Death… and me

Earlier that day, Bu Tian Pavilion was as hectic as ever. After the great purge, the two hall leaders became more laidback.

It was unusual for Tie Bu Tian to be seen making such inhumane decisions to expunge all of the spies completely. Iron Cloud Citadel had enshrouded in a gloomy atmosphere and the smell of blood was revolting. More than one thousand and three hundred people were executed. This was an alarming number considering the fact that there were even more under the wrath of the executioner!

It happened to be Cheng Yun He's second day at Iron Cloud Citadel.

The day of imprisonment to the day of execution only lasted a span of four days, where the alleged suspects were tried and proven guilty. Iron Cloud had invested a huge amount of money and resources to this contingency and the death rates were nonetheless astounding.

Everyone at Iron Cloud Citadel was thrown into both utter confusion and disbelief.

Everyone knew that this could only be the undertaking of King of Hell Chu.

At the very moment, the infamous reputation of King of Hell Chu had surpassed its usual status. It used to only frighten children in scenarios whereby one would say, ", "One more time you misbehave, King of Hell Chu will come and punish you!"

No one would expect the day to come where his name would instill fear in everyone, including the adults. People who continued to use his name as a threat were probably just as inhumane as him.

The power of Bu Tian Pavilion soared as King of Hell Chu's reputation spread across nations.

During this time, Cheng Zi Ang and Chen Yu Tong had just ended their laborious work but they were tasked with another important job. It was to interview and train the newcomers that were tasked to improve the three halls of Bu Tian Pavillion. They both knew that this job would be painstakingly arduous as their life depended heavily on it. If they managed to do a good job, then nothing would happen to them. However, if something grave happened, they would definitely be the ones at receiving end for some serious punishments.

To make matters worse, the kind of punishment King of Hell Chu would lash out was beyond one's imagination, especially when his subordinate made a mistake.

Both of them immediately turned down the job and requested for a different one to be assigned to them. They felt that even sneaking into Great Zhao as a spy was so much better and less stressful than this. It was also better for King of Hell Chu to handle this job himself as everyone would feel less distressed that way.

The efforts they took to muster their courage to voice their opinions went down the drain instantly when King of Hell Chu replied them sternly, "What is the point of employing the both of you if I can do the job myself? Honestly, I just want to relax and at the same time, maintain my position as King of Hell! If you can find a similar job like this, please do introduce it to me, I would very much like to apply for it. It is alright if you both refuse to do the task given to you. You can tender your resignation and become a foot soldier instead. That way, both of you will not need to worry as I will not be giving you any job to do!"

Cheng Zi Ang and Chen Yu Tong became very discouraged as they cursed internally, thinking, "'What nonsense is this! You already have a great career with you just sitting around drinking tea and reading children's books all day. You have no right to lecture us when you just watch us put our lives in danger whilst fighting for your own glory.'

However, it was obviously clear that the both of them did not dare to say those words in front of King of Hell Chu.

Things used to be a breeze for Wu Qian Qian. All she needed to do was to handle her responsibilities well and everything would be alright for her as King of Hell Chu would either be reading children's books or just building sandcastles in the air.

Wu Qian Qian had a newfound hatred for King of Hell Chu as she felt that he was messing the entire place up! She wanted to pull his black robe and give him a hard kick each time she saw him. She recalled a time when he dealt with Li Jian Yin where he hurled profanities at her for no rhyme or reason. All she could do was to keep mum helplessly.

Time passed very dispiritingly every day.

In the late afternoon, Chu Yang would sit quietly unnoticed while he tried to skimp on work. He was just about to head out when a guest called him.

It was the Hei Mo Saber King!

His arrival was unexpected by Chu Yang. He was here to let Chu Yang know that he was leaving.

King level leader Soul Catcher was gravely injured. Moreover, he did not have the face to stay any longer. The Sword king's injuries were also worsening and he needed to return to Middle Three Heavens for immediate treatment. Otherwise, he might die.

They suffered a loss in manpower and strength especially when their three King level leaders were currently in Lower Three Heavens. The Hei Mo people would definitely be assassinated if their enemies found them.

After thorough discussions, they decided to retreat and put a temporary hold on their mission in the Lower Three Heavens and return to Middle Three Heavens to recuperate, while looking for another better opportunity to return.

Chu Yang was definitely taken aback as he thought that the people of Golden Horse Riders Department were still missing and most definitely still in Iron Cloud Citadel.

Chu Yang was thinking of ways to instigate a fight between the people from the Hei Mo clan and the Golden Horse Riders Department.

He was in disbelief with regards to their departure as he could only depend on the power of Bu Tian Pavilion to deal with countless King level Revered Martial Artists. He immediately knew that he was in grave danger.

"Senior… Why… You do not have to…" King of Hell Chu was at a loss for words to say. He could not find the courage to articulate his actual thoughts. There was no way that he would expose his intention of using them as a scapegoat.

"I know leaving like this might seem like a hasty decision. Although it might reflect badly on us for being irresponsible for the chaos we caused, there is no other way. If we continue to stay here, we will be in greater danger!" Hei Mo sighed as he said reluctantly. He realized that they had yet to complete any of the objectives as promised to King of Hell Chu.

Although leaving now might make it seem like they were escaping, they were at wit's end and left with no other options. "However, if you were to visit Middle Three Heavens, I will cordially receive you with open arms." Hei Mo Saber King said sincerely, with a tinge of sadness in his eyes. King of hell Chu instantly felt regretful and embarrassed as he had not spared a thought for the Hei Mo Saber King's well-being.

"If time permits, I will definitely pay a visit to Middle Three Heavens. Have a safe trip back!" Chu Yang said as he reluctantly accepted the decision as he was left with no other choice.

Hei Mo Saber King left after much hesitance. Upon his departure, Chu Yang felt an ineffable feeling growing in his heart.

The Hei Mo clan was as competent as a gigantic organization of assassins as they were equally determined and malevolent. As a result, Chu Yang always had a bad impression of them and wanted to obliterate the entire clan.

Those who were currently in Iron Cloud had no way of escaping. Chu Yang was ready to enter the battlefield himself in the event that all the razzle-dazzle failed to fool them.

Although Saber King was known to be a sentimental person, he was also known to be very inhumane when there was a need to.

During the period when they both had to work together, Chu Yang put all those thoughts aside.

Chu Yang also witnessed the constant sadness in Mo Cheng Yu's eyes and he instantly knew what Mo Chen Yu was upset about. Mo Cheng Yu's return to the clan would be an unpleasant one as everyone would have already been informed of what had happened at Iron Cloud Citadel.

Since Chu Yang had failed to change the Mo clan's decision, it was only a matter of time before he had to confront and go against the Mo clan.

However, there was one problem that was running through his mind. He had no support as of now and had no other options but to rely on the three powers of the Hei Mo clan when the time came. This was Chu Yang's long-term plan.

…

The Hei Mo people left Iron Cloud Citadel and their departure made Chu Yang very upset and flustered.

His mood affected everyone at Bu Tian Pavillion and they felt extremely suppressed by his erratic emotions.

Chu Yang was facing a dire situation of a lack of armed forces. He knew that there was no way that he could rely on external forces and the only way was to rely on his own forces to pave his victory.

The state of Bu Tian Pavilion was far from the state it used to be. Dealing with the locals and its officials was no challenge but defeating the martial masters of Golden Horse Riders Department was definitely out of the question.

This problem caused Chu Yang to spend a great deal of time immersed in deep thought.

The number of members in Bu Tian Pavilion soared to almost four hundred members, most of which were Martial Artists, with only a handful of Martial Masters. What was worrying was that they did not have any high ranking member other than one pathetic Great Martial Master.

Having to face a massive force from the Golden Horse Riders Department left King of Hell Chu seriously in distress and out of options. He only had one Great Martial Master and needless to say, his defenses were weak.

Considering the fact that they were at a huge disadvantage, King of Hell Chu came up with a brilliant idea. All he had to do was to discover the hideout of the Golden Horse Riders Department and seize the golden opportunity to assassinate the both of them given that they were both already severely injured. That would definitely save him a lot of trouble of having to deal with them at a later stage, should they recover from their injuries.

King of Hell Chu knew that he only had a window of three days as they would be recovered by then and it would be far more challenging to defeat them. To make matters worse, it was known that the Hei Mo people had already left. This made Bu Tian Pavilion appear to be far more vulnerable than it already was.

Leading up to the execution of his grand plan, Chu Yang had what seemed like a 'friendly' meeting with the leaders of the three biggest groups in Iron Cloud Citadel that were technically just a group of hooligans clustered together.

The names they had were ironic Their names were Golden Dragon Sect, Magical Teachings Sect, and Heavenly Cloud Gate Sect. They sat in the main hall of Bu Tian Pavilion with their face drained of color as they were terror-stricken. Their limbs trembled in fear and anyone could tell that they were very anxious as they were facing the cruellest person in all of Iron Cloud Nation's History, King of Hell Chu!

The three men struggled to maintain eye contact with the King of Hell Chu, who was wearing a terrible fierce-looking mask with an ominous black robe. He threw all three of them an icy cold gaze and exuded a menacing killer aura around them. Facing a man who had the power of ending the lives of millions, it unconsciously sent a shiver down their spines.

However, the influence of these sects should not be underestimated. Each sect had more than a thousand underlings and it was known to all that a word from King of Hell Chu could mean that a thousand lifeless heads could be left hanging at the very next moment.

As King of Hell had just completed a venture on tidying the royal court, there was a possibility that he wanted to clean up the sect next as there was no reason that a huge figure would want to visit three mere thug leaders.

The more they delved into it, the more afraid they were as time went by. Each moment felt like an eternity as King of Hell Chu had not uttered a word since he arrived, even though his cold gaze never left their eyes. The tension was building up and they could not hold their composure any longer.

Unconsciously, the legs of Golden Dragon Sect's leader started to tremble and beads of perspiration began to trickle down Magical Teaching's forehead as his vision started to fade. The leader of Heavenly Cloud Gate Sect was no exception. His teeth were gritted together in constant fear and it was evident that he was about to lose his cool.

What was unknown to them was that Chu Yang was taking the time to evaluate the situation he was facing and the way he should deliver his message to them. He had no clue that the three of them would react so adversely to his presence.

"Do you all want to know why I've invited you here today?" King of Hell Chu said softly, trying his best to sound calm and gentle.

However, the three thug leaders were already as timid as a mouse as they fell to the floor upon hearing King of Hell Chu's voice. Although King of Hell Chu had tried his best to remove any hint of fierceness in his voice, it still sounded like roaring thunder to all three of them.