transcending the nine heavens

Chapter 1508 Who are the Divine Weapons, and Who are the Scraps of Iron?

These two rumors had caused some unrest among the experts of the nine major families. Although the world’s top experts were indeed under the control of these families, the true experts within the families, with their original surnames, only accounted for just under half of the total experts in the family. This was already an incredibly frightening ratio!

The backbone of the families mostly consisted of experts from outside, or the geniuses from their affiliated families. There were also some individuals who had been given the family name because they were highly valued for their talents. However, these people, despite their high status in their respective families, understood that they were just more advanced fighters. If their descendants were not competent, they would still end up serving others as slaves.

They could never become the masters themselves.

But the rumor raised a possibility: if Diwu Qingrou could indeed achieve eternal dominance, wouldn’t they be able to rule a region under his command? By then, they would be regional lords with the power to summon the wind and rain.

Like the nine major families now, their descendants would continue to prosper!

At this moment, a provocative statement spread like wildfire: “As a man, who wants to serve others for a lifetime? Who wants their descendants to be slaves? If one wants to be a king or a minister, mustn’t they possess a noble spirit? As ordinary men, don’t we dare to take a risk?” Upon hearing these words, everyone’s heart seemed to explode with excitement.

As soon as the rumors began, Diwu Qingrou appeared to have “immediately detected” them. He summoned everyone and, with a stern sense of righteousness, clarified the situation.

Moreover, he absolutely denied the rumors.

“This is the enemy’s trick! It’s their commander’s foolproof method of sowing discord among us! How could I, Diwu Qingrou, do such a thing? I hope you all will not believe in these rumors,” he said.

Diwu Qingrou declared, “The innocent will be proven innocent!”

Everyone listened and admired Diwu Qingrou’s character even more. They also became more convinced of the source of the rumors. Just as Diwu Qingrou had said, “Apart from the enemy commander with such scheming, no one else could instantly target our greatest weakness! Thus, this move is vicious, merely using a common rumor to create panic among us.”

Yes, indeed there was panic!

After Diwu Qingrou’s clarification, people’s hearts wavered even more.

There was now an expectation for the rumors to come true, and it became even more certain!

Because it was said by the enemy commander!

The battles during this period had made everyone aware of how formidable the enemy commander was, with his elusive and ever-changing tactics. They all wanted to tear him apart, but they couldn’t help but admire him!

It was truly hard to imagine that a person’s mind could be so intricate and meticulous!

But now, was the rumor he had spread really just a rumor? Could he not see Diwu Qingrou’s capabilities? If Diwu Qingrou was not as terrifying as rumored, what would be the point of spreading such a rumor?

Thus, even the unfathomable enemy strategist had confirmed Diwu Qingrou’s abilities. What was there left for them to doubt?

As a result, everyone was even more tempted. However, on the surface, no one would reveal their thoughts.

…

“If the world is a chessboard, I want to be the player!” Diwu Qingrou spoke openly in the tent, addressing the two shadow guards of the Law Enforcer, “Using the common people as chess pieces, and determining victory or defeat in one battle!”

“Now, my opponent has appeared!”

“He is the strongest opponent I have ever encountered in my life! To face such an opponent is a great joy in life! In a match between equally skilled players, every invincible general on the battlefield may not be able to outdo their enemy. This has happened throughout history and is not surprising!”

“However, a direct confrontation between two peak strategists, both of whom are unparalleled geniuses, has never occurred in the history of the Nine Heavens!”

“This is a grand event for humanity!”

“Even if the entire world is annihilated in this battle, it would be worth it!”

“This is the pinnacle of battle! Both sides possess peak martial power and peak intelligence! This battle will surely shake the Nine Heavens!”

“I cannot retreat! I cannot hide! I must win!”

Diwu Qingrou spoke calmly, “I want the world to know that the Nine Tribulations mastermind is not invincible! I, Diwu Qingrou, am the eternal god of war!”

“I want to be the first strategist in the Nine Heavens to defeat the Nine Tribulations mastermind!”

“With an evenly matched battle, after this war, the banner of the Fifth Family will rise, and the situation will change dramatically! This is just the outcome of an evenly matched battle. If I win, the family will instantly become the first-ranked family and power in the Nine Heavens! The next step is to truly conquer the Nine Heavens!”

“I look forward to it!”

“When the entire Nine Heavens are under my feet… That is my true pinnacle!”

“My lifelong pursuit!”

Diwu Qingrou gazed at the snow outside, speaking quietly and calmly.

Even the two Ninth-Rank Supreme shadows were shocked by Diwu Qingrou’s ambitions and grand blueprint.

…

On the other side, Mo Tianji stood with his hands behind his back in Li Xiongtu’s small courtyard, staring at the icicles hanging on the wall, lost in thought.

Li Jue was sent away by him, and everyone knew that Mo Tianji had been exhausting himself lately, and indeed needed some rest.

So during times without battle, the Li family tried not to disturb them, allowing their only hope to rest well.

However, Ao Xieyun and Rui Butong could see that Mo Tianji was not tired at all!

Not only was he not tired, but his spirit was more excited than ever! The immense pressure from Diwu Qingrou across the way was all bearing down on Mo Tianji alone!

Under such tremendous pressure, Mo Tianji’s ability for strategic and cunning calculations further awakened! The power to truly control the world was unleashed!

Mo Tianji’s wisdom seemed to be pushed to greater heights every day under Diwu Qingrou’s oppression, climbing and advancing without limit!

Mo Tianji’s unparalleled military talent only truly emerged and matured in this great battle!

He stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm.

Ao Xieyun and Rui Butong stood quietly behind him, leaning lazily.

“If this vast sky is a chessboard, then I am willing to be the player! With the stars as chess pieces, the rise and fall as stakes, the living beings as support, and my brothers as my foundation! We, the Nine Tribulations Brothers, will create a glorious name that will resound through the Nine Heavens for eternity!” Mo Tianji murmured softly.

The truly chilling and hair-raising coincidence was that Mo Tianji said these words almost in sync with Diwu Qingrou!

Moreover, at the same time, two people in different regions uttered nearly the same sentence!

Of course, they were only nearly the same, as there were still differences.

But this was already enough to shock anyone who knew the truth, leaving their minds blank.

Ao Xieyun asked, “If this vast sky is a chessboard, and the stars are chess pieces, with you, Mo Tianji, as the player, where do Rui Butong and I stand?”

“Behind me!” Mo Tianji said quietly, “With you behind me, you are my support! Only you can give me endless confidence!”

“Without you in this world, even if I were to rule the Nine Heavens and control the sun, moon, and stars, what would be the point?”

“I need you to share my glory!” As Mo Tianji spoke, he seemed to see Chu Yang’s figure before him, as if he saw Chu Yang smiling and saying, “No! It’s us!”

A sincere smile appeared on Mo Tianji’s lips, and he said softly, “Yes, it’s us! Each one of us shares the same glory! I don’t want to be lonely at the pinnacle; I want to reach it together.”

Ao Xieyun and Rui Butong felt a warmth in their hearts that was hard to describe.

It wasn’t surprising for Chu Yang to say such words, as he had always been sentimental, treating each of his brothers as dear to him.

However, Mo Tianji was famously calculating, cold-hearted, and ruthless.

Cold-hearted and icy.

Now, hearing these words from Mo Tianji’s mouth moved them even more. The two looked at each other and saw that both of their faces were flushed with excitement.

Never before had they felt the hearts of the nine brothers so close together!

We are one!

Chu Yang, Gu Duxing, Dong Wushang, Ji Mo, Luo Kedi, Ao Xieyun, Mo Tianji, Rui Butong, and Xie Danqiong!

“Do you remember…what our eldest brother once said…” Mo Tianji said with a smile, “When we reach the pinnacle of the Nine Heavens…it only has meaning if we’re all there!”

“Yes! We remember.” Ao Xieyun and Rui Butong answered simultaneously.

“I now understand the feelings of our eldest brother at that time,” Mo Tianji said respectfully, “With his deep sense of loyalty and friendship, he paved a path to the pinnacle for the nine brothers!”

Ao Xieyun and Rui Butong looked at him with some confusion.

Mo Tianji smiled slightly, “One day, you will understand too! This is something…you need to experience for yourselves.”

Ao Xieyun furrowed his brows, deep in thought.

Mo Tianji smiled faintly, “I used to be lazy. Although I was used to scheming and planning ahead, I never truly devoted myself to doing something or exhausting my mind to defeat someone!”

“Because in this world, I had never encountered someone worth doing that for.”

“If this continued, my wisdom would never reach the pinnacle. Why did the one who once controlled the world die so early? Because he was too clever, without a rival! Without a rival, there’s no pressure! Without pressure, there’s no motivation! So he died!”

“And so would I!”

“Until today!”

“If Diwu Qingrou hadn’t appeared, I could only have Chu Yang as my rival for the rest of my life! But Chu Yang and I would never truly be divided by life and death, so we would always be one step short.”

“Diwu Qingrou’s appearance is the first great joy in my life!”

“For me, I am a sharp blade, and Diwu Qingrou is an excellent whetstone!” Mo Tianji said indifferently, “For Diwu Qingrou, he is the blade, and I am the whetstone!”

“This is an opportunity for both of us! Let’s see who will transform into a divine weapon, and who will fall into scrap iron!”

Mo Tianji spoke leisurely.

His eyes were relaxed as they looked through the snow-filled sky towards the south; it seemed as if he could sense that in that distant place, two equally wise, equally calm and composed eyes were piercing through the sky and coming towards him!

Chapter 1508 Who are the Divine Weapons, and Who are the Scraps of Iron?

These two rumors had caused some unrest among the experts of the nine major families. Although the world’s top experts were indeed under the control of these families, the true experts within the families, with their original surnames, only accounted for just under half of the total experts in the family. This was already an incredibly frightening ratio!

The backbone of the families mostly consisted of experts from outside, or the geniuses from their affiliated families. There were also some individuals who had been given the family name because they were highly valued for their talents. However, these people, despite their high status in their respective families, understood that they were just more advanced fighters. If their descendants were not competent, they would still end up serving others as slaves.

They could never become the masters themselves.

But the rumor raised a possibility: if Diwu Qingrou could indeed achieve eternal dominance, wouldn’t they be able to rule a region under his command? By then, they would be regional lords with the power to summon the wind and rain.

Like the nine major families now, their descendants would continue to prosper!

At this moment, a provocative statement spread like wildfire: “As a man, who wants to serve others for a lifetime? Who wants their descendants to be slaves? If one wants to be a king or a minister, mustn’t they possess a noble spirit? As ordinary men, don’t we dare to take a risk?” Upon hearing these words, everyone’s heart seemed to explode with excitement.

As soon as the rumors began, Diwu Qingrou appeared to have “immediately detected” them. He summoned everyone and, with a stern sense of righteousness, clarified the situation.

Moreover, he absolutely denied the rumors.

“This is the enemy’s trick! It’s their commander’s foolproof method of sowing discord among us! How could I, Diwu Qingrou, do such a thing? I hope you all will not believe in these rumors,” he said.

Diwu Qingrou declared, “The innocent will be proven innocent!”

Everyone listened and admired Diwu Qingrou’s character even more. They also became more convinced of the source of the rumors. Just as Diwu Qingrou had said, “Apart from the enemy commander with such scheming, no one else could instantly target our greatest weakness! Thus, this move is vicious, merely using a common rumor to create panic among us.”

Yes, indeed there was panic!

After Diwu Qingrou’s clarification, people’s hearts wavered even more.

There was now an expectation for the rumors to come true, and it became even more certain!

Because it was said by the enemy commander!

The battles during this period had made everyone aware of how formidable the enemy commander was, with his elusive and ever-changing tactics. They all wanted to tear him apart, but they couldn’t help but admire him!

It was truly hard to imagine that a person’s mind could be so intricate and meticulous!

But now, was the rumor he had spread really just a rumor? Could he not see Diwu Qingrou’s capabilities? If Diwu Qingrou was not as terrifying as rumored, what would be the point of spreading such a rumor?

Thus, even the unfathomable enemy strategist had confirmed Diwu Qingrou’s abilities. What was there left for them to doubt?

As a result, everyone was even more tempted. However, on the surface, no one would reveal their thoughts.

…

“If the world is a chessboard, I want to be the player!” Diwu Qingrou spoke openly in the tent, addressing the two shadow guards of the Law Enforcer, “Using the common people as chess pieces, and determining victory or defeat in one battle!”

“Now, my opponent has appeared!”

“He is the strongest opponent I have ever encountered in my life! To face such an opponent is a great joy in life! In a match between equally skilled players, every invincible general on the battlefield may not be able to outdo their enemy. This has happened throughout history and is not surprising!”

“However, a direct confrontation between two peak strategists, both of whom are unparalleled geniuses, has never occurred in the history of the Nine Heavens!”

“This is a grand event for humanity!”

“Even if the entire world is annihilated in this battle, it would be worth it!”

“This is the pinnacle of battle! Both sides possess peak martial power and peak intelligence! This battle will surely shake the Nine Heavens!”

“I cannot retreat! I cannot hide! I must win!”

Diwu Qingrou spoke calmly, “I want the world to know that the Nine Tribulations mastermind is not invincible! I, Diwu Qingrou, am the eternal god of war!”

“I want to be the first strategist in the Nine Heavens to defeat the Nine Tribulations mastermind!”

“With an evenly matched battle, after this war, the banner of the Fifth Family will rise, and the situation will change dramatically! This is just the outcome of an evenly matched battle. If I win, the family will instantly become the first-ranked family and power in the Nine Heavens! The next step is to truly conquer the Nine Heavens!”

“I look forward to it!”

“When the entire Nine Heavens are under my feet… That is my true pinnacle!”

“My lifelong pursuit!”

Diwu Qingrou gazed at the snow outside, speaking quietly and calmly.

Even the two Ninth-Rank Supreme shadows were shocked by Diwu Qingrou’s ambitions and grand blueprint.

…

On the other side, Mo Tianji stood with his hands behind his back in Li Xiongtu’s small courtyard, staring at the icicles hanging on the wall, lost in thought.

Li Jue was sent away by him, and everyone knew that Mo Tianji had been exhausting himself lately, and indeed needed some rest.

So during times without battle, the Li family tried not to disturb them, allowing their only hope to rest well.

However, Ao Xieyun and Rui Butong could see that Mo Tianji was not tired at all!

Not only was he not tired, but his spirit was more excited than ever! The immense pressure from Diwu Qingrou across the way was all bearing down on Mo Tianji alone!

Under such tremendous pressure, Mo Tianji’s ability for strategic and cunning calculations further awakened! The power to truly control the world was unleashed!

Mo Tianji’s wisdom seemed to be pushed to greater heights every day under Diwu Qingrou’s oppression, climbing and advancing without limit!

Mo Tianji’s unparalleled military talent only truly emerged and matured in this great battle!

He stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm.

Ao Xieyun and Rui Butong stood quietly behind him, leaning lazily.

“If this vast sky is a chessboard, then I am willing to be the player! With the stars as chess pieces, the rise and fall as stakes, the living beings as support, and my brothers as my foundation! We, the Nine Tribulations Brothers, will create a glorious name that will resound through the Nine Heavens for eternity!” Mo Tianji murmured softly.

The truly chilling and hair-raising coincidence was that Mo Tianji said these words almost in sync with Diwu Qingrou!

Moreover, at the same time, two people in different regions uttered nearly the same sentence!

Of course, they were only nearly the same, as there were still differences.

But this was already enough to shock anyone who knew the truth, leaving their minds blank.

Ao Xieyun asked, “If this vast sky is a chessboard, and the stars are chess pieces, with you, Mo Tianji, as the player, where do Rui Butong and I stand?”

“Behind me!” Mo Tianji said quietly, “With you behind me, you are my support! Only you can give me endless confidence!”

“Without you in this world, even if I were to rule the Nine Heavens and control the sun, moon, and stars, what would be the point?”

“I need you to share my glory!” As Mo Tianji spoke, he seemed to see Chu Yang’s figure before him, as if he saw Chu Yang smiling and saying, “No! It’s us!”

A sincere smile appeared on Mo Tianji’s lips, and he said softly, “Yes, it’s us! Each one of us shares the same glory! I don’t want to be lonely at the pinnacle; I want to reach it together.”

Ao Xieyun and Rui Butong felt a warmth in their hearts that was hard to describe.

It wasn’t surprising for Chu Yang to say such words, as he had always been sentimental, treating each of his brothers as dear to him.

However, Mo Tianji was famously calculating, cold-hearted, and ruthless.

Cold-hearted and icy.

Now, hearing these words from Mo Tianji’s mouth moved them even more. The two looked at each other and saw that both of their faces were flushed with excitement.

Never before had they felt the hearts of the nine brothers so close together!

We are one!

Chu Yang, Gu Duxing, Dong Wushang, Ji Mo, Luo Kedi, Ao Xieyun, Mo Tianji, Rui Butong, and Xie Danqiong!

“Do you remember…what our eldest brother once said…” Mo Tianji said with a smile, “When we reach the pinnacle of the Nine Heavens…it only has meaning if we’re all there!”

“Yes! We remember.” Ao Xieyun and Rui Butong answered simultaneously.

“I now understand the feelings of our eldest brother at that time,” Mo Tianji said respectfully, “With his deep sense of loyalty and friendship, he paved a path to the pinnacle for the nine brothers!”

Ao Xieyun and Rui Butong looked at him with some confusion.

Mo Tianji smiled slightly, “One day, you will understand too! This is something…you need to experience for yourselves.”

Ao Xieyun furrowed his brows, deep in thought.

Mo Tianji smiled faintly, “I used to be lazy. Although I was used to scheming and planning ahead, I never truly devoted myself to doing something or exhausting my mind to defeat someone!”

“Because in this world, I had never encountered someone worth doing that for.”

“If this continued, my wisdom would never reach the pinnacle. Why did the one who once controlled the world die so early? Because he was too clever, without a rival! Without a rival, there’s no pressure! Without pressure, there’s no motivation! So he died!”

“And so would I!”

“Until today!”

“If Diwu Qingrou hadn’t appeared, I could only have Chu Yang as my rival for the rest of my life! But Chu Yang and I would never truly be divided by life and death, so we would always be one step short.”

“Diwu Qingrou’s appearance is the first great joy in my life!”

“For me, I am a sharp blade, and Diwu Qingrou is an excellent whetstone!” Mo Tianji said indifferently, “For Diwu Qingrou, he is the blade, and I am the whetstone!”

“This is an opportunity for both of us! Let’s see who will transform into a divine weapon, and who will fall into scrap iron!”

Mo Tianji spoke leisurely.

His eyes were relaxed as they looked through the snow-filled sky towards the south; it seemed as if he could sense that in that distant place, two equally wise, equally calm and composed eyes were piercing through the sky and coming towards him!