Death… and me

The Black Devil chuckled coldly and said, "We Black Devils have killed many people but we have never killed a Sword Sovereign before!" He looked coldly at Tian Bu Hui and said, "I can kill a Saber Emperor and even a Martial Monarch."

"However, you want me to assassinate a… Sword Sovereign who brims with sword qi?"

"Young Master Tian, do you how powerful is a Sword Sovereign?" The Black Devil was not holding back as he delivered his tirade. "A Sword Sovereign's sharpness is unparalleled! No matter how good an assassin is at concealment and deception, he can only fight a Sword Sovereign face-to-face instead of… assassinating him! Do you understand?"

As he said that, everyone nodded their heads.

The Black Devil was not wrong. Even if they met a normal Supreme Martial Artist, they could attempt any method. As long as they were powerful enough, nothing would go wrong.

However, against a Sword Sovereign…

The sword was the sharpest weapon in the world! Due to the sharpness of swords, anyone who could become a Sword Sovereign would have to transform himself into a sword.

How could someone assassinate a shining, waving godly sword?

Tian Bu Hui said plainly, "Lord Black misunderstands me. In a showdown, one cannot rely on assassinations. Hence, what I meant was to use trickery and ambushes! In other words… we have to get rid of this Sword Sovereign using whatever method we can! In a showdown, we have to kill him at all costs!"

When he said that, everyone fell into a deep thought.

The Black Devil fell silent for a while before saying slowly, "If that's the case… it's not something impossible for us Black Devils… However, the price we have to pay will be exorbitant…"

"What's the plan?" Tian Bu Hui seemed excited.

His main worry now was Gu Du Xing, the Sword Sovereign.

While the battle among Martial Emperors may seem to of a low-level, it was actually a mid-tier battle. Since they had lost the battle between the Martial Kings, they could not lose this one!

"Don't worry, Lord Black Devil. Since the Black Devils are the ones paying the price, you will be rewarded accordingly when we redraw the borders of the Middle Three Heavens!"

Tian Bu Hui said seriously.

He knew that the Black Devil did not like him and hence, he made this solemn vow.

The Black Devil snorted, fell silent, and then said, "We Black Devils have five Gold Plaque Assassins and three Jade Plaque Supreme Assassins. We need them to strike simultaneously! I will lure him out for a fight and then, they will move in for the kill."

"However, I'm a Martial Monarch. Among the three Jade Plaque Supreme Assassins, one of them is a Martial Monarch," said the Black Devil as he frowned slightly. "The problem is how to strike during the fight among Martial Emperors."

Tian Bu Hui frowned.

This was a true problem. Had there been no Enforcer around, it was possible. However, with the Enforcers present, how could he hide this trick from them? What if they were discovered?

"Unless someone could forcibly reduce his cultivation to the level of Martial Emperor. By doing so, he would lose much of his cultivation but his mind would be one of a Martial Emperor… If one fights a Martial Emperor like this, it's still debatable even if he is discovered," said the Black Devil coldly. "However, who would be willing to reduce himself to the level of a Martial Emperor?"

Everyone's eyes lit up before they frowned again.

"He's right. For a Martial Monarch, who would want to reduce his cultivation to the level of a Martial Emperor right before this showdown?"

Tian Bu Hui frowned and tried to brainstorm for ideas.

"Unless…," said the Black Devil, "Unless you have the Bone-Gnawing Heart Burning Grass and the Seven Wonders Ling Long Flower. With the two of them, you can take them right after the fight to recover one's power. Other than them, nothing can make me make this sacrifice!"

Instantly, everyone looked at Tian Bu Hui.

Everyone knew that the Bone-Gnawing Heart Burning Grass and the Seven Wonders Ling Long Flower were the most valuable treasures of the Tian Clan! They were godly in how effective they were!

The Black Devil said, "With this guarantee, I can commit the entire Black Devils to this fight. Then, six teams will be spread out among the Martial Emperors. They will take advantage of the chaos to carry out assassinations! Furthermore, my son is already in the most ideal spot for an ambush. He will make his contribution during the fight among the Martial Emperors."

"As long as Gu Du Xing dies, we'll win the battle of the Martial Emperors," said the Black Devil plainly. "Of course, there're risks involved. For example, no one knows if the legendary properties of the Bone-Gnawing Heart Burning Grass and the Seven Wonders Ling Long Flower are real. Naturally, if Young Master Tian disagrees, there's nothing I can do."

Tian Bu Hui felt as if he was placed in the line of fire.

He had never expected for the matter he raised to hit him back like this.

The Bone-Gnawing Heart Burning Grass and the Seven Wonders Ling Long Flower have been kept in the Tian Clan for 1500 years. Furthermore, they were only able to get these two plants to mature with delicate care. As this battle concerned the future of his clan, Tian Bu Hui naturally brought them along.

However, how could he be willing to use these treasure?

If he did not agree… he dared not think of the consequences of failure.

After he thought for a long while, Tian Bu Hui gritted his teeth and said, "Since Lord Black Devil is so confident, the Tian Clan shall offer our Bone-Gnawing Heart Burning Grass and Seven Wonders Ling Long Flower. How about that?"

"Young Master Tian is wise indeed!" The Black Devil said in an ambiguous tone.

"How can I trust you?" Tian Bu Hui said with red eyes.

"If you take the herbs out for me, I will rid myself of my Martial Monarch cultivation right here in front of you!" The Black Devil said fiercely.

"Good!"

The two of them raised their hands and slapped them together.

Everyone around them was awed. The Black Devil was indeed the most brutal person in the Middle Three Heavens! To kill Gu Du Xing, he was willing to pay such a huge price.

Tian Bu Hui's heart bled but he continued to smile.

Instantly, the medicines were brought before them.

The Black Devil really did live up to his promise. Forcibly, he rid himself of his Martial Monarch level cultivation. After he spat out a few mouthfuls of blood, he wheezed and then, he got his breath back. A Martial Monarch walked up to him to inspect his meridian before nodding at Tian Bu Hui.

A look of joy crossed Tian Bu Hui's face.

The Black Devil was now a Grade 9 Martial Emperor!

"Thank you for your sacrifice, Lord Black Devil," said Tian Bu Hui sincerely. He thought, "After you kill Tian Bu Hui, do you think I'll give you the chance to consume the medicine? I'll kill you instantly!"

The Black Devil wheezed and said, "Don't forget the formation for tomorrow. Don't forget to put us Black Devils in the center. If not, my sacrifice will be in vain!"

Then, he said slowly, "There's no need to split up the battle for the Martial Emperors. Like the fight among the Martial Kings, let's use one round to determine the victor! We can obtain victory through the chaos."

Everyone understood his intention clearly. An assassin would only strike when the situation was chaotic. If there were fewer people, how could one carry out an assassination without being discovered? Hence, a showdown would make sense…

This time, Tian Bu Hui said from the bottom of his heart, "That's for sure!"

The Black Devil took the Bone-Gnawing Heart Burning Grass and the Seven Wonders Ling Long Flower and said darkly, "If that's the case, goodbye."

With that, he left.

"Organize the formation for tomorrow," said Tian Bu Hui as his eyes glinted. "We cannot lose tomorrow's fight!"

The sky was starting to brighten.

A strange scene appeared by the Lake of Death.

Snow fluttered in the sky. As sunlight shone down diagonally, half of the sky was bright while the other half was snowy. Furthermore, as steam from the Lake of Death rose slowly, it came into contact with the sunlight and the snowflakes, turning mysteriously into a multicolored dazzle of light.

For those who witnessed this, it was like a dream.

Suddenly, between the stone steles of the two Supreme Martial Artists, a castle appeared in mid-air. In it, one could see a pavilion with thousands of rooms and dazzled with five-colored lights.

There were people in the castle in the sky. Some of them were immortals in white who floated about elegantly. It was like a heavenly palace.

This strange scene lasted for an hour.

The two sides, the representatives from the Nine Great Clans, and the Enforcers all looked at it. To them, it was akin to witnessing a dream. It only started to disappeared after the sun rose fully, waking everybody up from their reveries.

They could not help but think.

Chu Yang was shocked and dazed.

Why did this pavilion in mid-air seem so real? While it was many times smaller, everything and everyone within it seemed real. There was no doubt about it!

Chu Yang did not believe that it was a mere illusion.

In particular, how could an illusion that materialized between where the two stone steles, with all their powers, faced each?

If it was real, what was this place?

Amidst his confusion, he heard the Enforcer with the white beard cough and said, "Today, the battle among the Enforcers shall commence!"

Immediately, Tian Bu Hui said, "Lord Enforcer, I have a request. May we settle the fight among the Martial Emperors in just one battle?"

The Enforcer was shocked and he frowned.

He became unhappy as he thought, "If this is the case, what's the point of the rules beforehand? Why not get everyone to go up regardless of ranks until one side has been completely killed…"

"The rules of the Martial King fight were changed. Now, you want to change the rules for the Martial Emperor fight?"

"Is there an end?"

He suppressed his anger and said, "This will require both sides to consent…"

Mo Tian Ji smiled and said, "Since Brother Tian asks for it, we shall naturally agree."

"Even if we have a choice, we don't actually have a choice."

The white-bearded Enforcer fell silent.

"If that's the case, hurry up and start the fight!" As he said that, he sat down on the platform. Then, he opened his eyes and said plainly, "If that's the case, the battle between Martial Emperors shall be decided in one bout!"

The decision was made!

Tian Bu Hui was delighted as he said, "Yes!"

He waved his hands and his Martial Emperors slowly walked toward him.

Chu Yang and Gu Du Xing looked at them. It was a colorful group indeed as robes of different colors were all mixed together. This was unlike the fight between the Martial Kings, where everyone fought with their own clans.

Over on their side, Gu Du Xing led 96 Martial Emperors out.

There were 134 Martial Emperors on their enemy's side! 30 of them wore arrogant looks on their faces. They clearly wanted everyone to know that they were from the Shi Clan of the Upper Three Heavens.

The two sides stood about 100 meters apart!

Gu Du Xing stood at the front. His tapped his sword and said slightly wistfully, "I, Gu Du Xing, never expect myself to be able to participate in a fight among Martial Emperors! This is what I've dreamed about."

Chu Yang shared his sentiment.

Two years ago, when he first saw Gu Du Xing, he was just a mere Martial Master. Right now, he was able to represent the many great clans and lead nearly a hundred Martial Emperors. Furthermore, the various clan heads were all under his command!

Everyone respected his authority.

While Gu Du Xing sighed, the light in his eyes shone brighter and brighter. Then, they turned into two sword radiances as he said coldly, "The earlier I die… the earlier I will transcend the mortal realm! Bring it on!"