Death… and me

(Translator's Note: Hello everyone, we're from Sparrow Translation and we'll be taking over the translation of this book from Novel Saga! We're very excited to be translating this excellent novel and of course, we hope you readers will have as much fun reading it as we have translating it. At this point, we wish to state that when we took over this novel, we were not provided with a glossary of the terms used by the previous team. Hence, while we'll try to ensure term consistency as much as we can, we do seek your understanding if there're discrepancies. We'll also endeavor to be as responsive to your feedback as we can, and we'll truly appreciate any constructive criticisms that you, as readers, can provide for us. Happy reading!)

Negotiations and Alliance!

"The dragons?!" Ao Xie Yun's eyes bulged as sounds came from his throat. He was so shocked until he could not speak.

He thought about the round scaly things on the sole of his feet, which he had wanted to peel off many times but failed, and realized that they were dragon scales.

Dragon scales?!"

Dragons?!

Did this mean that he was not a human?

Ao Xie Yun's head was in a blur. His head spun and despite his normal resolute self, he found this news hard to accept at this moment.

Imagine if someone tells you, "My child, you're actually Ultraman…", what would your reaction be? If it were me, I would blurt out, "Don't spout nonsense!"

Ao Xie Yun did not curse, which was a sign of his filial piety. After all, the speaker… was his dad

Chu Yang took this piece of news in calmly. So what if he was a dragon? Was that important? Did he have prophetic abilities? His prophetic abilities seemed to be rubbish… right?

Ao Tian Xing inhaled but Chu Yang and Ao Xie Yun both sensed a myriad of emotions in his voice. There were too many things he wanted to convey and he was extremely excited.

Some people, when they became too excited, would sigh…

"Furthermore, when you were borne, not only did you possess golden scales on the soles of your feet, you also had a birthmark of three stars on the top of your head!" Ao Tian Xing said slowly as he looked at his son. "Do you know what this represents?"

"What does it represent?" Ao Xie Yun tried to use his cognitive abilities to think about this problem. However, no matter how hard he thought, he could not come to a conclusion.

"Our third-generation forebear was exceptional. He was the one who discovered the bloodline of the dragons and he was also the one who, before he died, left this prophecy: The one whose head is lined three stars and who treads on golden scales shall experience thousands of tribulations without perishing. In the vastness of the universe, the dragons shall dance among the clouds again!"

Ao Tian Xing said, "This means that the someone from the Ao Clan will one day be borne with three stars on his forehead and who has golden dragon scales on his feet. After thousands of tribulations, the glory of dragons shall reveal itself once more, soaring high in the sky!"

Ao Xie Yun looked helplessly at Chu Yang, who just smiled back wryly.

"My brother, while I'm knowledgeable… I really don't know what happened ten thousand years ago…" Chu Yang thought.

"Hence, this time, despite your dangerous predicament, we held back and did not save you. A truly powerful person can only grow after experiencing dangers and tribulations! Then, when I heard that you were still alive, I was so relieved. Then, I also designated my grand plan of cleansing this family!"

"Historic cleansings were done by the head of the family. By right, you should be the one doing this cleansing after you take over this family. This is a cruel act that you must face. However, this time, I'll do it for you."

"This is because you're the true hope of the Ao Clan. If you do the cleansing, you may experience mental demons. If that happens, you can't reach your peak and you won't be able to revive the dragon bloodline…"

Ao Xie Yun finally understood. "So this bloodline… is related to strength?"

"Of course!" Ao Tian Xing said. "If you're not powerful enough, how can you revive the bloodline of the dragons? The power of the dragon is enough to bring about a vast amount of destruction. With your current strength… even if you get your dragon body, how much power can you wield? I don't even think you can lift a single claw. Even if you become a dragon… you'll be a paralyzed one!"

Chu Yang did not know if he should laugh. When he saw Ao Tian Xing's serious face, he forced himself to keep a straight face.

It appeared that the Head of the Ao Clan no longer viewed himself as a human.

"Dragon body… claws… paralyzed dragon… f*ck me!" Chu Yang thought.

"Revered Master Chu, this is the biggest secret of the Ao Clan!" Ao Tian Xing turned his head to look at Chu Yang and said. "I hope that you can help us keep this secret!"

Chu Yang sighed and said, "If this is such a big secret, I should not have heard it. However, I did hear it thanks to you… why did you do this?"

"There're reasons for it. Firstly, you're Ao Ao's savior…"

When Ao Tian Xing said the words 'Ao Ao', Ao Xie Yun's handsome face was contorted. He looked at his feet in embarrassment…

"Secondly, Ao Ao respects you the most. I can clearly see this, after all, he's my son… Thirdly, this matter is not small and with Ao Ao's strength alone, I don't think he can succeed. Someone must help him and I don't think we can do that."

"Fourthly, while this cleansing of the Ao Clan is an internal affair, it has affected everyone. In particular, I did not expect the Xie Clan to undergo… such a huge change."

Ao Tian Xing evidently knew about this matter in great details.

Chu Yang grunted and calmed himself. Then, he said sharply, "Clan Head Ao, how shall we settle this matter?"

Chu Yang would not concede for this matter.

The cleansing of the Ao Clan was for Ao Xie Yun, no doubt. However, no matter who was it for, it should not come at the expense of the interests of his brother!

Furthermore, the path here was treacherous. All his brothers met with near-fatal encounters many times and many of them nearly perished!

This was all because of the Ao Clan. If Ao Tian Xing thought that this matter would be resolved with just a few words, he could not be more wrong! Chu Yang was not willing to overlook this matter so easily.

The Ao Clan must do something to demonstrate their goodwill.

Ao Tian Xing knew that if Chu Yang spoke of this matter, he would be in trouble. At this crucial moment, he could see that the important actor in resolving this matter was not the Xie Clan, but Chu Yang.

While he was not part of a powerful faction, his Heavenly Armament Pavilion would greatly impact the common decision of the major clans!

Hence, Ao Tian Xing did not dare to underestimate him.

Thus, he deliberately kept Chu Yang back and shared with him the biggest secret of his family. By doing so, he hoped that he had demonstrated his trust and goodwill.

However, he never expected Chu Yang to adopt this harsh and impartial attitude on the more serious matter. His face was serious and cold.

Ao Tian Xing was slightly upset.

"Revered Master Chu, how about this? The Ao Clan will condemn and execute everyone who had participated in the planning and execution of this incident to avenge the dead. The Ao Clan will pay for the reconstruction of the Xie Clan's home! Furthermore, we'll form an alliance with the Xie Clan. We shall either prosper or die together," said Ao Tian Xing.

Chu Yang frowned.

Ao Tian Xing's condition was reasonable and sincere. An alliance between the two clans was something that the Xie Clan could not have dreamt of, and this was on top of the Ao Clan sponsoring the exorbitant reconstruction of their home.

"That's not enough!" Chu Yang said after a while, "The men from the Gu Clan, Dong Clan, Ji Clan, and Luo Clan… were all attacked by members of the Ao Clan."

"I'll pay a suitable price to everyone affected by it," said Ao Tian Xing.

"Okay, for now, I feel that this is fine," said Chu Yang, "However, the battle is at hand, which side will the Ao Clan take?"

Chu Yang's words were sly and devious.

Right now, after the Ao Clan had just finished its cleansing, it was greatly weakened. In the upcoming battle, its best bet was to preserve its own strength and stay out of it while recovering its strength.

However, Chu Yang did not ask him if he would take part in it or not. Instead, he asked which side would the Ao Clan take.

"If the Ao Clan takes part in it, we'll stand on this side!" Ao Tian Xing found Chu Yang increasingly difficult to handle.

"What if we demand your participation?" Chu Yang said with a faint smile. "Clan Head Ao, if you just send a few people there to do a shoddy job in the fight, it'll disgust us."

Ao Tian Xing frowned and his face turned black.

His original plan was as such. He planned on sending a few powerful cultivators out and no matter whether they won or lost, the Ao Clan would not be affected.

However, Chu Yang evidently wanted everyone from the Ao Clan to take part!

Ao Tian Xing fell silent.

This battle was no ordinary battle. If the Ao Clan deployed all its members, they would face a huge risk.

"Father, no matter what the Ao Clan does, I've decided to stand by my brother," said Ao Xie Yun solemnly as he looked at his father. "I'll live and die with him!"

Standing together and fighting together!

Ao Tian Xing was shocked as he looked at his son.

"Since we're brothers, isn't this how we should behave?" Ao Xie Yun said. "If our clan decides to enter an alliance, how can we remain aloof during this critical life-and-death moment? What kind of alliance is this?"

"Fine!" Ao Tian Xing clenched his fist as he said, "Since that's the case, the Ao Clan… will take part in this fight!"

Ao Xie Yun was overjoyed.

This calmed Chu Yang too.

The Ao Clan's strength reigned supreme in the Middle Three Heavens. If they decided to take part in this fight fully, their victory was assured!

"Clan Head Ao, for the matter of reparations, I think it's best for you to have a chat with Elder Xie yourself," said Chu Yang. "After all, I'm an… outsider."

"Naturally," said Ao Tian Xing as he nodded his head.

He looked at Chu Yang seriously.

He thought, "This fellow is thorough indeed when he does things. Evidently, he's someone important and he also knows how to behave at critical moments such as this. He thinks about things from a macroscopic perspective and he knows how to play his card. He can obtain the greatest benefits from but at the same time, he can remain outside of it. He gave all the hard work to Xie Zhi Qiu and me…"

"However, if we did not come to an agreement and I replied poorly, I'm afraid this fellow will stick to me like a piece of rotten leather. I'll never be rid of him…"

He then compared Chu Yang to his son and sighed, "Ao Ao can do this too. However, at the final moment, he'll still take part."

There was a big difference in whether one would take part or not!

If one retreated after he had settled everything, others would recognize his efforts and also think that he was a modest character.

However, if one took part… others would feel that he had a great sense of self-importance.

How could these two be the same?