Death… and me

Throughout the journey back to the palace, Tie Bu Tian could not stop frowning. As he sat inside his carriage, his expression was surprising… one of shock.

I merely wanted to be the first to know how he's doing in Great Zhao; whether or not he's in any danger and if his plans were taking place smoothly. Facing such immense pressure, I just wanted to know if he could handle it… That's all…

However, Wu Qian Qian actually reacted so fiercely earlier. It's almost as if…

"Both are pitiful people." Tie Bu Tian let out a sigh. Subconsciously, he had just mouthed these words out loud.

"What is His Majesty's order?" The two shadow guards asked in unison, "Both are pitiful people? Who are you referring to?"

"It's nothing." Tie Bu Tian's quiet and embarrassed voice came from within the carriage.

The two shadow guards nodded their heads and disappeared.

Seated in the carriage, Tie Bu Tian lifted his hand and touched his own face, which was burning with embarrassment. As he thought of what he had just said, he could not help but laugh at himself internally.

Pitiful? Who is more pitiful?

At least Wu Qian Qian still has the black robe and the position of King of Hell Chu. As for me… I don't have anything to hold on to.

Does being born into an imperial family mean that I have to be alone my whole life?

Tie Bu Tian sighed deeply. Does anyone have any clue that this emperor absolutely does not want to sit on this throne? Everyone's greatest dream is to be able to sit on the golden throne. But… does anyone know that my greatest dream is to be like you normal people? To wake up at sunrise and go to bed at sunset; to be a normal person and spend my days in peace.

Tie Bu Tian closed his eyes in weariness. His body swayed gently with the carriage as he slowly began to feel his heart's emptiness. It was as if there was a block of ice that was a hundred thousand feet tall.

Indeed, the path of a ruler was a lonely one.

And I, Tie Bu Tian, must definitely be the loneliest of all! Because…

…

Meanwhile, in Great Zhao, in the middle of the night…

Diwu Qing Rou's hideous face appeared somewhat terrifying, "Sun and moon shined together? Have you verified this?"

"It has been verified!" Jing Meng Hun's countenance was not easy to look at as well. The moment he saw the sun and the moon shining together before dozens of bright crowns suddenly appeared in the air, he felt as if he was watching the entire sky collapse.

"Sun and moon shine together… In the past ten thousand years, there's only one such event that can explain such a phenomenon. It involves a saber and a sword." Diwu Qing Rou took in a deep breath and continued, "Sunlight Saber and Moonlight Sword! Truly devious! King of Hell Chu, you have planned everything very well!"

Jing Meng Hun was slightly taken aback.

When Diwu Qing Rou mouthed these words, it could be clearly seen that he was gritting his teeth!

It was no mean feat for someone to be able to cause Diwu Qing Rou to have such an ugly facial expression. However, for someone to cause Diwu Qing Rou to grit his teeth, it was truly difficult beyond words…

"All connected, they're all connected." Diwu Qing Rou sighed and said solemnly, "This is King of Hell Chu's countermeasure. I would never have thought that King of Hell Chu would be able to react so quickly and deviously like that!"

"React? Devious?" Jing Meng Hun was puzzled. Even if the competition gets fiercer, we can still follow your plan and deal with it accordingly. What is there to be afraid of?

"You don't understand. The scariest thing is not how they are competing… It's the location that King of Hell Chu will choose to have this competition explode!" Diwu Qing Rou sighed and continued, "There are two locations that King of Hell Chu can pick. The first is the royal palace and the second is the headquarters of the Golden Horse Riders Department. The royal palace would be best for us; there might be some chaos for a short period of time, but things will still remain in control. However, if it explodes at Golden Horse Riders Department's headquarters… all our efforts will go down the drain instantly. Furthermore, the entire Continent Center will be in a huge mess. In fact, there is bound to be a loss in personnel from Golden Horse Riders Department…"

"You should be aware that such a saber and sword will attract all the great clans of Middle Three Heavens." Diwu Qing Rou frowned, "As for these people, we would never have the ability to recruit them, even if they were lying in front of our door with their last breath. We can only treat them and send them on their way… Given our position, it's not at all beneficial to us…"

"Tomorrow, I will personally go to Heaven Reaching Tower. Besides meeting the two young masters Chu, I will have to test the reactions of the great clans a little. I hope… I hope that the worst case scenario will not occur…"

A look of worry appeared from deep within Diwu Qing Rou's eyes as he spoke solemnly.

In the early hours of the next morning, Chu yang had just left his bed when he heard a knock on the door. The manager of Heaven Reaching Tower, Du Fa Cai, had come to visit.

"Young Master Chu, haha, did you sleep well?" Du Fa Cai smiled warmly.

"Not bad." Chu Yang washed his face as he spoke casually, "I must have troubled you. Manager Du, how do you know that I like this kind of Purple Orchid Fragrance the most? I'm really unable to figure that part out."

Du Fa Cai replied in an extremely respectful manner, "Young Master Chu looks very classy; I had to run to a few places before managing to get my hands on Purple Orchid Fragrance from the royal palace. I'm delighted that it suits you."

Chu Yang wiped his face with a towel and said, "It's still early in the morning; does Manager Du have some urgent issue to speak to me about?"

"Yes." Du Fa Cai responded in a respectful manner, "It's the Prime Minister of Great Zhao. Diwu Qing Rou had sent people to bring over a card. He wishes to meet with you two young masters this morning. This little person is simply delivering the card on his behalf."

"Great Zhao's Prime Minister… Diwu Qing Rou?" Chu Yang closed his eyes as he showed a look of contemplation. At the same time, a trace of suspicion could be heard from his tone.

"This Prime Minister Diwu is no ordinary person!" Du Fa Cai cautioned him kindly, "With the strength of just one person, he has successfully brought Great Zhao to its current power state…"

Subsequently, he went on to share on the topic, without end.

"It seems that this Prime Minister Diwu must have left a deep impression on Manager Du…" Chu Yang smiled softly, "If that's the case, how could I not give Manager Du some face?"

Immediately, Chu Yang retrieved the card from Du Fa Cai. Thereafter, Du Fa Cai left his room.

Diwu Qing Rou's card? Chu Yang looked at the gold-plated card and could not help but find it ridiculous. He smiled casually and opened it. The only thing written on it was: Peace to Brother Chu. Ceremoniously, Qing Rou.

The words were like soaring dragons and flying phoenixes. They were strong, direct, and appeared disciplined, making them seem fortified like a tall mountain. There was even a strong sense of awe-inspiring power!

These words were somewhat similar to what one would expect to receive from an extremely close, old friend who had not been seen for many years.

"Diwu Qing Rou is probably trying to undermine my status by using these words." Chu Yang smiled casually and put the card aside. He thought to himself: It seems that Diwu Qing Rou still suspects that I'm King of Hell Chu!

In any case, this punk still has the guts to come here… I must say that his courage is commendable. Chu Yang pondered for a moment before he shuddered suddenly. What if it's not just courage that he has… Could it be that Diwu Qing Rou is a martial expert as well? This is definitely a possibility that cannot be eliminated…

Initially, Chu Yang had planned for Gu Du Xing to receive Diwu Qing Rou if he came, but at this very moment, he had just changed his mind.

Why should I have to hide if Diwu Qing Rou wishes to come?

Diwu Qing Rou is already suspicious of my true identity. Wouldn't me hiding create more suspicion in him?

Since that's the case, I shall play with the current top genius!

A look of content flashed from deep within Chu Yang's eyes. This person is my greatest opponent in Lower Three Heavens. No matter who wins or loses, I'll surely regret it if I do not meet him.

"Diwu Qing Rou is coming here?!" Gu Du Xing ran over from the other room, astonished.

"Mm."

"Should I deal with him or should you?"

"Allow me!" Chu Yang exclaimed, "However, in order to avoid any complication, you should stay here."

Gu Du Xing nodded in agreement. A killing intent flashed in his eyes, "Well… I could just kill him with one slash…"

"Definitely not!" Chu Yang replied in shock, "Do you not know who Diwu Qing Rou is? If he has the guts to come here, how could he not ensure his own safety? I assure you that if we dare make a move, we will not only be unable to kill him but also end up having to pay with our own lives!"

Gu Du Xing said casually, "I was just joking."

Chu Yang sighed heavily. How could he not have anticipated that Gu Du Xing would flash with a killing aura inside? He said sternly, "You absolutely cannot make any move! Got it?"

"Yes!" Gu Du Xing replied with great reluctance.

"You can't show your hostility as well!" Chu Yang asserted once more.

"Yes."

"Your air…"

"Yes."

"Your sword aura…"

"Don't you think you've said enough?"

Chu Yang kept mum after hearing this…

That same morning, as the sun gradually rose and shined over the land, Diwu Qing Rou sat on a simplistic carriage as he casually made his way to Heaven Reaching Tower.

There were only two people accompanying him.

They were none other than Jing Meng Hun and Yin Wu Tian! With these two King level masters by his side, Diwu Qing Rou firmly believed that even if Heaven Reaching Tower was a cave full of dragons or tigers, there was nothing stopping him from coming and going as and when he felt like it.

"Prime Minister, young masters Chu have been waiting for you for a while." Du Fa Cai came forward and informed Diwu Qing Rou.

"Hmm, I must have troubled Manager Du." Diwu Qing Rou smiled softly and continued, "Did young master Chu say anything?"

Du Fa Cai was shocked at the question, "Young master Chu did not say anything. However, from his reaction… it seemed that he is too accustomed to such visitations."

"Too accustomed?" Diwu Qing Rou laughed and said, "Manager Du, I might have to bother you to lead the way."

Just as Diwu Qing Rou was walking up to the last floor, he sensed something out of the blue and could not help but look up.

A vast field of white snow had appeared in front of his very eyes.

Two youths in snow white outfits were quietly standing at the top of the stairs to greet him. Even though there were only two people, Diwu Qing Rou could feel a majestic air surrounding the entire area.

At the same time, a faint flash of sword aura traveled through the air. It was not an aura with killing intent or any form of pressure. Instead, it was a kind of spirit that swordsmen typically emitted when they were not on guard.

Such spirit was not possible for even a peak level swordsman to completely conceal.

The fact that they were able to cover up most of their aura to this extent was enough proof that these two young swordsmen were trying their best to conceal it. Furthermore, such an attitude clearly suggested that they were friendly, with no hostility present at all.

It appeared that while the two young masters Chu were slightly curious about this visit of Diwu Qing Rou, they were not in the least bit hostile.

"Prime Minister Diwu coming here in person? I, Chu Fei, warmly welcome you." At the top of the stairs, one of the young men smiled brightly and warmly. He greeted Diwu Qing Rou ceremoniously, without the slightest hint of arrogance or flattery.

He did not display any flattery, arrogance, or modesty. It seemed as if it was just another instance of him welcoming another guest, with him acting as the sincere host.

"I do not dare. I've taken the liberty to come and visit. I feel ashamed at myself for being greeted by the two young masters Chu in this way." Diwu Qing Rou smiled warmly, "Since you two young masters have come all this way to Continent Center, I should use some wine to wash off the dust for you. It's a shame that my duties have kept me busy, thus I was not able to visit until now. I must have disappointed the two young masters."