Death… and me

In this period of time, while Upper Three Heavens appeared to be calm, it had long been raging like a storm in the dark.

Once Li Xiongtu returned to the clan, he had suddenly become a treasure of the clan. Even Li Xiongtu himself never expected to get such exceptional treatment when he just came back home. It looked like the Li clan had begun to cultivate him as if he was the future core of the Li clan.

Li Xiongtu did not understand.

He had originally intended to get the clan's steward to arrange a quiet place for him, and his remaining task would be to work hard slowly.

He never thought that his return had caused three generations of elders in his clan to end their closed-door practices at the same time.

Although Li Xiongtu was steady, he had taken all of these by surprise.

There was only one thing that made Li Xiongtu uncomfortable. There were a few elders, including the clan master, treating him differently. They were not close to him, but they were definitely not alienating him. It was a kind of 'deliberate intimacy'! And, some other people in the clan also looked cautious towards him…

Li Xiongtu didn't understand: What has happened? I'm only a small soldier from the Middle Three Heavens whose family was broken up. You can kill me just by extending a finger. Why are you behaving in such a manner?

And, frequently, there were people who asked him weird questions. The common thing was: They were all very interested in his own friends.

Li Xiongtu was very miserable. For all these years, he had devoted most of his time on martial arts. Besides holding great admiration towards Gu Duxing and Dong Wushang, as well as having some soulmates, what other friends did he have?

Li Xiongtu was a straightforward person. In the end, after being asked about this for so many times, he simply said: I don't have any friends nor brothers.

But after he said this, many people's attitudes became more ambivalent, and they even nodded their heads, saying, "Yes, yes, this should be the case, I also don't think that you have any friends or brothers, hahaha… Should be, should be…"

Li Xiongtu was even more confused.

He asked them why did they ask him this way, but all of them didn't say anything. They only looked at himself smilingly and with profound significance…

The weirdest thing was that after an elder looked at himself, he said: You're really… Your aptitude is indeed good.

Really… what? Li Xiongtu could not think of it even after cracking his brain.

Then, he occasionally heard somebody talking about himself. But they also conversed with incomplete sentences: Li Xiongtu is really… Haha, witty. Look at his silly look. People who don't know him will really think that he's really not haha…

Li Xiongtu pondered for a long time, but he became more perplexed.

Then, everyone pressed him to spare no efforts in practicing martial arts. There was also plenty of information regarding various martial techniques and other resources. Li Xiongtu secretly observed that each junior from the direct line of descents was normally given 30 purple crystals per month. This allowance was already astronomical. Even Li Batian only had 50 per month, while Li Jue, the eldest youngest master in the clan had 80 per month, but he himself… was given a stunning 200 per month!

They were two times more than that of Li Jue's!

And there was not even a person who was against this… Li Jue was positioned first among the juniors in the clan. He was someone who didn't show too much reverence towards the elders or cordiality towards his peers. But he actually revealed a welcoming look towards Li Xiongtu. He didn't appear to be very enthusiastic, but he had absolutely no hostility. He even looked as if he wanted to be friends with Li Xiongtu…

Even with Li Xiongtu's personality, he had become scared in the end: What… What has actually happened…

So, he began his life in the Upper Three Heavens miserably.

Li Xiongtu's aptitude was indeed extraordinary. With the great support given to him by the clan and once he calmed himself down to practice, his cultivation improved drastically…

Everyone looked comforted as they saw the fast rate at which Li Xiongtu's cultivation improved, and didn't look surprised at all. Generally speaking, after reaching a Martial Emperor, breaking through one stage within three years was already considered quick. One would be a talent if he could break through a stage in one year. That would really be shocking!

With the support of an inexplicable strength within Li Xiongtu's body, he upgraded a stage within just half a month! This would originally be an astounding phenomenon, but the elders in the Li clan actually looked as if they had taken this for granted…

This made Li Xiongtu more puzzled: 'What has happened? Are all of you going to suffocate me?'

But recently, fewer people came to chat with him, and everyone looked busy and heavy, as if something big had happened. He vaguely heard that the friction and conflicts among various big clans and the Li clan were increasing…

When Li Xiongtu asked them, they all smilingly told him that there was no need for him to worry and that he would definitely be alright… Damn it, what do I need to worry? What can happen to me…

…

The Zhuge clan.

The Diwu courtyard.

Diwu Qingrou sat in the pavilion within the courtyard. He was holding on to a book and looked casual. In front of him was a cup of tea, through which aroma rose out of it.

The bamboos swayed and brushed under the light breeze. The whole courtyard was quiet and beautiful…

A figure appeared silently behind him. For a long time, Diwu Qingrou didn't even notice it. He was focusing on reading the book and smiling faintly as he read.

This person finally became impatient and said, "You're so free."

Diwu Qingrou turned back and smiled, "Oh, it's seventh brother."

It turned out that this person was Zhuge Yunwu, the seventh elder of the latest generation of the Zhuge clan. His personality was the most similar to that of Diwu Qingrou in the clan, and they got along the best.

Actually, from just the fact that Diwu Qingrou and Zhuge Yunwu got along the best, one could see that this Zhuge Yunwu was definitely not a simple character!

If he was an ordinary person, how would he get along well with Diwu Qingrou?

"Qingrou, now that the nine great clans were turning against one another, a prolonged war is going to inflict the Nine Heavens. Yet you're still having a free time here," Zhuge Yunwu said as he smiled gently. He was in a cloth gown, his eyes and brows were both long and thin, and he looked quiet. He didn't have any whiskers, and seemed like an outsider of the world: He didn't care about any worldly happenings at all.

Even though he was talking about the circumstance of the Nine Heavens, he had said it like a breeze.

"Even if the flames of war raged across the Nine Heavens, as long as seventh brother is in the Zhuge clan, the clan would be foolproof!" Diwu Qingrou smiled and said, "But… there's definitely something that has brought you here. I'm all ears."

"Yes, that's right. I didn't come to the Hall of Trinity without a reason. Since I've come to you, there's naturally something that I can't decide for myself," Zhuge Yunwu said, smiling.

"Please say," Diwu Qingru closed his book and raised his head to look at Zhuge Yunwu.

"I'll be frank, Qingrou, I know you're talented. I've only come to get an answer from you," Zhuge Yunwu said straightforwardly.

"Answer…" Diwu Qingrou seemed to have guessed what the other side wanted to ask. Not waiting for Zhuge Yunwu to speak, he had already frowned.

Zhuge Yunwu sat in front of him and said lightly, "Now, the clan is preparing to increase the tension we have with the Li clan, and trying to instigate a conflict, so as to open that layer…"

Diwu Qingrou let out an 'oh' lightly.

Zhuge Yunwu took a gasp of air and said, "Qingrou, you definitely know that this is because of… the Nine Tribulations Sword Master…"

Diwu Qingrou frowned and did not speak.

Zhuge Yunwu's eyes flashed as he saw Diwu Qingrou frowning, and said quietly, "Li Xiongtu… has just been fetched up to the Upper Three Heavens… Qingrou, what's your perception of him?"

Zhuge Yunwu's eyes sparkled like two stars gazing at Diwu Qingrou. He said, "Li Xiongtu has turned 24 years old this year. He belongs to the Li clan in the Middle Three Heavens. His attitude is exceptional since young: He has a foundation at three years old, broke through a Martial Warrior at five, broke through a Martial Master at nine, Great Martial Master at 13, Revered Martial Artist at 17, first stage Martial King at 19, and fourth stage Martial King at 23. But before he arrived at the Upper Three Heavens, in the battle at the Lake of Despair, when he was only 24, he reached the peak of a second stage Martial Emperor, and his strength then was sufficient to beat that of a fourth stage Martial Emperor, or even be on par with a fifth stage Martial Emperor!"

Diwu Qingrou responded, "You're saying that he's suspicious? To promote from a fourth stage Martial King to a second stage Martial Emperor within a year?"

Zhuge Yunwu nodded and looked at him. He stayed silent for a while as if he was leaving some time for Diwu Qingrou to think about this. Then he said, "There's recent news that ever since Li Xiongtu arrived at the Upper Three Heavens, he had promoted to a third stage Martial Emperor within half a month."

Diwu Qingrou's brows twitched, "There's such a thing?"

Zhuge Yunwu smiled lightly, "This speed is very fast, isn't it?"

Diwu Qingrou didn't speak, but started to ponder.

"And, just when he reached the Upper Three Heavens, someone gave him an elixir. He had suffered serious injuries then and was at risk of dying. But after he took the pill, he completely recovered," Zhuge Yunwu said as he made his tone heavier, "While that person had one martial technique, that is 'what harm is there in slaughtering the entire world'!"

"That elixir is most probably Nine Tribulations Pill! Other than it, there isn't any other medicine in the world that can produce such effects!" when Zhuge Yunwu mentioned the 'Nine Tribulations Pill', he obviously made his tone heavier, and there was some excitement in his voice.

Diwu Qingrou smiled lightly and did not express any opinion.

"The people from the nine great clans and the law-enforcement officers were together at that time. And they had kept eyes on one another. Almost no one left the group. It seemed that the person couldn't find an appropriate opportunity, so… he risked himself to give away the medicine when he had just arrived at the Upper Three Heavens. After that person fought back with one move, he immediately vanished! Even the law-enforcement officers could not catch him."

Zhuge Yunwu said lightly, "There's only one thing suspicious about this matter. That is, there was a strange phenomenon in the sky previously. If that person is really the Nine Tribulations Sword Master, he should have appeared in the place that the strange phenomenon occurred, but not go off to give away medicines!"

"But, according to the description of our people who had seen the power and varying movements of that technique, the few elders in the nine great clans all agreed that that was the most powerful martial technique that the Nine Tribulations Sword Master uses: What harm is there in slaughtering the entire world! This absolutely cannot be wrong!"

…