Death… and me

Dong Wu Shang's eyes brimmed with a sharp and powerful gaze. Li Xiong Tu's eyes were calm but wild. They stared intently at each other.

When their four eyes met, it was as if four bolts of lightning clashed against each other in the sky. Sparks flew and the sky was illuminated.

Chu Yang could clearly sense a powerful battling intent coming from Dong Wu Shang's body surging froth!

It was like a turbulent ocean.

Li Xiong Tu's clothes flew in the wind as he sat astride his horse without moving. Snow started to fly from the plain snowy ground between the two of them suddenly as if an invisible shovel was tossing them into the air.

Snow flew in the air like in a dream.

Between the two of them, a thin path appeared, reaching out to them both!

Everyone knew what was going to happen today.

In today's battle, Li Xiong Tu's opponent would be Dong Wu Shang!

Dong Wu Shang's opponent was naturally Li Xiong Tu!

Anyone who tried to intervene would probably be attacked by both of them.

These were two highly similar people!

Hence, because of this, neither of them would allow the other to live after this battle!

"Dong Wu Shang!" Li Xiong Tu shouted.

"Li Xiong Tu!" Dong Wu Shang said solemnly.

The two of them laughed like maniacs. They reached out with their hands and pointed at each other and shouted at the same time, "Today, I'll send you off!"

They even said it in the exact same way.

Then, the two of them stepped back. However, the battling intent on their faces was incredibly intense.

On the high platform, Ye Shi Yu's elegant brows were arched. He looked pensively at Dong Wu Shang and Li Xiong Tu and mumbled to himself, "I never expect the Middle Three Heavens to have such talents!"

"Did Li Xiong Tu improve this much?" Chu Yang stared at Li Xiong Tu and said. He was baffled. "The last time I saw him, he was at best a Grade 4 Martial King. Right now, he is able to easily challenge Dong Wu Shang. He is at least a Grade 2 Martial Emperor! What is going on here?"

Neither Gu Du Xing nor Mo Tian Ji knew the answer to this question.

How did Li Xiong Tu improve so quickly?

"Did he meet with some miracle?" Mo Tian Ji frowned.

This was possible. It was only possible to achieve such a terrifying transformation if one took some sort of potent herb or medicine.

After all, in this world, it was impossible to have a second master of the Nine Tribulations Sword!

"I think that's the case," said Chu Yang loudly. He appeared to have thought of something as he said in shock, "Could he have met the master of the Nine Tribulations Sword?"

Mo Tian Ji was taken aback as he mumbled, "That's impossible, right?"

However, it went without saying that Mo Tian Ji and Chu Yang were intellectually compatible.

Everyone knew how terrifying it was to meet with a master strategist. The only thing that was ten thousand times worse than meeting with a master strategist was to meet with two master strategists working together!

Many of Chu Yang's brothers improved this quickly like this too. This was their best bet too. By saying that, it was akin to revealing the reason behind his brothers' rapid improvements.

However, Mo Tian Ji's statement of shock, 'That's impossible', dispelled all their suspicions.

While the two of them spoke in a low voice, they subconsciously talked louder than they should. Many people around them overheard their conversation.

Instantly, everyone felt as if their backs were pierced with needles.

On the platform, Ye Shi Yu sat lazily as he cast his sharp gaze downward. He swept past the two of them and then, he turned their attention to Li Xiong Tu. A look of deep thought replaced the coy look in his eyes.

On the other side, Ye Meng Se's body trembled as he looked at Li Xiong Tu from the corner of his eyes. His gaze as deep as the ocean.

The two of them shared the same thought, "To progress from Grade 4 Martial Monarch to Grade 2 Martial Emperor in just one year… this is a true miracle. If he did not use some miraculous herb or medicine, he must have met the master of the Nine Tribulations Sword!"

Everyone's potential was limited. If one relied on hard work alone, the amount of effort one would expend could kill him. That was impossible.

Li Xiong Tu must have met with a miracle.

Ye Shi Yu and Ye Meng Se were both from the Upper Three Heavens. They naturally knew that even in the Upper Three Heavens, it was impossible to find a treasure which could increase one's cultivation by eight entire stages. Hence, how could something so legendary be found in the Middle Three Heavens?

Naturally, Li Xiong Tu must have met the master of the Nine Tribulations Sword.

Ye Shi Yu's gaze flashed as he smiled in a girly manner and said in a honeyed tone, "My buff lad, Young Master Li, I heard that one year ago, you were only a Grade 4 Martial Monarch one year ago?"

Li Xiong Tu frowned. He naturally disliked this faux feminine demeanor but he nodded his head simply and said, "That's right. Last year, I only had the strength of a peak Grade 3 Martial Monarch."

Ye Shi Yu smiled coyly and said, "Is that so? Young Master Li improved so quickly! I'm so jealous, hehehe."

At this moment, a voice said plainly, "Ye Shi Yu, it doesn't matter if you're jealous or not! No one can interrogate members of my Li Clan!"

At the entrance, three people appeared. The one in front had a tall and huge body. He was massive and looked like a little mountain which could move. Compared to Dong Wu Shang and Li Xiong Tu, he was even stronger. He seemed to be only 25 years old but he brimmed with ferocity and power.

Ye Shi Yu and Ye Meng Se's faces changed as they said, "So it's Brother Li."

The man snorted and turned to look at Li Xiong Tu and asked, "Are you Li Xiong Tu?"

Li Xiong Tu said, "That's right. Who are you?"

"I'm from the Li Clan of the Upper Three Heavens! My name is Li Ba Tian. You should call me Fourth Brother!" Li Ba Tian's laugh boomed as he said, "You're exceptional."

"Fourth Brother," said Li Xiong Tu in delight. He knew his clan's pressing dream of returning to the Upper Three Heavens. For Li Ba Tian to give him permission to call him 'Fourth Brother' in front of everyone present, it was tantamount to recognizing the Li Clan of the Middle Three Heavens!

"Good!" Li Ba Tian said with a smile. "The fight will be fair so I can't help you out here! However, after this fight, I'll bring you back up to the Upper Three Heavens!"

"Thank you Fourth Brother!" Li Xiong Tu said in delight.

Everyone around him, including Tian Bu Hui, looked at him in admiration.

"Bring you back up to the Upper Three Heavens!"

This meant that from this moment on, the Li Clan of the Middle Three Heavens was officially part of the Upper Three Heavens.

Li Ba Tian laughed and said, "Don't thank me. This is the will of our ancestor. If you can break through the rank of a Martial Emperor at your age in the Middle Three Heavens, we'll bring you back up to the Upper Three Heavens! Right now, you've satisfied this criterion!"

With that, Li Ba Tian strode forward with this two guards. He greeted Ye Shi Yu and Ye Meng Se but he dispensed with all other pleasantries.

Ye Shi Yu snorted and Ye Meng Se's face turned pale. His eyes shone but he said nothing.

Chu Yang thought, "It seems that Li Ba Tian is an influential member of the younger generation of the Li Clan." Mo Tian Ji thought in his heart, "He may be strong but he is too straightforward. No matter how strong he is, I can kill him with just a single trick! He's not someone I have to worry about! In contrast, Ye Shi Yu and Ye Meng Se are much more difficult to handle."

With each step Li Ba Tian took on the snowy ground, the ground underneath him would tremble. When he was almost next to Dong Wu Shang, he stopped and said, "Are you Dong Wu Shang?"

Dong Wu Shang's gaze tightened as he said, "So what if I am?"

Li Ba Tian snorted coldly as he said, "Li Xiong Tu is my brother!"

Dong Wu Shang burst out laughing as he said, "If you don't wish to be separated from him, I can send the both of you off on your way!"

Li Ba Tian originally just wanted to create a bit of pressure for Dong Wu Shang, which would help Li Xiong Tu succeed easily. He never expected Dong Wu Shang to be so fearless. Instantly, his eyes narrowed and a dangerous look crossed his face.

A quiet voice said, "Just now, you spoke of a fair fight. Now, you're trying to help your young brother by exerting pressure on his competitor. Now that that has failed, are you going to attack him?"

A woman in white stood behind Dong Wu Shang and said disrespectfully. Her voice was icy-cold and everyone present heard it.

Li Ba Tian snorted, looked at Dong Wu Shang, took a step forward and said slowly, "Ignorant woman. What do you know? I don't even have to fight to beat him!"

Dong Wu Shang bellowed in rage, "Li Ba Tian, I'll remember this insult. One day, I'll fight you!"

Li Ba Tian did not turn around but instead, he just said simply, "If you can live!"

With that, he walked underneath the tall platform and another platform made from snow rose into the sky. Li Ba Tian rose to a height which was taller than the other two by 30 meters before he slowly descended.

His skills were shocking.

However, everyone knew that he, as a young master of the Upper Three Heavens, had lost face in the Middle Three Heavens. He was just using this leap to relieve the annoyance he felt in his heart.

Ye Shi Yu and Ye Meng Se looked at Li Xiong Tu with eyes that brimmed with killing intent. They did not believe Li Ba Tian's claim that he was bringing him up to the Upper Three Heavens because he had become a Martial Emperor.

Instead, they knew that the Li Clan wanted to use Li Xiong Tu to get on the good side of the master of the Nine Tribulations Sword. Once that was done, their clans would suffer for the benefit of the Li Clan.

How could they allow this to happen?

F*ck, they even entertained the thought of killing this 'fan of the master of the Nine Tribulations Sword''accidentally' later! How could they allow such an enemy to live?

Li Ba Tian thought in his heart, "Did this brother of mine really meet and benefit from the master of the Nine Tribulations Sword? If that's true, our clan's grand plan has to change."

After all, all of the great clans hoped to befriend the master of the Nine Tribulations Sword.

For many years, none of the family which opposed the master of the Nine Tribulations Sword did so successfully. Countless bloody examples had proven that this decision was not wise.

However, if they did not become one of the nine names, they knew that they would be finished. If that was their fate, would it not be better for them to actively try and resist it first?

However, who would turn down the opportunity to strike a bargain with the master of the Nine Tribulations Sword?

Li Ba Tian looked at Ye Shi Yu and Ye Meng Se and sensed the killing intent in their eyes. He snorted derisively and thought, "With me here, don't even think of killing him!"

On the other side, Mo Tian Ji looked coldly at this and suddenly, his mind clicked. He approached Chu Yang and said quietly, "Li Xiong Tu does not need to die."

Chu Yang nodded his head slightly.