Death… and me

After he finished three entire bowls of wine by himself, the man clothed in black exhaled. The smell of wine filled the air as he said, "That really hit the spot! I was so depressed. The world was so peaceful and everything was great until the day when the Nine Tribulations Sword was discovered."

"Nine Tribulations Sword?" Chu Yang's heart immediately began pounding violently! At this moment, his heart seemed to almost jump out of his chest.

The Nine Tribulations Sword revealing itself was something that only he was aware of! Why did it now seem as though the entire world knew about it

"When the Nine Tribulations Sword reveals itself, the clouds will dance; ten thousand tribulations will be destroyed the stars will cry; Heaven and earth will begin to change, fate… These words were passed down the Nine Heavens from over ten thousand years ago. The words were the prophecy written by Chen Liu Yun, who was a supreme level master." As he said those three words, the man in black's face revealed a deep level of respect.

In the entire history of all the continents of Nine Heavens, there have only been two Supreme level masters and one of them was Chen Liu Yun. The world originally did not have such a thing known as the Supreme level. However, ever since these two individuals broke the final barrier, the Supreme level came into being!

"Saintly wind starts inside; outside in the heavens the moving cloud swings!"

Saintly wind Supreme Wu Chen Feng and moving cloud Supreme Chen Liu Yun were eternal legends of the Nine Heavens.

Of course, Chu Yang knew about this Chen Liu Yun. What he did not know was about the prophecy he had left behind.

"The truth behind this prophecy is that once the Nine Tribulations Sword had found its master, this would cause a great change throughout heaven and earth. All the current states of the Nine Heavens will be changed. Therefore, when the Nine Tribulations Sword appeared, all of the descendants of the great families will come out to experience Jiang Hu! According to the legend, the master of the Nine Tribulations Sword will become the lord of all the great families in Nine Heavens."

"After all the chaos ends, the great families will have their rankings rearranged. Their positions in the Upper Three Heavens and Middle Three Heavens will be determined by their strength." The man in black took another big gulp of wine and continued, "the master of Nine Tribulations Sword will be the key player in all of this."

"Uh…. Huh? Ah…! Oh…." Chu Yang was at loss for words and didn't know what he wanted to say even with two lifetimes of experience, he was shocked.

"You're stunned, right?" The man in black swirled the wine gourd in satisfaction. Although this was no secret among the great families of the Middle Three Heavens, he had not expected that something like this would cause someone to be this shocked. This filled the man with a great sense of accomplishment…

"I'm… stunned! Really stunned!" Chu Yang nodded his head repeatedly still shocked from the news. His whole world had been turned upside down! Master of Nine Tribulations Sword? Are they talking about me?

Am I really that skilled? My cultivation level is only that of a Martial Warrior am I really able to cause mayhem in the Upper and Middle Three Heavens?

"Anyway, this is not a good thing at all…" The man clothed in dark linens facial expression suddenly changed and was filled with anger. "The Nine Tribulations Sword appearing so people becoming more motivated to train is not a bad thing. However, this involves the rankings of all the great families. As a result, the young disciples of the great families are trying to subdue the disciples of the other families even resorting to killing them if they could not be subdued! This is all so they can weaken their opponents and maintain or if not increase their ranks!"

Chu Yang rubbed his forehead as his eyes rolled in annoyance.

"The mortal enemies of the Mo family clan are the Hei Mo and Yan Family clans. Although these three families might have seemed at peace for the past few hundred years, the conflict between them has never stopped. Now that the Nine Tribulations Sword has appeared, the conflict between these great families is no longer done discreetly. This is especially true with the younger generation; they carry the attitude that if you live then I will die!"

The man in black sighed, "This time the two young masters came out to train with three guards in tow. Little miss just wanted to go out for some fun… Our clan's master thought that with three King level masters protecting them, nothing bad could happen; so he agreed. He had also sent me to guard little miss." He sighed and took a large gulp of wine. Then he lamented, "I have failed to live up to the expectations and trust of our clan's master…"

Four King level masters went along to protect them? Chu Yang was astonished! How powerful was the Mo family clan of Middle Three Heavens?

Wow, even under the protection of four King level masters, Mo Qing Wu was still injured? Are these guys even King level masters?

"King level masters are amongst the top level of cultivation in Middle Three Heavens. But, right now, the young disciples that have come out to train in Jiang Hu will determine the fate of the next few hundred years or few thousand years. Perhaps even the survival of the whole family clan. Compared to this, are King level masters of any consequence?" The man in black said with great disdain.

"So that's how it is." Chu Yang's countenance became serious.

Gu Du Xing had once talked about the disciples of the families in Middle Three Heavens coming out to train in Jiang Hu, but Chu Yang did not think that this would have such large implications and such a heavy impact…

It seemed that some things would need to be further re-evaluated.

"After the troupe left, eldest young master and second young master had some disagreements. They argued well into the afternoon and consequently, each went their separate ways. Eldest young master went to Great Zhao with two guardians while second young master went sightseeing with little miss."

"When we got to Connecting Clouds Mountain, we heard a rumor that on the side of the cliff, there was a special site. Second young master suspected that this site contained the remains of a Monarch level ancestor. Since the location was isolated, he decided to have a look for himself. Little miss and I waited on top of the cliff as second young master and third Mo uncle proceeded down to search. Not long after they went down, the entire gorge suddenly became engulfed in flames. We had been ambushed by the enemies…"

"It was a trap!" Chu Yang said resolutely.

He felt some contempt for this second young master. If there was really the remains of a Monarch level master, would he have just coincidentally discovered it right after stepping into Jiang Hu from Middle Three Heavens? It was clearly a trap and he brought his younger sister right into it… Such a naivety!

"Bam…!" The man in black slapped his thigh in agreement and said, "even though we thought so, who could say for certain that it was not? Third Mo uncle and I tried to talk him out of it many times, but he just would not listen…!"

"I struggled to bring little miss out of the flames only to be immediately ambushed by the Hei Mo family clan! Little miss has a Three Yin Meridian, even though she is a girl, she would grow up to become a powerful master. This was the reason why the Hei Mo family clan wanted to kill her before she could become even more powerful!"

"A pair of Saber and Sword King along with twelve Revered Martial Artists attacked all at once. They didn't hold back at all and I almost lost my life. Even little miss was injured by a sword strike of the Hei Mo Sword King. Fortunately, the sword tip was slightly off, or else…" The man in black was filled with rage, "I will pay them back one day!"

He did not notice that Chu Yang had fallen silent after he mentioned "Three Yin Meridian."

"Does the Mo family clan put great importance on Mo Qing Wu's Three Yin Meridian?" Chu Yang asked cautiously.

"Of course! The possibility of it occurring in a female is extremely rare. Any female with Three Yin Meridian would be likely to have limitless success in the future. Even reaching the level of Emperor would not be considered out of the ordinary. One of the great-grandmothers of the Mo family clan had Three Yin Meridian. She left a cultivation technique specially designed and catered for those with the Three Yin Meridian. Hence in order to reach the peak of her cultivation, little miss would only need to cultivate according to this technique, which would allow her to step into heaven." The man in black said proudly.

His attitude showed how much he cared for Mo Qing Wu and was even very proud of her.

"Ah… What if Three Yin Meridian is damaged?" Chu Yang asked solemnly, "Would there be any consequences?"

"Three Yin Meridian is damaged?" The man in black looked at Chu Yang in surprise.

He suddenly stood up; the wine gourd which he held in his hand fell to the ground as he glared at Chu Yang.

"I said… if…" Chu Yang said lightly.

"If… If…" The man in black muttered helplessly. He suddenly remembered that the one sword strike hit the middle of Mo Qing Wu's chest. That was the critical point of Three Yin Meridian…

He remained quiet for a while and said gravely, "If that's the case… Little miss's life is over…" His voice was full of loss and sorrow.

"Over?" Chu Yang frowned. He asked with a slightly dangerous aura, "Over how?"

The man in black smiled bitterly, "Regardless of whether it is a family or a country, they are all similar. The children dress will and act arrogantly. Although they might not know any martial arts and only know how to behave poorly, each of them has their own place and value."

Chu Yang nodded silently.

"The role these people play is great. They are usually used to establish relations with other families and to consolidate power." The man in black laughed dryly, "Powerful people are also usually very cautious. If two powers wanted to work hand in hand with each other, they would need the appropriate reasons to do so. This is because if one power grows too fast, it would be likely that the others would unite to attack it!"

"If they wanted to join powers without being attacked, then there are two ways. Either through the teacher and student relationship or in-laws relationship." Chu quietly finished his explanation, "However, the teacher and student relation run the risk of students stealing your family's secrets. Thus, establishing an in-laws relationship is by far the best. By building these interfamily relationships, they would be able to contribute to their family's strength."

"Yes, that's exactly how it is!" The man in black lowered his head and said, "The Mo family clans have such descendants. They are usually not allowed to participate in ranking competitions because they are not considered to be worthy. In the case of the eldest son, Mo Tian Xing. When he was ten, he was demoted to third young master because he lacked talent. Despite being he is the oldest, he has to call his younger brothers older brothers…"

"If little miss's Three Yin Meridian is damaged… then… then…" The man in black stood up anxiously, "Little martial brother, how is little miss?"

"Her Three Yin Meridian is damaged… Would the family toss her aside and turn her into a tool for making connections with other families?" Chu Yang's gaze and tone were cold. He did not seem to notice the anxiousness of this King level master.

"Ahhh…" The man in black sighed, "If the family decides that she has no hope of recovery… I am afraid…"