Death… and me

"Go and find Sixth Brother. That bastard has deceived us," Ao Qing Yun finally remembered about that sly dog, and his complexion changed. He said, "This bastard said 'non-emperors can't deal with Gu Du Xing', and made me lose two great experts by doing so. This is preposterous!"

The old man smiled bitterly, and said in his heart, [You're his competitor. So, who would he trick if not you?]

However, he didn't have to wait for his subordinates to find Ao Feng Yun since Ao Feng Yun had already come looking for him and his party.

"Third Brother, how did it go? Was that guy very difficult to deal with?" Ao Feng Yun's white clothes were fluttering in the wind. His refined appearance looked flawless as he eagerly asked. However, he then noticed the two corpses, and his eyelids suddenly bounced, "This this… what the hell is this? Didn't I warn you in advance? Then, how… did these unnecessary casualties occur?"

Blue veins popped on Ao Qing Yun's forehead, "Sixth Brother, you, you… how can you be so despicable?! What warning are you talking about? That was a cheap trick, ok?"

Ao Feng Yun's complexion changed, "Third Brother, what you're saying is absurd. I was kind enough to warn you. But, you're blaming me instead?!"

Ao Qing Yun snorted. He was about to speak, but he was stopped by the old man behind him. The two brothers looked at each other, and fiercely exhaled a breath from their nostrils… like mad bulls.

"What do you plan to do with the Gu Clan?" Ao Feng Yun asked very politely.

"I naturally have my plans," Ao Qing Yun replied in a bad mood.

"Don't tell me that Third Brother wants to break his partnership with me?" Ao Feng Yun narrowed his eyes, "Third Brother, I want you to understand that our partnership would benefit both of us. Similarly, both of us would incur losses if we broke up. It's not like you aren't aware of this fact. Moreover, we're brothers from the same mother. So, why allow a minor matter like this to hurt our brotherhood?"

Ao Qing Yun snorted, and pondered in his heart, [We two indeed have the weakest background out of the six brothers who have come out on the clan's mission. So, it certainly wouldn't be good for either of us if we separated. So, I have no choice but to hold back my resentment and agree to keep the partnership going.]

"Gu Clan has a weakness… It's their weak foundation. They can't last long relying solely on a single Sword Emperor – Gu Du Xing." Ao Qing Yun heaved a muffled sigh, "I believe that we should drop the plan of capturing Gu Du Xing first since it's not a feasible plan. Instead, we'd better target the Gu Clan first, and in-turn coerce the Gu Du Xing into join us. This is the best course of action…"

"Third Brother's wisdom is off the charts. Such a brilliant plan…!" Ao Feng Yun praised, "Such being the case… we better not delay. Let's rush to the Gu Clan."

"Let's go!"

The two groups of people mixed together, and started with the journey.

However, this exchange between the two made the Emperor Experts following them feel secretly disappointed.

[What do you mean by 'a minor matter like this shouldn't hurt your brotherhood'?]

[You mean to say that the lives of five loyal and devoted individuals — two Emperor Level experts and three King Level experts — is only a trivial matter in your eyes?]

…

Gu Du Xing had gone far away like a whirlwind. However, vigilance was rising in the secrecy of his heart; [It seems like the happenings these days have gone somewhat out of hand.]

[As per the original plan… the Ao Clan should've used their forces to launch attacks on Tian Clan, Li Clan (Plum Clan), Tu Clan, and the other clans in this alliance after setting out… But now, it has clearly deviated from its intended direction.]

[The forces of Ao Clan didn't launch attacks on the enemy clans immediately after the Ao Clan dispatched them. Instead, they began a power struggle in the Jianghu? It seems like those brothers are scheming against one another.]

[It wasn't expected that such a situation would occur at the outset.]

[I don't know what plan Chu Yang would come up with once he finds out about this development.]

[However, the urgent matter at the moment is that I must deal with these two Young Masters of Ao Clan since they are clearly planning to go after my clan first… Therefore, I must deal with this mess.]

[But, how would I do that?]

Gu Du Xing sped along the way while racking his brain.

[Gu Clan is too small and too weak. It simply can't afford to offend… or have a head-on collision with the Ao Clan. Moreover, that would go against Chu Yang's established strategy. After all, clashing with these two little bastards and killing them… would only hurt their parents, and give quick birth to enmity with the Ao Clan. On top of that, I'll end up providing a big boost to Tu Qing Hao and the others.]

[Also, Chu Yang and the other brothers wouldn't stand by idly… They would stand on my side. And then, they would also be in trouble.]

[I can't involve Chu Yang and the others in this mess. So, I can only solve my problems myself…]

Gu Du Xing was rushing and thinking all the way… so much so that it gave him a headache. However, he still couldn't come up with any solution. He truly realized his shortcomings at this moment, [I'm a trailblazer who can attack a city with impenetrable defenses and succeed regardless. However, I would fall far short if I were to be made in-charge of the present situation… Especially if I have to protect myself in such a complex circumstance situation without involving my brothers… or my allies, and still manage to withstand Ao Clan's pressure…]

[It's going to be very very difficult for me.]

Gu Du Xing sighed and said in his heart, [Perhaps, Chu Yang would've already come up with countless moves to deal with them if he were here. But, I feel so helpless in this situation.]

Then, a thought popped up in his heart, [What would Chu Yang do if he were to be placed in my position?]

He kept rushing forward while thinking about this matter…

…

Chu Yang was rushing towards the east alone. He had unleashed an incredible mental concentration along the way. He was hurrying on with his journey on one hand. And on the other hand, he was keeping a look out for enemies. Meanwhile, he would also release the Nine Tribulations Sword to sense elixirs. He was making good use of time during this journey.

A great distance of a thousand miles passed smoothly without any obstacles.

However, Chu Yang found this strange. [It is reasonable to say that someone ought to attack and kill me, right? However, I've come so far, but nothing has happened? Moreover, I had crossed 3 or 4 dangerous spots along the way… What is going on?]

[It's a long route. But, I'm equally accustomed to going not too fast and taking my time to enjoy the scenic beauty.]

[Are they afraid of me?]

He was thinking all this when the Sword Spirit suddenly said in alarm, "There's a bit of a situation ahead."

"A bit of a situation…?" Minister Chu was startled by this. So, his black figure quickly sneaked into a thick patch of underbrush with a 'whoosh' sound.

"Cough Cough… 10 Km ahead… There's a bit of a situation 10 km ahead." Sword Spirit was somewhat speechless; [This guy didn't wait for me to finish talking, and acted like a rabbit which sees a hound and conceals itself thereafter; it disappears without a trace…]

"Hey! You should've said so earlier," Chu Yang furiously crawled out and said, "I'm just too cautious…"

"You're truly a scaredy-cat," Sword Spirit mercilessly ridiculed him.

Chu Yang rolled his eyes, "I'm travelling alone now. You expect me to not be extra careful? Wouldn't it affect you as well if something were to happen to me? I'm just thinking of your safety… You're unable to recognize others' good intentions."

Sword Spirit was rendered speechless for a while; [The reason why he's so careful is obviously his own safety. But, he's saying that it's for my sake…?]

[I've seen shameless people before, but I've never seen someone who was this shameless.]

"Who are these people up ahead? Can you make out their appearances?" Chu Yang asked in his mind as he cautiously and stealthily advanced forward.

"Get closer… It isn't perceivable from this distance," Sword Spirit replied.

Chu Yang fully immersed himself in rushing ahead… He displayed his stealth and sneaking skills to the peak. In fact, one would only see green grass swaying gently in the underbrush and leaves rocking on the trees even if they were to look closely…

And, one would be able to see him swiftly scurrying about from time to time even if they switched to slow motion… sometimes leaning down… sometimes moving sideways… sometimes going in reverse… and even sometimes somersaulting continuously a few times…

It's worth mentioning that he had exploited the shadows of the grass blades on the ground and the refraction of the sunlight in the sky to camouflage his figure, and become invisible when he made all these movements.

So, he had turned into a ghost in broad daylight!

The journey ahead shortened little by little.

7.5 Km…

5 Km…

Finally, the Sword Spirit issued a warning when he approached a distance of 1.5 Km, "Listen! The other side has experts. So, be careful or you'll be detected."

Chu Yang was startled by this. So, he started taking light footsteps, "I'm still thousands of feet away, right? And, you're saying that I might get detected…? Do they have a super Emperor Level Expert?"

"Well, the people who have laid out an ambush ahead are the most tyrannical enemies so far in terms of strength. But, that's only the case if we don't count that Ou Ke Feng of the Ou Clan we faced earlier!"

Sword Spirit's voice sounded prudent.

Chu Yang took a deep breath, "So… powerful?"

"Moreover, they've clearly got the accurate news. And, their goal is obvious – to deal with you." Sword Spirit sensed carefully and said, "However, their aura seems very familiar. Several of them have auras similar to Ao Xie Yun's."

Chu Yang was shocked. His breathing almost became disordered, "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Sword Spirit affirmed.

Chu Yang became perplexed. He then said in frustration, "People of Ao Clan? Why would the people of Ao Clan want to deal with me? They should be dealing with Tian Clan, Tu Clan, Black Devil Clan… Why would they come to deal with me instead? Haven't I provided them a big assistance? Shouldn't they be rewarding me or something?"

Sword Spirit also remained puzzled despite much thought. The Ao Clan shouldn't have any reason to bear its fangs at Chu Yang regardless of which aspect one would think of.

"Could it be that… they are trying to find you to make inquiries about Ao Xie Yun?" Sword Spirit made a guess.

"Absolutely not! They should've approached me frankly and honestly if that were the case. They shouldn't have prepared this sinister ambush." A cold light flashed in Chu Yang's eyes. Then, he reached out with his hand, and placed it on his face. Then, both his arms spread out; popping sounds came from within his body as a result. And then, he reached out and wiped his face, his arms stretched out, inside the body. A burst of general sounds of beans broke out.

His slim figure unexpectedly turned three inches shorter, and became a little sturdier. He now had round eyes and well-formed forehead. His face looked fierce.

He searched inside the Nine Tribulations Space for a while, and pulled out a broadsword.

He thought for a moment, and then pulled out a face mask and covered his face.

"You've already changed your appearance. Why still put on a mask?" Sword Spirit asked.

"This is the ingenuity of the plan that I've come up with." Chu Yang grunted. He knitted his brows and thought hard, but still found this disguise to be lacking. Then, he said, "You've also seen the appearance of Young Black Devil, right? His face is always masked, but is it possible for me to imitate him… just the tiniest bit?"

Sword Spirit frowned and replied, "I can assist you with the spiritual power… but it will last only for half-an-hour."

"Half-an-hour? That'll do!" Chu Yang was overjoyed, and immediately restored his just-changed appearance to its original state.

A dusky mist emitted out of his body. Now, the black robe and the mask made him look just like the Young Black Devil. He just stood there, and his entire body exuded a gloomy aura.

"The most important thing is the eyes," Sword Spirit reminded.

"No problem!"

Chu Yang focused his gaze. Then, his eyes turned cruel and ruthless like the gaze of a vulture in the desert. He looked just like the Young Black Devil… no matter how one looked at him… The physical appearance, the charm, the temperament, the look in his eyes, and even the traits of martial arts had all been imitated to perfection.

This imitator let out a rough and sinister laugh and said, "The trivial Ao Clan dares to oppose my Black Devil Clan? They have a death wish. See how I assassinate them like dogs."

Then, he dashed forward with a 'whoosh'.

"Don't be reckless! First, check thoroughly. What if they don't hold any malice…?" Sword Spirit hurriedly reminded.

"There's no need to check thoroughly. They've dared to provoke my Black Devil Clan. So, they must pay the price!" Minister Chu had thoroughly gotten into the character. He ferociously dashed forward.

… …