Chu Yang smiled coldly and said, "So what about me?"
He arched his eyebrows and said, "If I embark on this emotionless and merciless path, I can reach the peak, but I will spend the rest of my life in solitude. Where's the joy in that? Others may choose that but I, Chu Yang, will rather die!"
Chu Yang finally understood something in his heart. Earlier on, he asked the sword spirit if all previous masters of the Nine Tribulations Sword were emotionless.
The sword spirit did not give him an answer.
Looking at it now it seemed that all of them chose to sever all emotional attachments as they obtain the fourth part. They chose to let all nine of their brothers die…
Chu Yang sighed in his heart. Suddenly, a feeling of despise rose in his heart.
"Betraying one's closest brothers, forgoing the love of one's life, so what if people like these ascend to the top of the world?"
"They are so pitiable!"
"How can you say that all creations under heaven have nothing to do with you!" The figure looked at him for a long while before smiling suddenly. "However, if all creations under heaven are reduced dust and ashes because of your decision to die, will you not feel bad?"
Chu Yang smiled casually and said, "However, if I cause the death of my brothers, I will feel worse! I will feel bad if all creations die because of me but… I have no ties to them! I will feel bad and terribly so… but there's no specific target! As for my brothers, we have been spending all our time together!"
He smiled faintly and said, "Furthermore… if I die here, if all creations under heaven die, how can I feel bad? Are you saying that once I enter the Netherworld, I will still be responsible for the souls and spirits?"
Chu Yang said viciously, "I, Chu Yang, only have two arms and one head! I can't answer for all creations, but I can support my brothers! To me, this is enough! To them, this is enough too!"
"You really won't choose to sever these ties?" The figure asked slowly, word-by-word.
"Scram!" Chu Yang replied. "You're so annoying! Do you want me to die or to live? Hurry up and decide! Don't waste your saliva on something so meaningless! Since I came to this world, I have no intentions of returning alive!"
The figure looked at him for a long while and smiled suddenly. Then, he said, "Since you can't make the decision, someone else will help you with it!"
With that, he waved his hands.
Chu Yang suddenly felt that something was amiss. He shouted, "What do you want to do?"
The shadow smiled eerily and said, "You will find out in a while." With that, he spun and disappeared.
Suddenly, above Chu Yang's head, a thin tornado appeared.
The tornado flew upward and as it spun, a 'whoosh' could be heard and the water near it suddenly disappeared. Chu Yang's surroundings turned into a patch of dry land.
Then, the tornado flew out!
From the eye of the tornado, Chu Yang could even see the light in the sky and clouds outside!
Chu Yang's tent was blown into the sky and it disappeared among the clouds.
Following that, Mo Tian Ji and the rest, who were all unprepared, flew into the air too. They could not help it.
Tan Tan shouted and black light shot out from his eyes. It was as if this tornado triggered some horrible memory of his. He roared and his body stiffened. He waved his hand in mid-air and slashed a hole from the tornado and grabbed Xie Dan Qiong. As he roared, he flew out!
He disappeared just like this.
Without Tan Tan's horrifying strong foundations, Mo Tian Ji and the rest could only allow themselves to be thrown around by the tornado. Then, they rapidly fell.
Instantly, a trench of ice and snow appeared on the ground. Mo Tian Ji and the rest fell inside!
Ice and snow then filled up the trench.
Creating a flat ground!
Mo Tian Ji and the rest felt as if their souls had left their bodies. Floating about, their souls were then attracted to the tornado by the center of the lake as they flew into it like moths into flames.
The waves of the Lake of Death surged vigorously and split into two.
Then, a few spectral bodies that appeared in the waves quickly retracted.
The water surface turned calm once more.
At this moment, Chu Fei Ling and his wife were finally able to reach the top of the mountain after much effort! Both of their mouths were filled with blood.
However, as they looked at their surroundings, they noticed that it was completely calm.
It was as if nothing had happened here!
The entire mountaintop appeared to have been split open by a heavenly sword and was neat and flat. They could even its edge, but they could not see anyone else.
"Where is he?" Yang Ruo Lan did not even wait to catch her breath as she jumped frantically up and started to search along the Lake of Death.
Chu Fei Ling looked around and his eyes were filled with worry and anxiety.
Where was he?
"They clearly said that… our child is here, but…where is… he?" Yang Ruo Lan's eyes were filled with tears which fell uncontrollably.
She circled many rounds and suddenly, she wailed into the sky, "Where is he?! Where is he?! My child! My child…. Where are you?"
Then, she collapsed.
Yang Ruo Lan entrusted all of her hopes, all of her joy, and all of her guilt into this one moment! She was almost sure that her son was here!
She was almost sure that he was here!
After so much pain and hardship, she finally arrived! However… why did he disappear for no reason!
Yang Ruo Lan's heart simmered like oil in a pan. Right now, it was as if someone had doused it with cold water.
Instantly, her hand turned icy-cold and her heart turned dark!
Underneath the lake.
The lake continued to surge and roll about.
Chu Yang looked at this scene in shock. The color had drained from his face!
Shadows descended down into the lake. Mo Tian Ji, Gu Du Xing, Ji Mo, Luo Ke Di, Ao Xie Yun, Xie Dan Qiong, Huyan Aobo… all seven of them appeared around him like shadows.
The figure chuckled and said, "I'm sorry. I'm only a divine thought and I can't summon their bodies. Hence, I brought their souls over here. They will make the choice for you!"
"Despicable!" Chu Yang said as he gritted his teeth.
When Mo Tian Ji and the rest saw Chu Yang, looks of joy appeared in their eyes.
Their souls floated about in the water.
Instantly, Chu Yang felt as if he was caged in.
He could not speak. He could not move.
All he could do was to listen.
Mo Tian Ji and the rest were sealed up too. For them, they could not hear anything nor see anything. Their states were not as bad as Chu Yang's. Only Gu Du Xing was not sealed off.
"Gu Du Xing!" The figure asked seriously. "Tell Chu Yang that you are real!"
Gu Du Xing smiled coldly and said, "What do you mean?"
"Prove that you're really here!" The figure said.
"Gu Du Xing laughed and said, "Based on what?"
While Gu Du Xing was not good with words, he was definitely an intelligent person! When he saw the situation, when he heard this sentence, he could guess that Chu Yang had fallen into an illusion.
No matter whether he admitted it or not, it would do Chu Yang no good!
Hence, Gu Du Xing neither denied nor confirmed it!
However, the eyes of Chu Yang, who was being controlled at this moment, lit up before it dimmed.
He already confirmed that this was really Gu Du Xing's godly soul! Simply based on these two sentences!
The figure smiled and said, "That's fine! Gu Du Xing, what kind of person is your big brother?"
Gu Du Xing snorted coldly and said, "What does this have to do with you or me?"
The figure smiled and said, "What a bad temper indeed! Gu Du Xing, let me ask you, if Chu Yang requires your sacrifice to escape, will you be willing to sacrifice yourself!"
Gu Du Xing was stunned. He did not want to cooperate with this mysterious shadowy figure. However, he had to consider his words clearly, because Chu Yang was listening.
He said slowly, "If big brother needs my sacrifice, I won't hesitate!"
However, a sharp look flashed across his eyes and he said, "However, if someone uses big brother's name to make me die, I will investigate this fully! It's not so easy to obtain my life!"
The figure smiled warmly and said, "If you don't die now, I'll kill him!"
His waved his hands and a sword appeared. Then, he pointed it at Chu Yang's throat and he pierced his skin. Blood started to trickle out as he said coldly, "Right now! Gu Du Xing, make your choice! If you don't die, I will kill him! If you die, I will spare him! Between the two of you, only one of you can live! One of you must die! Make your choice now!"
Gu Du Xing laughed and said, "Choice? What do I have to choose? If one of us has to die, let me die!"
He walked forward and grabbed the figure's hand. Smiling coldly, he said, "You underestimate me!" With that, he positioned the sword to his neck!
"Don't you dare!" Chu Yang shouted silently. Blood trickled down from his eyes as he looked viciously at Gu Du Xing. He used all his powers to shout, "If you die, I will die! You want to demonstrate your magnanimity and die without any regret. I won't let you!"
Gu Du Xing laughed and said, "Big brother, even if you die, I have to die before you! I can't see you die! However, when I live, I can't let you die because of me! I will rather you will bad for me than the other way round!"
Then, he forced his neck to the blade!
The figure seemed touched.
His wrist trembled and Gu Du Xing's godly soul fell to the side. It was then surrounded by a huge current of water.
Mo Tian Ji was released next.
"Mo Tian Ji, if Chu Yang needs you to die, will you die for him?" The figure asked.
"Of course not!" Mo Tian Ji smiled faintly and replied calmly.
"Why not?" The figure was shocked.
"I'm me and he's him! We are two people! Why should he die for me? Why should I die for him?" Mo Tian Ji said sardonically. "We aren't that close yet."
Mo Tian Ji was extremely intelligent and he naturally knew that he could not go along with what the figure said. Once he fell into his trap, it would be over.
No matter what the shadow asked, he would say the opposite of what the 'correct answer' was.
"If Chu Yang dies, Mo Qing Wu will die!" The shadow said coldly. "Use your life to exchange for the lives of the two of them! If you don't do it, I'll kill him now!"
Mo Tian Ji was stunned.