of the Nine Tribulations Sword had been powerful. However, they had enhanced their own strength by drawing support from the Nine Tribulations Sword; without exception! They had dominated the world, but only with the help of the Nine Tribulations Sword!]
[However, Chu Yang is different. He borrows its strength, but he doesn’t lose himself in the process! Therefore, this time… the one to eventually dominate the nine heavens will be the Nine Tribulations Sword’s Master, and not the Nine Tribulations Sword itself!]
[This is the fundamental difference!]
A bone-chilling cold aura surged out of Chu Yang’s body, and rose high up into the sky. Then, an incomparably tyrannical energy burst out of his body with a loud ‘bang’!
Obey me, and prosper. Defy me, and perish!
[Did he comprehend the essence of this mysterious way in such a short period of time?] Sword Spirit exclaimed at first. Then, he quietly returned to the Nine Tribulations Space. He was suddenly full of expectations from Chu Yang’s future.
[Will this unique Master of the Nine Tribulations Sword let this Sword Spirit get rid of the shackles of the Nine Tribulations Sword, and become a genuine spiritual entity? Will such a sunny day arrive in my life?]
Chu Yang was practicing martial arts, while Chu Fei Ling was immersed in deep contemplation.
He was thinking about the stuff Chu Yang had told him. He had to admit that Chu Yang’s suggestion was truly logical.
Chu Fei Ling also knew that the consequences of falling into this trap would be disastrous. However, he had his own sufferings and sorrows to deal with.
[I am the primary heir of the clan, but I am childless! I lost my son. And, my son is still missing.]
[This the basic difference between my Second Brother and me... He has three sons who can continue the bloodline of the Chu Clan! But, how can my Second Brother be my opponent if I use my iron fist?]
[Moreover... Third Brother’s two sons are frail, and lack aptitude. And, Fourth Brother’s daughter is perennially sick, while his son is young and won’t necessarily grow up to be a capable individual in the future. So, the only promising youngsters in the clan are the three son of the Second Brother!]
[What will happen to the Chu Clan’s future if I am to strike down my Second Brother…? Won’t I be burdened with the sin of pushing my Chu Clan into a situation wherein it won’t have any qualified successors to carry on its undertaking?]
[Sigh...]
He recalled that his wife had been depressed ever since they had lost their son. He wouldn’t dare to go and meet his father-in-law anymore. He would always get cussed each time he’d go there. [You good-for-nothing! Who loses his own son…? Why don’t you go and lose yourself somewhere…]
Chu Fei Ling had been forced to face such tragic treatment every time ever since.
His father-in-law’s complexion would be darker than iron-pot. And, his mother-in-law would always have tearful eyes. Then, this reunion would always develop into a scene of his wife and her mother crying on each other’s shoulders…
"Sigh..." Chu Fei Ling sighed deeply. Sometimes, he felt like shouting out loud… [Dammit! You think I wanted to throw away my son? That’s my own son! My own flesh and blood! I am also a human being you know!]
[Was there any other way back then? My wife and I were about to die at that time. We knew that our death was certain. So, we had to temporarily abandon our son to distract the enemy. We had to do that in order give our son a slim chance of survival...]
[Who would’ve thought that we’d find an elixir in such a desperate situation and survive? What was even more surprising was the fact that… we desperately struggled to rush back to our son, and managed to reach there only a while later. But, our son had already disappeared by then...]
[This... who is to blame for this…?]
[Only the heavens can be blamed for this… only they can be blamed for toying with us. I also wish to cry, but the tears just won’t come out. I would certain feel better if I could join you all, you know?]
Of course, he suppressed these words in his heart. In fact, he had been suppressing them for last 18 years. He hadn’t dared to speak out! He could only feel aggrieved by himself. He was forced to feel this depression in the loneliness of his solitary heart. He would find his Fourth Brother whenever his emotions went out of control, and he’d drink with him to forget his pain and suffering...
Chu Fei Ling kept sighing again and again. He then looked at Chu Yang, and the look in his eyes turned gentler and gentler. [Ah, if I can find my son… I will treat him as my treasure even if he has become a beggar in this life. I will give it my all. I will make up for the pain and suffering my poor child must’ve gone through during these last 18 years… ]
Eldest Master Chu solemnly thought, [ah, he must’ve suffered a lot while wandering about for all these years without us. I don’t even know whether he’s alive or dead…]
The night passed in silence.
The dawn time had approached quickly. Chu Fei Ling’s mind suddenly throbbed. He stood up, and saw that something exploded within Chu Yang across him. A tyrannical aura had burst out of his body! This aura contained the ‘tyrant way’!
It suddenly spread across… as if to dominate the entire sky!
This aura was full of apathy, indifference, and heartlessness. It gave-off a sense of absolute power and sheer dominance over others’ fates! It seemed as if it was telling the world — Obey me, and prosper! Defy me, and perish!
Meanwhile, Chu Yang’s aura got severely agitated, and the sword energy went flying about everywhere. This sword energy was invisible, and didn’t have any shade. However, it had erupted fiercely, and was extremely swift!
Crash Crash Crash... the trees and boulders in the surrounding area got hit by sword energy. The leaves fluttered about as the stone chips were sent flying in all directions! Small holes appeared in the trunks of big trees in quick succession. These holes had been holed right through the trees, and had made the other side of the scenery visible through the trees’ trunk!
And, all this had been caused by the penetration force of the sword energy!
The ground in the radius of 30 feet had been riddled with thousands of crisscross slash marks!
"Breakthrough?" Chu Fei Ling was suddenly startled. [This boy is a god-gifted genius. He has unexpectedly managed to comprehend hegemony overnight. Moreover, he managed to stir up the spiritual strength within his Dantian by drawing support from this hegemony, and has further changed that into Sword Energy. And, that’s how he managed to break through to the Second Grade of Sword King in one fell swoop!]
[Hegemony is a type of imposing aura which experts possess. It’s not a martial technique that one can learn. Only those who hold an absolute position of power can have it. Moreover, it also requires one to cultivate a type of absolute self-confidence, and such confidence can only originate from bloody slaughters!]
Chu Fei Ling had spotted the gradual change in Chu Yang’s aura several times since last night. However, he hadn’t thought that Chu Yang could complete the comprehension process overnight. Moreover, Chu Fei Ling had never imagined that this boy would then change his imposing aura into sword energy within his body, and use it to make a breakthrough...
This was simply madness!
But, he had succeeded nonetheless!
The sky slowly brightened up. Chu Yang also got up slowly. They looked at each other. He noticed that Chu Fei Ling was looking at him with a look of concern in his eyes. He couldn’t help but have a warm feeling in his heart as he said, "No need to worry. I just had a little breakthrough."
Chu Fei Ling nodded, but remained silent. [Just a little breakthrough, you say? Brother, you broke through as a Sword King! That’s the most difficult breakthrough in the entire Nine Heavens!]
"Let's go," Chu Yang said with a smile. Then, the two went away from the hillside; they walked side by side as they did. They hurried along on the way. They were moving very fast. They were presently in the peripheral region of the Cang Lan Battlefront, and this region was devoid of human presence. So, they unleashed their agility skills, and dashed about wildly.
They encountered a few obstacles on the road, but Chu Fei Ling never got a chance to act. These obstacles got taken care of by Chu Yang. They ran into several spirit beasts, but they all got slaughtered by Chu Yang.
Chu Fei Ling could feel that Chu Yang was using this opportunity to gradually hone his skills, and was planning to use the harvest to promote his level. Therefore, he tried his best to not interfere, and simply observed from the sidelines. And, he was having an inexplicable feeling of satisfaction in doing so… as if he was looking at his own son having a healthy growth.
They arrived at the Raging Fire Mountain Range on that day itself. The burning hot aura was blowing against their faces. One could clearly see the flames raging in the east as they stained half of the sky with red color.
"We’re here, right?" Chu Yang asked.
"Yes." Chu Fei Ling gently smiled since the time to part ways was close. But, it seemed like he didn’t wish to part ways.
"Hey, Boss Chu, you have been very slow in getting here. You’ve made us brothers go through a lot of hardships," a sinister voice sounded. It carried a bit of complacence in it, "Did you know that we would intercept you midway? Is that why you’ve been biding time and conserving your strength? It seems we have surpassed your expectations, haven’t we?"
‘Whoosh’ sounds were heard as eight masked men in black clothes appeared out of nowhere. Then, their impressively profound and massive auras pressed down like the falling sky!
The Sword Spirit screamed inside Chu Yang’s Dantian, "Be careful! Each one of those guys is an Emperor Level Expert!"