Death… and me

"He he ah…" Chu Yang forced himself to laugh twice. He tried to be clear-headed and calm. But, his voice choked as if a red-hot charcoal had been stuffed inside his throat.

He could tell that Tan Tan wasn't kidding.

'I will leave if I'm in my senses in case such a time ever comes. And, you mustn't try to look for me!'

'But, if I'm not in my senses… then you… you… have to kill me!'

'Please kill me if such a day comes! Just kill me!'

Then, the sound of Tan Tan tapping his head on the ground was heard.

Chu Yang felt dizzy. Those few sentences and the thumping sound of Tan Tan tapping his head on the ground echoed in his mind. And, he became absent-minded as a result…

He remained in a daze for a while. Then, he finally sat down on the ground.

[I can kill people. I can kill anyone in this world!]

[But, this is my brother… my own family! How can I hurt him?]

"Kill you… he-he…" Chu Yang felt as if he would simply drift away. He felt powerless… as if he had nothing to rely on. Then, he faintly said, "Tan Tan… Let's assume that you were in my position and I was in yours. Would you have killed me if we had fallen into such a situation?"

Tan Tan was startled by this, "How can I kill you?"

"Exactly! How can I kill you?" Chu Yang stretched out his hand, and hugged his junior martial brother. Then, he said with a sigh, "You are my brother. So, how can I kill you? Do you know how cruel it is of you to make such a request?"

Tan Tan remained disappointed and frustrated for a long time. Then, he said, "But… I might harm you. I can feel it. Sometimes, I look at you… and an intense killing desire arises in my heart. I try my best to suppress it. But, it doesn't go away…"

"Don't talk like that!" Chu Yang had become calm. He resolutely and decisively said, "Such a day shall never come!"

Then, he said in his heart, [I would rather get hurt before harming you if such a day comes when you truly want to hurt me!]

[I am your elder brother. I will bear it if I have to! But, I will never harm you!]

Tan Tan heard Chu Yang's resolute and decisive words. And, he couldn't help but feel somewhat calm in his heart. But, his heart was palpitating with fear at the same time. He wanted to tell him something. He wanted to tell him about those three men that had appeared out of the blue, and had started to call him 'King'. But, he suddenly started to feel a pain in his brain. Those fragmented and distorted images started to appear in his head once again. And, he couldn't help but frown as a result…

"Well, it will pass soon enough. This is like a nightmare. Everything will be okay after you've woken up!" Chu Yang's thoughts were turbulent. So, he couldn't pay attention to Tan Tan's facial expression. He patted Tan Tan on his shoulder, and said while consoling him, "The most important thing for you over the coming few days is eating and getting good sleep! You don't have to think or do anything! You don't even need to practice martial arts. We have to prevent these bad thoughts from invading your heart and pushing you on to the wrong path of martial cultivation."

Tan Tan said 'hmm', and then lowered his head without speaking anything. He was resisting the acute pain in his head with all his strength. He had lowered his head in order to hide the painful expression on his face from his senior martial brother. After all, he didn't want Chu Yang to worry about him.

Chu Yang sighed. He stood up, and looked at the stars in the distance. Then, he silently asked, "Master, what would you have done if you had come across this matter?"

He couldn't help but sigh while having this thought.

Meng Chao Ran wouldn't have cared about his life if he were to face this matter since he was a calm and indifferent person. He had always been that way. He would merely close his eyes and embrace the end if that day were to come when things would come to a head.

This was Meng Chao Ran's nature. He was indifferent to an extremely passive extent.

However, Chu Yang was different. Chu Yang was carefree as well as stubborn. He would think of every method to prevent it or fix it since he knew of it in advance. He would find some way to make things right even if it did happen someday. He would try everything!

The fight between the Saber Emperor and the Sword Emperor had come to an end.

Gu Du Xing and Dong Wu Shang had blended the essence of their realizations into their fighting styles without taking great pains. They had done so in order to provide a better understanding of their current 'artistic conception' to their brothers who had been watching the fight. They had been using their surging fighting spirit and vitality as well as their newly-attained dense cultivation realm so that Ji Mo, Luo Ke Di, and the others could use this as reference for their own breakthroughs…

A loud 'clang' sound suddenly resounded. A dazzling ball of light exploded in the middle, and dispersed everywhere.

Gu Du Xing's black robe was fluttering in the air. He was calmly standing with his sword sheathed.

Dong Wu Shang had put his Black Saber on his back. He stood firm on the ground. His long legs seemed to be carrying his towering body to the starry sky.

Both of them were sweating profusely! However, they had a happy smiling expression in their eyes.

They had stabilized their cultivation level at the first grade Emperor Level during this fight.

After all, which Saber Emperor that had just broken through would get to clash with a Sword Emperor that had also broken through a moment ago? Likewise, which Sword Emperor that had just broken through would be so lucky to have a newly-anointed Saber Emperor as his opponent?

This had basically been a night of concurrent miracles!

Ji Mo, Luo Ke Di, and Rui Bu Tong had already accepted this in their hearts. Moreover, they had received great benefits by watching this fight. So, they had closed their eyes a long time ago. In fact, they had sat down to meditate in order to comprehend what they had perceived.

"Your saber is very strange."

"Your sword is very strange."

Gu Du Xing and Dong Wu Shang opened their mouths, and spoke at the same time after their breathing had become uniform. They had incidentally said the same thing to each other. So, they both smiled at the same time.

"You speak first," Gu Du Xing said.

"Well, I can feel that your sword is filled with loneliness. It indeed has the proper aloofness of a swordsman! I can understand that a sword must have pride. But, why is it full of fervency as well? This is the thing that I can't understand," Dong Wu Shang was somewhat doubtful, "It wouldn't have been so difficult for me to resist your sword if your sword techniques had only been aloof and prideful. But, the level of your sword gets enhanced significantly when the fervency is added to the equation. What is this about?"

"Swords are ruthless, and also proud! Swords have been the weapons of gentlemen since the ancient times. Gentlemen are polite and courteous. But, the air of aloofness that surrounds them always repels people. Hence, they are reclusive!"

Gu Du Xing said slowly, "But, I'm a man — not a sword. Therefore, I have feelings. I have brothers. I have a lover. Therefore, I'm sentimental. A sword and a man are different. Sword is sword. And, I am me. Therefore, the unification of the man and his sword brings about a unique swordsmanship."

He couldn't help but feel a tide surging in his heart after he had spoken this. It was because he had been thinking about his love for Gu Miao Ling and his friendship with his brothers at the time of his breakthrough. He had broken through to the Emperor Level with these feelings in his heart. 'A man wields a sword. It's not the other way round'. Chu Yang had always taught him this point.

Therefore, he had achieved such a unique swordsmanship after he had broken through to Sword Emperor Level. It had pride as well as fervency. No one had ever seen such a unique swordsmanship!

This was the artistic conception of his sword!

Gu Du Xing heavily said, "I call this swordsmanship – Emotional Swordsman's Heartless Sword!"

"Emotional Swordsman's Heartless Sword?" Dong Wu Shang muttered this to himself… It seemed as if he had realized something.

"Your saber is also very different. It issues an intense deathly aura after it has been brandished! It gives off the vibe of a wild aggression that's eager to destroy the entire world! This should be the combination of your saber and you. It should be the result of the power of your saber and your imposing aura. But, there's a suppressed life-force within this deathly aura. This life force gave off a wonderful feeling. Your saber looked as if… it was alive!"

Gu Du Xing gave his honest view to Dong Wu Shang.

"My saber way is the Saber Way of No Injuries! So, my blade doesn't cause any wounds — it only kills!" Dong Wu Shang repeated the words that he had said to Chu Yang. Then, he concluded, "But… I can feel that this isn't the highest realm that I can reach! There are many levels beyond this realm."

A light flashed in his eyes as he repeated himself, "There are many!"

…

The night was quiet. Chu Yang looked towards the sky whilst being lost in thoughts. Tan Tan had lowered his head, and was sitting on the ground. He was motionless.

Ji Mo, Luo Ke Di, and Rui Bu Tong would sit and mediate for a while. Then, they'd stand up and practice with each other. And, they'd repeat the process afterwards…

Gu Du Xing and Dong Wu Shang were sitting on the left and right sides of their brothers in order to protect them.

…

Ao Xie Yun was crazily shuttling through the mountain forest. He was desperately trying to escape. He jumped down from the mountaintop. His feet stepped on several rattans until he grabbed one that was sticking out from the mountain wall. Consequently, his body arrived in front of the cliff with a swing. He then slid down along the smooth slope, and jumped into the water beneath. He had plucked a reed before he had entered the water.

He was lucky that the reed tube was completely hollow. He kept it in his mouth, and started to swim under the water. He was swimming downstream.

He hadn't expected that the enemy would chase him even after he had turned northwards. Moreover, this chase was on a much larger scale!

However, he also understood that the enemy wouldn't back down now. They wouldn't stop until he was dead. However, their plan would be done for if the Ao Clan moved into action by any chance!

Therefore, he continued to flee!

He would expose their plan if he managed to run away alive. Then, he would be able to demand the proper price for the death of his people! But, his corpse would eternally stay submerged under the snow if he were to die an unjust death right now. Moreover, his death would become a tool his pursuers would use to achieve their goals.

He didn't have any tears in his eyes!

Ao Xie Yun hadn't shed tears even when Du Qing Yun had pushed him out of that encirclement a moment ago.

Qin Zhan had died in a battle half-a-month ago! He and Du Qing Yun had been struggling to run away while carrying Qin Zhan. But then, Qin Zhan had said these words, "Young Clan Lord… must… live!"

Then, he had struggled down from Du Qing Yun's back, and charged into the enemy.

He had sacrificed himself even though he could stop the enemy only for a split second!

After that, Du Xing Yun had fled away along with him. Du Qing Yun would teach him his experience of escaping whenever they'd get leisure time. And, he'd particular stress on methods of escaping alone. He had taught him what he needed to pay attention to, and what he needed to be careful of… how to hide from the enemy… how to make use of every little thing that he had with him…

It seemed as if Du Xing Yun had foretold that he wouldn't live for long. So, he simply focused on one thing — teaching Ao Xie Yun his lifelong experience! He did it so that he could make Ao Xie Yun the master of the art of escaping alone!

He had used his own life for training Ao Xie Yun on the basis of these experiences!

This respectable old man had laughed heartily when he was about to die. He had shirked Ao Xie Yun's hold, and had shoved him away using all of his martial power. After that, he had charged into the swarm of enemies while laughing. His last words had echoed in the night sky, "Ha ha… I feel content!"

…