Death… and me

It was extremely late, almost midnight. Chu Yang reflected and mediated about what had happened as he sat atop a boulder, in a crouched posture with his arms around his shins. The night wind blew, causing his clothes to flutter about in the night winds, immersed in thought.

The night sky was now at its darkest as another two hours passed.

Chu Yang had remained in the same position for the past two hours and just as he was about to return to his room, his senses detected something peculiar. He sharpened his gaze, focusing on the mountain range which was on his right.

His eyes were fixated on a hidden path which led from the mountain range into Beyond the Heavens Sect. This was a path in which not many people knew.

As Chu Yang intensely inspected the path, suddenly he saw three dark shadows swiftly moving as they emerged from the foot of the mountain. They appeared and disappeared as quickly as they came using the darkness of the night as cover almost giving the impression that they were ghosts.

Chu Yang felt uneasy. Remembering his master's words and his strong desire to protect Beyond the Heavens Sect, he knew he had to take action. This window of deep darkness was the best time to move without being detected. Moreover, this window of opportunity only lasts for barely an hour. These people clearly had ill intentions, as it was likely that they hid there and waited for this time before they took action. Chu Yang focused his mind, gathering his resolve and shot forwards like a comet. He used the cliff face as a launch pad, leaping from surface to surface to gain as much ground as quickly as possible. In no time, he stood at the foot of the mountain. He then mobilised into action, using quick steps and the cover of trees in pursuit of those three individuals. Despite Chu Yang only being a first grade Martial Warrior, he was not fearful. If he could fight them, he was certainly able to escape. Chu Yang felt that he was obliged to protect the sect for everything they and his master has given him.

Chu Yang felt as though he had already covered a few miles even though he only gave chase for a few minutes. His body moved lightly and felt as fluid as he needed it to be. If there was an expert who saw the way he moved, he would have been shocked beyond words. Chu Yang moved with precision always taking care to land in blind spots. Despite Chu Yang moving very fast, he never failed to cover himself with either the trees or shrubs that were around. He was extremely adept at finding hiding spots. A single glance at the terrain and he would be able to instinctively know where to go, planning each step perfectly.

Chu Yang continued to move forward for about 5 or 6 miles before he saw the entrance to Beyond the Heavens Sect in the distance. Suddenly he stopped charging as he realised something. He moved along the side of the mountain, blending within the shadows without making a sound… The three intruders were huddled in a crack along the mountainside waiting quietly. Not too far off was the entrance of Beyond the Heavens Sect. It was well guarded at all times by each of the disciples of the nine peaks with the exception of the Purple Bamboo Garden.

These men who were clothed in black did not dare to storm the entrance even though they were probably strong enough to overpower the disciples. However, if a confrontation were to occur, they would have acted rashly and alerted the enemy of their arrival.

It looked as though they were either waiting or they had something already planned. Chu Yang took weighed both options silently before moving his body but by bit in an extremely cautious manner to move closer to them.

All three of them had dark scarves which concealed their faces as had carefully concealed themselves behind a large boulder. Chu Yang knew at first glance that it was not their first time here because of how impeccable their hiding location was. Vision was blocked off on all three sides leaving two possible escape routes, one of which was extremely well hidden. This acted as an effective precautionary measure as they would be able to quickly make their escape without being surrounded by enemies.

Chu Yang decided to camouflage with his surroundings, almost becoming one with the boulder as he waited quietly against it as he slowed his breathing. Chu Yang believed that he himself was an extremely patient person and so his wait began.

Time passed slowly as the thinnest of the three black clothed visitors grew impatient, "What's going on? Wasn't the appointment time clearly stated? Why isn't that wretch not here yet?"

"Just be patient and don't throw a temper." One of the other two suddenly looked up and gave a warning signal. After he looked up suspiciously, he said: "Why do I feel like there is someone else around?"

Upon hearing this, the other two people started to become more alert. They focussed on their surroundings using their hearing to try to detect the presence of any foreign individuals.

Chu Yang remained calm and maintained his breathing, disregarding whatever they had said, keeping as still as a rock.

This was a part of human instincts. When you sense that there is someone following you, you are able to tell without turning and looking. Any regular individual has this instinct. However, if they turn around and don't see anything, they would simply assume that they were wrong about it. Similarly, the three albeit was suspicious in the beginning, relaxed and were reassured that there wasn't anyone else around. "Maybe I was just being paranoid".

"It is always good to be cautious." The other two replied softly.

At that very moment, there were movements at the entrance of the sect and a voice shouted out. "Who is there?"

A firm voice replied, "It is I!"

"Oh, it is second elder martial uncle. My apologies, this disciple was being disrespectful."

"Second elder martial uncle, are you going to cultivate?"

"That is correct. Cultivation requires determination, you should remember that with hard work, anything is possible. The natural energy of heaven and earth is most potent at sunrise. This is the best time cultivate."

"Yes, second elder martial uncle, we will make sure to follow your teachings closely."

A black shadow slowly crept across the entrance. However, the disciples who were guarding the gate were too distracted to notice. The disciples were still praising him as they said "Second elder martial uncle is a key individual in our sect. Despite the level of his cultivation, he is so humble. In addition, he is extremely hardworking, going out almost every day at this time to cultivate. His stamina is indeed admirable. I am not sure that I will be able to live up to that."

Another voice said "That goes without saying. Second Elder Martial Uncle is such an incredible person; how can you ever compare?"

Chu Yang was shocked. This person was really Second Elder Martial Uncle, Li Jinsong! Li Jian Yin's father – head of Locking Clouds Peak in Beyond the Heavens Sect, the second strongest person of the sect!

Li Jinsong was dressed properly, his sword hanging on his waist. He looked as though he was about to practice with his sword as he left the sect with a swift jump flying away and at the same time leaving a graceful curve in the air…

After a few leaps, Li Jinsong neared the meeting location but he made sure to move around the area a few times before arriving at the large boulder. This seems to be a regular meeting. Chu Yang thought to himself. In addition, the disciple who guarded the gate did, in fact, mention that he usually cultivates around this time.

"Why did you wait until now? Is there any news?" The thin one of the three asked briskly.

"Am I late?" Li Jinsong asked with slight dissatisfaction as he was clearly annoyed by that comment. He shrugged it off before continuing. "Have you brought it?"

"No hurry with that item." Another black outfit person quickly appeased him. "Elder brother Li, quickly tell us of the recent changes."

With another humph, Li Jinsong suppressed his voice and said, "There is something devilish going on. I want to ask, besides you people, is there anyone else interested in Beyond the Heavens Sect?"

The three black outfits were stunned and stared at each other, "We aren't really sure about this. In any case, Beyond the Heavens Sect is currently in a dangerous situation and it is likely that there are others who want to cast their nets."

Li Jinsong said, "Ah. A while ago, Wu Yun Liang sent the ninth master, Bao Kuang Lei, along with two top disciples of the sect and his daughter to Iron Cloud Nation."

"Iron Cloud Nation?" The three cried out in unison.

"Exactly, moreover… This was kept under tight wraps, but, from what I learned, the four of them were attacked en route more than once! Obviously, someone wanted to stop them from reaching their destination. Not to mention that these assailants seemed to have been very well informed." Li Jinsong said with a calm face.

Behind them, Chu Yang was astounded. It seemed that Li Jinsong was not the only mole!

"What was the purpose of going to Iron Cloud Nation?" The three asked, only wanted to know the reasons and obviously did not really care about the well-being of Bao Kuang Lei's group.

"I don't know." Li Jinsong frowned, and immediately added, "In any case, no matter what happened, they have gone to Iron Cloud. This means that half of our goal has already been achieved."

"Exactly. Beyond the Heavens Sect is in the territory of our Great Zhao, but Wu Yun Liang dared to send people to collude with Iron Cloud! He is really audacious!" One of the black outfits said in a low voice.

"Just this piece of information alone made our journey worthwhile. Brother Li, you have done well." Said another one of the mysterious individuals. Even though his face was covered, the sound of his voice showed that he was smiling.

"I dare not receive such compliments. It was actually what you have done that that allowed for things to go this smoothly." Li Jinsong said thoughtfully. "You are part of the imperial army; have the resources and you certainly would not let things go on their own course if you had a choice. Let alone the fact that we have been secretly pressuring Wu Yun Liang, influencing him to favour Iron Cloud more. Even though nothing is finalized yet, my mission is almost complete…"

Chu Yang was stunned. People from the imperial army? Beyond the Heaven Sect was a sect in Jiang Hu; what did the imperial army have anything to do with it?

Apparently, this 'imperial army' which they were referring to was the imperial army of the Great State of Zhao!

Chu Yang had a vague feeling that there was a conspiracy unfolding. It was likely that the destruction of Beyond the Heavens Sect in his previous life was related to this!