Transcending the Nine Heavens

Zhuge Yunwu looked at Diwu Qingrou quietly and said, "Qingrou, who do you think is the Nine Tribulations Sword Master?"

Diwu Qingrou quietened down.

Zhuge Yunwu did not haste him, and only waited quietly at one side.

Finally, Diwu Qingrou smiled bitterly and said, "Aren’t you making me feel difficult?"

Zhuge Yunwu snorted and said, "Otherwise, what would you say?"

Diwu Qingrou shook his head, sighed and finally said, "This person... only appeared at the last moment. This means that he was being tracked for many days, and couldn’t find the opportunity to do so. The main point here is... he was being tracked for many days."

Zhuge Yunwu’s eyes sparkled and he said, "That’s right."

Diwu Qingrou said as he continued to ponder, "He couldn’t come back within these few days. So, the strange phenomenon that occurred that day was definitely not caused by him."

Zhuge Yunwu clapped his hands once and said, "That’s right."

"Then, this person was definitely not the Nine Tribulations Sword Master!" Diwu Qingrou’s eyes looked complex, and he had also said this with much difficulty. It seemed that he was actually reluctant to make such an inference.

"Erm..." Zhuge Yunwu lowered his head and sank into deep thoughts.

"But that Nine Tribulations Pill is definitely real!" Diwu Qingrou said with certainty.

"Erm?" Zhuge Yunwu raised his head and gazed on Diwu Qingrou.

"So, that person who went to send medicines was definitely not the Nine Tribulations Sword Master, but one of the Nine Tribulations! He had gone to send the medicines because the Nine Tribulations Sword Master... entrusted this on him," Diwu Qingrou sped up as he spoke, but he seemed to have realized this, and when he said the last sentence, he slowed down.

"Reasonable," Zhuge Yunwu nodded heavily and asked, "How about Li Xiongtu?"

Zhuge Yunwu looked at Diwu Qingrou quietly and said, "Qingrou, if our clan tensed ourselves up with the Li clan, I would be in charge of this. In other words, if there’s friction between us, it would be me that ignited the flames of war in our Zhuge clan! I’ve already found myself disoriented in this state of affairs. I need you to help me infer whether this Li Xiongtu could be... one of the Nine Tribulations?"

Diwu Qingrou eyes looked very deep, as if they were frozen pools of water and one could not tell their depths. He said softly, "That Li Xiongtu, that Li Xiongtu... from the speed of his promotion in cultivation levels, his talent and aptitude, the Nine Tribulations Pill and giveaway of medicines... from various aspects, he looks like one of the Nine Tribulations. There’s nothing wrong to think about it this way."

Zhuge Yunwu asked quietly, "Is it?"

Diwu Qingrou continued, "But... if he’s really one of the Nine Tribulations, there’re also many points of suspicion. By this time, the passageways connecting the Nine Heavens would have been locked up. Almost every clan would have a clear record of the number of people who last entered or left the Upper Three Heavens. This means that the Nine Tribulations Sword Master is definitely in the Middle Three Heavens!"

"From ancient records, the Nine Tribulations Sword Master will have no privilege to use the passageways of the Nine Heavens before he attains the sixth piece of the sword."

"If Li Xiongtu is really one of the Nine Tribulations, why would the sword master want to expose Li Xiongtu?" Diwu Qingrou asked, "Even if Li Xiongtu is the number one talent in the world, he’s too weak now."

Zhuge Yunwu stayed speechless.

When he heard Diwu Qingrou say that Li Xiongtu possessed the looks of one of the Nine Tribulations, he had felt somehow uneasy, as he thought that Diwu Qingrou was a bit slipshod in saying this.

But, when Diwu Qingrou raised his doubts, Zhuge Yunwu also started to feel uneasy. He said impatiently, "Qingrou, you’ve considered this too one-sidedly."

"One-sidedly?" Diwu Qingrou frowned and looked at him.

"You should know that the so-called Nine Tribulations of the Nine Tribulations Sword Master develops faster in the midst of battle! So, there’re countless benefits in exposing Li Xiongtu. If I was the Nine Tribulations Sword Master, I would also expose Li Xiongtu!" Zhuge Yunwu said.

Diwu Qingrou smiled and responded, "Countless benefits? Seventh brother, please do tell me what the countless benefits are."

"Firstly, it would be an exercise for Li Xiongtu, and this could allow him to improve his cultivation as quickly as possible. Secondly, the Li clan should also be considered. The Li clan has solid foundations, and is one of the nine domineering clans! They could completely protect Li Xiongtu’s life. And, if they do so, the Li clan could achieve lasting glory! This is what the elders of the Li clan dream of! So, even if they would have to sacrifice their lives, they wouldn’t allow anything to happen to Li Xiongtu."

Zhuge Yunwu extended three fingers as he said, "And we all know that every task given by the Nine Tribulations Sword Master is subversive! Subvert the Nine Heavens and the nine great clans! Since they’re subversive, they need to stir up chaos first. Thus, Li Xiongtu’s appearance would be equivalent to allowing the nine great clans to instantly turn against one another, while the Li clan would also become the target of attack. As such, chaos would be inadvertently stirred up."

"No matter whether the clans would succeed or fail, but after a great battle, every clan within the nine great clans would at least lose 20% of their power."

"While this Nine Tribulations Sword Master could make use of the chaos to develop himself freely."

"And, the largest benefit is... the passageways connecting the Nine Heavens are locked. Although we know that the Nine Tribulations Sword Master is in the Middle Three Heavens, no one could go down there! So, all the resentments and contradictions would be concentrated on Li Xiongtu! That would be the Li clan as well!"

"The Li clan wouldn’t be afraid of sacrifice. Even if everyone within the Li clan had died, it could still be built up again as long as Li Xiongtu, this one of the Nine Tribulations, wasn’t dead. And if they really put in great efforts, then the Li clan would absolutely be the number one clan in the Nine Heavens. That would on par with the current Ye clan! This would be the Nine Tribulations Sword Master’s compensation for the Li clan!"

"But if the other clans lose too much, they would gradually lose their power. In the end, they would be directly erased from this world!"

Zhuge Yunwu said till here all in one go, and then said, "So, I think, if Li Xiongtu was one of the Nine Tribulations, his appearance at this moment would be very beneficial for the Nine Tribulations Sword Master, and there would only be one potential disadvantage... that is, what if Li Xiongtu dies..."

Diwu Qingrou became silent.

Zhuge Yunwu said softly, "And there’s one point that you might not have discovered, or that you’ve discovered but you didn’t take it to mind. That is... past Nine Tribulations Sword Masters were all cruel and merciless! And they would try to attain their means... almost by hook or by crook!"

"For instance, making Li Xiongtu appear now to stir up chaos might make ordinary men feel that this was a cruel act, but he would feel that this is a very ordinary act for Nine Tribulations Sword Master."

Diwu Qingrou smiled helplessly, "Since seventh brother had already affirmed that Li Xiongtu is one of the Nine Tribulations... why did you come to ask me?"

Zhuge Yunwu was startled. It was then he realized that in his own consciousness, he had already assumed Li Xiongtu as one of the Nine Tribulations!

Zhuge Yunwu was startled for a while as he said, "So, are you still insisting that Li Xiongtu is not one of the Nine Tribulations?"

Diwu Qingrou took a gasp of air and said, "I didn’t say so, but I’m more inclined towards that he’s not."

Zhuge Yunwu was silent for a while, and said, "I’ll consider this carefully."

Then he stood up and said, "Qingrou, you still don’t want to go out of the clan? We’re situated in the Southern region, while the Li clan is situated in the Northern region. If I go off this time around, I’m afraid that we can’t meet again for many years. How about you being my company? This way we can take care of each other."

Diwu Qingrou shook his head smilingly.

Zhuge Yunwu sighed and said, "If that’s the case, I’ll be off now."

Diwu Qingrou’s eyes flashed and said, "Seventh brother, you actually won’t listen to whatever I’ll say. But, before we part, I’ll leave you some words."

Zhuge Yunwu said, "What?"

Diwu Qingrou pondered for a while and said, "Don’t ever kill people from the Li clan. Leave some room for yourself."

Zhuge Yunwu repeated these words as he stood on the spot. Finally, he patted Diwu Qingrou’s shoulders, and said heavily, "You’re scared that the Nine Tribulations Sword Master would come to revenge me... Haha... Don’t worry, I’ll remember these words."

Then, Zhuge Yunwu gazed at Diwu Qingrou deeply. With a flash, his tall figure lifted off from the ground and vanished into the thin air.

"You only said that you would remember, but you didn’t say that you’ll do so," Diwu Qingrou’s face looked bleak, and his eyes looked melancholy, "Seventh brother... you’ve been taking huge authority for so many years and you’ve never been defeated before. Now, you’ve already turned... too complacent."

"Actually, sometimes, people can’t be over-confident! Confidence is not far from arrogance and conceit... I, Diwu Qingrou, must never make this kind of mistake."

He held the book which was placed on the table, and walked into his own room. He stopped when he arrived in front of his desk, and looked at the map hanging on the wall quietly for some while.

With a low voice, he said with certainty, "He’s definitely not the Nine Tribulations Sword Master!"

"Li Xiongtu is definitely not one of the Nine Tribulations!"

"But... this is definitely a strategy that the Nine Tribulations Sword Master used to stir up chaos in the Nine Heavens! The Zhuge clan had already been cheated."

Diwu Qingrou looked neither glad nor anxious. After a long time, he smiled coldly, "If even the Zhuge clan is cheated, then the other clans... must have long been surging towards chaos..."

"The Nine Tribulations Sword Master has already started to gather his influence over the Upper Three Heavens! And, there’s no buffer at all. He has directly targeted at the nine great clans!"

"And, he has already succeeded when he has just started! The other eight great clans apart from the Li clan have already drawn their distances away from it. Yet, the Li clan is still exalting over Li Xiongtu."

"Such strategy of the Nine Tribulations Sword Master is really shocking to me! Although it’s full of loopholes, he has still exploited the psychologies of people. While everyone knows that such things are suspicious, they still can’t bear but to probe into them... Haha, they all thought that probing won’t cause many troubles, but... the Li clan has thought that they have one of the Nine Tribulations in their hands, and this has already spooked the other eight great clans and caused them to view the Li clan as their enemy... How will these eight clans even be soft on the Li clan?"

"Once the Li clan responded violently, this will further ignite the resistance of the various big clans against Li clan. This will also further verify their conjecture... Then, greater and unprecedented tensions will be sparked up. What’s more, with the vague influence of the mastermind, he will absolutely not make the various big clans to stop their fight..."

Diwu Qingrou’s brows became more and more tense and they even started palpitating as he muttered on, "But these strategies make me feel very unfamiliar... They are effective yet brutal. And they’re also very direct. If it’s done by him, he wouldn’t have done it so directly. He should have used other ingenious methods to make everything look as if they are coincidental... But the current strategy is very different and full of loopholes. But it has made use of human nature to allow his targets to fall into his trap! Such a strategy seems to be much cleverer... So this shouldn’t be crafted by him."

"But this is definitely the strategy of the Nine Tribulations Sword Master!"

"What has happened?"

...