Transcending the Nine Heavens

“I need Purple Crystals! The more the better! The more the merrier!”

A certain ‘successor to the Purple Crystal Clan’ flailed wildly as he bellowed. His face was full of agitation. His eyes burned insanely and his entire body was spasming!

“I need my place of residence settled as soon as possible!”

“I need the authority to freely go in and out of the Purple Crystal mine!”

“I need you to gather everything I need immediately!”

“I need…”

Chu Yang threw out demand after demand as though he had gone mad. “I need Purple Crystals in order to improve my Purple Crystal Divine Technique and speed up the breakthrough process! I can’t wait another moment longer when I’m facing such a huge treasure trove! I need the authority to freely go in and out so that I can come here immediately whenever inspiration graces me! Be it in the day or at night! Be it during daybreak or midnight!”

“Do you understand?”

“My place of residence must be the most luxurious, somewhere where I can swim even inside the room! Somewhere where I can relieve myself inside the room and not even detect any smell! All of these affect my mood! If I’m in a bad mood, my progress will slow down!”

“I need servants to wait upon me! I need my maids to be so beautiful that even the ugliest one can participate in the Nine Heavens beauty pageant! They must not be too short! They must neither be fat nor thin, and absolutely must not be flat-chested!”

“This affects my vision and my vision affects my mood! My mood affects…”

“I prefer things to be done nimbly and I dislike it when things are draggy… From now on, my orders must be carried out at the first moment. If there’s any delay, I will show no mercy!”

“I need a standalone space! When I’m breaking through this gigantic Purple Crystal mine, other than when I’m about to succeed, no one is to come near at all other times! I’m not a circus show for others to watch!”

“If you can’t satisfy my conditions above… I-I-I… There’s no more meaning to me living on…”

The demands, which Chu Yang had thrown out like a machine gun, stunned all the Li Clan members who hadn’t even awakened from their reverie!

But who was Li Wubo?

He was a clan leader amongst the Nine Super Clans! How experienced was he? How intelligent was he? In merely a moment, he regained his senses and immediately issued orders like a machine gun!

“Prepare Purple Crystals for Lord Zi immediately! Get ten thousand pieces ready for now!”

“Arrange a place of residence in the core grounds immediately!”

“Give Lord Zi a token of authority to freely go in and out of the Purple Crystal mine immediately!”

“When Lord Zi is breaking through the Purple Crystal mine, no one is to watch at the sides!”

“Prepare maids for Lord Zi immediately! We want beauties of the highest quality! All of them must be the purest and most chaste girls!”

“Immediately…”

…

With a wave of his hand, Chu Yang said, “Send the Purple Crystals to my residence when they are ready! Tonight, I’m going to work overtime!”

Then, he dropped back onto the ground on his bottom. “I overexerted myself earlier and used up all my strength… I can’t walk anymore.”

Li Wubo hurriedly hollered, “Someone! Carry Lord Zi back!”

Like a myriad of stars surrounding the moon, everyone lifted Lord Zi up and sent him back. The amount of care they took when doing so was no less than people waiting upon their seriously ill elderly mother!

His quick discovery that there were actually such a huge amount of shocking and amazing treasures inside the Purple Crystal mine had raised Lord Zi’s status within the Li Clan to a ‘national treasure’ status of much weight.

Do not ever anger this lord! Do not ever displease this lord!

The future of the entire Li Clan depended entirely on this lord’s Purple Crystal Divine Technique after all.

The Li Clan’s thoughts were very complex and very simple at the same time — These were chaotic times; once these batches of Purple Crystals were mined, they would be of terrifying value!

And they would be able to create a tremendous number of experts for the Li Clan within the shortest amount of time!

Especially when one of the Nine Tribulations was right in their clan now. Coming from this perspective, their clan had in truth already fallen out with the other eight Super Clans!

In the future, when the Nine Tribulations Sword Master arrived, their clan’s final showdown of life and death with the other eight Super Clans would be unavoidable! This was something that they had no chance of winning at all… They already had no chance of victory going up against just one clan! What more eight?

If their situation were to be exposed and people launched a collective attack on them, they should already be counting their lucky stars if they were able to ensure the safety of Li Xiongtu! As for the number of clansmen who would be able to pioneer the next ten thousand years of prosperity together with Li Xiongtu… That was something they really had no confidence in!

But now, the heavens were on their side!

At such a time, they suddenly discovered a treasure trove of such shocking volume inside their clan! And one which allowed them to create more than ten ninth-grade Supreme Martial Artist experts within the shortest amount of time…

Wasn’t that doubling the strength of the Li Clan? If so, then together with the Nine Tribulations Sword Master’s power… The Li Clan pretty much needed only to pay a minimal price and they would be able to cross over to the new century successfully!

This…

This was already beyond the point of just something good falling from the heavens; it was something godly falling from the heavens!

Therefore, toward the ‘successor to the Purple Crystal Clan’, the one and only person in the whole wide world who could mine these treasures, all the more they treated him with utmost care and consideration.

That was why Li Wubo had agreed to Chu Yang’s demands almost without any hesitation. He was keenly aware that because of the huge surprise of discovering the gigantic treasure trove, this Purple Crystal successor had already gone a little mad.

If he displeased him in any way at this moment, it was equivalent to throwing a bucket of cold water onto a burning furnace; the result it would cause was immeasurably serious!

As he watched a certain successor to the Purple Crystal Clan being carried away, Li Wubo could no longer control his joy. “I’m going to look for the Elder Master!”

In the blink of an eye, he had already run off and disappeared without a trace.

“…and that’s how it is, Elder Master!” In a hidden hall of the Li Clan, four black-clad figures sat upright and listened to Li Wubo’s narration.

The expressions of all four of them were as stiff as iron. Even their faces were somewhat dazed.

Only when they heard the words ‘Soul of the Purple Crystal’, ‘Holy Crystal’ and ‘Divine Crystal’ did the eyes of the three at the side suddenly brighten. Right after, the elderly man in black in the middle also slowly raised his head. His eyes swept across the front as though two rays of light that had physically manifested!

Just a mere sweep of his eyes gave people an oppressive feeling. They seemed to carry a kind of weight and feeling of one who had gone through countless vicissitudes of life.

Li Wubo had already finished his report. The hall fell into silence. After a long while, the person in the middle finally nodded slowly. “You did well. Give him whatever he wants! No matter what, retrieving the treasures is our top priority now!”

Even though one couldn’t tell his age from his appearance, both his energy and countenance looked healthy and rosy. It was only when he spoke that one would be surprised by how hoarse and rough his voice was.

As though a strange and piercing sound produced by rubbing against a piece of iron that had rusted for many years.

“Yes.” Li Wubo was rather overwhelmed by this unexpected favorable response. He answered respectfully and even his face flushed a little red from agitation.

The one who had spoken was the true founder of the Li Clan — The son of the Nine Tribulations back then! Li Chunbo of the Li Clan!

For so many years, even though Li Wubo had met this Elder Master a few times, the Elder Master had never spoken a single word. No matter what he said, he didn’t even raise an eyebrow.

“However… Some of the future arrangements…” Frowning, Li Chunbo didn’t continue. He closed his eyes again.

“Yes, I plan to do so as well. Even if we provide him Purple Crystals, as long as we restrict him from going out and keep him within our control, where can he run off to? As long as he can successfully extract everything, the clan would definitely be the biggest beneficiary.”

“In fact, I’m also considering this — If we can wed a beautiful woman from the clan to Zi Xiaoyan as his wife… If they succeed in producing offspring… Then we would also possess the Purple Crystal bloodline within our clan. At that time, killing or imprisoning this man… would be completely up to us!”

Li Wubo spoke respectfully, revealing his plans, including every scheme and conspiracy, without holding back. He knew that in front of the Elder Master, nobody could conceal their inner thoughts and secrets.

Li Chunbo released a long breath and shook his head. Then, after pausing for a moment, he shook his head again before he opened his eyes. In his eyes, there was a deep sense of disapproval and disappointment.

“Is the Elder Master…” Li Wubo asked carefully.

“Unfilial descendant!” Li Chunbo heaved a deep sigh, rather disappointed. “Only with sincerity can one get back sincerity in return… There is nobody whom one cannot befriend. I can tell from what you said that this rule of the martial world, having a righteous and loyal heart, has already died out completely in the Li Clan!”

Li Chunbo seemed rather enraged. He surprisingly spoke at length, in an unprecedented move.

“Even though you can get your way for the time being using such a method, did you think… that you can continue getting your way like that for the next ninety thousand years? The Li Clan will end up declining and the bloodline dying out sooner or later!”

“Why did it never occur to you to properly befriend him? Appealing to him with reason is far more effective than threatening him; persuading him with logic will provide you even more paths of development than tempting him with benefits… If you befriend him sincerely, the Li Clan will gain a source of great assistance… If you burn the bridge after crossing it… How can you be sure that the ones whom you groomed in the future wouldn’t betray you!”

“I have already been disappointed by the Li Clan! I single-handedly founded the Li Clan, but now I can only watch as the Li Clan goes step by step into decline! Even if there are ten thousand of such treasures… If you harbor evil intentions, you can forget about holding on to it!”

With a flash, Li Chunbo disappeared without a trace.

“I have retired since a long time ago and no longer concern myself with clan matters. Do as you see fit… Out of the last ten thousand years, the mentality of the Li Clan has been twisted for a whole seven thousand years… Even if I, Li Chunbo, am the founder… What power do I have to change this situation? I can change the appearance of rivers and seas, but what ability do I have to change the hearts of my descendants that have been twisted for seven thousand years?”

In the end, he sighed. “I can only hope that all of you can remember this! To become part of the Nine Super Clans… One must first become… a human!”

Li Chunbo’s form vanished.

The other three also disappeared thereafter.

Getting onto his feet, Li Wubo was at a loss. His mind felt rather blank. But after a long while, his heart settled back down. Clenching his jaw, he thought silently to himself, “The Elder Master has been away from worldly matters for too long, so he’s no longer familiar with the martial world… Even if I treat people with the manners of a gentleman, who would treat me with the manners of a gentleman? Wouldn’t the Li Clan be destroyed even faster that way?”

How could recruiting a Sword Supremacy-level successor to the Purple Crystal Clan, whose temper and personality was already fixed, be comparable to the reassurance of grooming one himself?

Right now, the most pressing matter is to ensure the safety of the whole clan. As for being a gentleman… We’ll talk about it after the calamity of the Nine Tribulations passes…

When that time comes, as long as I have the skill, schemes and methods, what kind of friend would I be unable to make? Why be so conciliatory during a critical moment like this?

Li Wubo strode out of the hall.

Behind him, in the void, a sorrowful sigh could be heard…