Transcending the Nine Heavens

The team was like a long dragon, flying long distances in the dark.

The spring breeze gently blew past and the thick grass and bushes along the two sides of the road gave out a whistling sound.

Han Xiaoran’s expression looked cold as he walked in the middle of the pack. His face was expressionless.

Behind him, was Sha Xinliang and Qin Baoshan. Both of them were not as relaxed as Han Xiaoran. Han Xiaoran appeared to have gotten some privileges and his body had no bits and pieces of metal chains. However, for Sha Xinliang and the others, they were all restricted by metal chains. These long chains began from Sha Xinliang and ended with the last person, placing a total of twenty-two people together in a chain.

On the chain, there was a faint glow of starry-like color.

“Law-enforcement Master Han, this time around, you did not check carefully when you made friends with a criminal and I am saddened by your action.” The one who spoke was a middle-aged man riding a horse. He stuck closely beside Han Xiaoran. After finishing his words, he did not forget to turn around, and berated, “Walk faster, Sha Xinliang. These are merely Star Iron chains. Although you won’t be able to get free from them, they should not be too much of an obstacle to your movements! As for speed, don’t show a face as if you had been tortured. Move faster!”

Sha Xinliang and the others gave a cold snort and continued in their own ways.

Han Xiaoran said indifferently, “Chu Yang is definitely not an extraterrestrial demon!”

He said only this sentence and immediately shut his mouth.

“Not an Extraterrestrial Demon?” That man laughed and persuaded patiently, “Brother Han, the Dharma Supreme had already personally identified the Extraterrestrial Demon and you still want to persist in your false belief? With your current attitude, you might have a lot to suffer when you reach the Law-Enforcement City.”

Han Xiaoran replied, “The Dharma Supreme did a bad job in this. If he wants to kill someone, just kill him. Why did he have to place an Extraterrestrial Demon title on that person? This kind of framing is not an act of a gentleman!

That man was so angry that he started to laugh. “Han Xiaoran, I remind you one last time, that everything which you have just said, will all get you a death sentence!”

Han Xiaoran smiled indifferently. “In order to deal with Chu Yang, the Dharma Supreme spared no effort to even torture his own kind… I was the one who recommended Chu Yang. Although I did not know what happened eventually, the Dharma Supreme did have one of his plans foiled by Chu Yang, that was for sure without a doubt!”

“Under such circumstances, if the Dharma Supreme had wanted me dead to appease him, I have nothing to say against it. Therefore, ever since you came, I knew that I would not make it out alive. Therefore, can’t I even say a word of truth?”

That man frowned and said, “You knew exactly what to do, to stay alive.”

Han Xiaoran shook his head and said, “To betray my friends, I would rather die.”

Behind him, Sha Xinliang exclaimed loudly, “Nice! Law-Enforcement Master is a heroic and unyielding man. All subordinates would like to learn from you!”

A loud sound echoed and Sha Xinliang had already received a tight slap that caused fresh blood to flow out from the corner of his lips. The person beside scolded, “You unrepentant death row prisoner! For your crime in colluding with the Extraterrestrial Demon, you truly deserved the death sentence!”

Sha Xinliang shouted furiously, “You are the Extraterrestrial Demon! Your whole family is Extraterrestrial Demons! F*ck, who knew if the Extraterrestrial Demons really existed? I am more familiar than you, about the means of the Law-Enforcement Officer! If you want to kill us, just do it. If you want to act like you are acting on behalf of justice, then f*ck you!”

Qin Baoshan started to laugh out loud. “Old Sha, you have finally said something that a human would; these few sentences made me really happy!”

The members of the escort team became furious. All the whips and batons came showering down. However, Sha Xinliang and Qin Baoshan did not stop scolding furiously despite the severe physical wounds that they suffered from it.

The whole escort team became agitated. The follow-on group of eighteen or nineteen people also became agitated. Some of them added on to the scoldings, some of them struggled, while some of them started to cry and beg, “I have made a mistake… I should not have followed Sha Xinliang and colluded with the Extraterrestrial Demon, Chu Yang. I have done wrong… I will definitely turn over a new leaf, please give me a chance…”

Instantly, it became a chaotic scene.

Amidst the chaos, a stern voice shouted angrily, “What is there to make so much noise about? We are still on the road. Wait till we reach our stronghold, can’t we torture them however we want to? Do we have to do it on the roads to cause all these commotions?”

Han Xiaoran stood by doing nothing. He stared coldly, but did not try to stop nor to shout back. Seeing how his own subordinates were humiliated and beaten up, there was extreme grief and disappointment in his eyes. He muttered to himself and smiled bitterly. In his voice, there was limitless desolation. “This is the law-enforcement officer, this is our law-enforcement officer… This is the law-enforcement officer of the Nine Heavens… To distort truths, fabricate stories out of nowhere, from top to bottom, they are all as bad as each other…”

After the commotion, the contingent started to move again.

The Eagle Beak Cliff was just in front.

The members of the escort team were relieved. Their original resting point was just at the Eagle Beak Cliff.

This entire place could be seen easily at one glance and therefore, made it hard for the enemies to take any actions.

Of course, that would be the ideal resting ground.

Two black figures left the team at high speed, dashing towards the Ye Province.

The trapped was all set up. However, as the enemies’ location was still uncertain, they had to confirm that information, before deciding again.

These two people were going forward exactly to probe for this news.

The winds of the night were blowing stronger and stronger.

Within the grass and bushes, looking at the escorting team passing through, Chu Yang’s eyes were as cold as the snow.

As expected, there were already two Supreme Martial Artists leaving the place!

However, the remaining force was still extremely strong!

This was more than what three men could face head-on and walked away successfully with.

“Sword Spirit, with you possessing my body, what level of power can you bring out?” Chu Yang asked in his inner consciousness

Sword Spirit smiled and replied, “Third Grade Supreme Martial Artist. However… this is definitely not sufficient to go against the Fifth Grade Supreme Martial Artist!”

These words, only the two of them understood. With the sharpness of the Nine Tribulations Sword and the special power of a Sword Saint, he could leapfrog his current level and overpower his enemies! The Sword Spirit could similarly leapfrog his current level.

However, in these kinds of battles where you leapfrog your current level, it was possible if your enemies were below the level of Supreme Martial Artist. However, at the level of Supreme Martial Artist, using the power of a mere Third Grade Sword Supremacy to overcome a Third Grade Supreme Martial Artist’s elite cultivation was already an uphill task. Not to mention a Fourth of Fifth Grade Supreme Martial Artist.

However, the battle was imminent and they could not wait any longer.

They heard the furious scoldings of Sha Xinliang and Chu Yang felt his blood boiling with emotions.

…

These law-enforcement officers were pitching their tents for a rest. Although they did not have a lot of manpower, they were all very proficient in their work. In a short span of time, half of the tents were already up.

At this moment, a desolate aura suddenly appeared. Everyone was alarmed and looked over in that direction.

Within the night sky in the forward direction, a man dressed in black quietly appeared and floated over.

His arrival seemed to have brought about an ancient feel of desolation. Although it was just a shadow far away, that feeling of solitary for the past tens of thousands of years, without anyone who truly understood him.

Everyone instantly increased their vigilance.

This man seemed to be really old. At least a few thousand years of age. This was the first thought of him.

This man had a high cultivation level. Really high!

This was the second thought of him.

This man was very lonely. He should have been someone living in seclusion.

That was the third thought of him.

Within the escorting team, the Third Grade Supreme Martial Artist and the Fifth Grade Supreme Martial Artist looked at each other and they both could feel what the other person thought of: This person is a fellow ill-fated man.

The First Grade and Second Grade Supreme Martial Artist had at most a thousand years of cultivation. Furthermore, the frequent battles and the frequent traveling for work meant that their lives were mostly fulfilling. They would unlikely to have an appreciation of this extreme loneliness and solitary.

Only the Third Grade and above Supreme Martial Artist could appreciate how this solitary could be tormenting. How this loneliness made them often reminisce about the past, got tormented by these repeated memories and became overwhelming sad.

Who did not have friends? Who did not have the woman of their life? Who did not have precious memories? However now… where were all these people? The woman in their life? All these precious memories and promises could only be transformed into a sad sigh as they reminisce about it every night.

Both of them lightly heaved a sigh and stood up at the same time.

The next moment, the man dressed in black had already arrived in front. A black robe on his skinny body frame. The huge black robe hung on his body, making him look like a huge bat that could fly off anytime.

His face was skinny and one could not tell his age from it. However, his eyebrows were sharp like swords. His eyes were deep and calm. Like the waters in the deep ancient well that could not possibly have any waves or vibrations

“Sir, where did you come from?” asked the Fifth Grade Supreme Martial Artist Tang Wufang quietly. In his voice, there was no anger. His heart was moved by the desolate aura emitting from this man dressed in black.

Furthermore, this man’s appearance was drastically different from the intelligence which they were given about the appearance of the Extraterrestrial Demon. Even the character and attitude were totally different. So, even though he was on high alert, he could not help but think that this man might not be the enemy.

The man in black sighed and said, “Traveling and meeting in the night could not be a coincidence. Of course, I came with an objective.”

Tang Wufang agreed and smiled. “You are right. Sir, you must have come because of us. But, for what?”

The man in black voice was filled with desolation. He looked up towards the sky and said indifferently, “I briefly felt that someone here had the same sentiments as me. I believe that would be you, Sir?”

Tang Wufang took in a breath and said deeply, “The lonely world, the vicissitudes of the world, the vastness of the world is all nothing but a sigh.”

The man in black clasped his hands behind his back and slowly nodded his head. He said with melancholy, “You are right. Life or death, truth or falsehood, heaven or earth, they are all but nothingness!”

Both Tang Wufang and the man in black let out a sigh at the same time.

Tang Wufang asked, “May I dare to ask your name, Sir?”

The man in black replied with melancholy, “A long, long time ago, my name was called Kongling. My family name is Jian [Jian is the pronunciation of sword in Chinese], as in a long sword. My name is Jian Kongling.”

“Jian Kongling…” Tang Wufang smiled apologetically and said, “I’m sorry that I’ve not heard of your name.”

Jian Kongling shook his head without surprise. “I spend all my time recluse in deep mountains, with only the sky and the vast lands as my companion. If you had heard of my name, then that would be strange. Jian Kongling… Ke Ke, Now, I finally realized that my name was really apt for me. Now, my long sword is still around me, but my entire world is just left with nothingness.”

Tang Wufang remained silent.

Jian Kongling said, “You had the same sentiments as me just now. I believed you also have a similarly bitter past?”

Tang Wufang smiled bitterly. “For those who were able to achieve a cultivation level like you and I, even if our past was not full of sorrows, it would at least be bitter.”

“These words made absolute sense.” Jian Kongling looked up into the sky and sighed. “Even if not full of sorrows, it would at least be bitter! Ke Ke Ke… Good. A good even if not full of sorrows, it would at least be bitter!”

“You must have an objective for coming here tonight, Brother Jian?” Tang Wufang asked deliberately.

“I came for the Extraterrestrial Demon.” Jian Kongling’s eyes stared blankly and he shook his head with a bitter smile. “Long ago, my entire clan including my Teacher, my Grand Teacher were all living in seclusion at the corners of the world, with only the stars as our companion. However, there was once when I left for 3 months, only to discover that they were all mysteriously gone when I came back. I only saw bloodstains, but never the bodies. I roamed around the world and could not find the enemy. Now that I heard about the news of an Extraterrestrial Demon, I suddenly had a realization. Therefore, I came here especially to take a look at this Extraterrestrial Demon, to see if he was the one who killed my Teacher!”

……