Transcending the Nine Heavens

"Yes!" Han Bu Chu said as he wiped away his cold sweat.

"The third step was after he entered the citadel, he formed Heavenly Armament Pavilion! Why did Tie Long Cheng, himself go to him? Was it really because of the words Heavenly Armament?" Diwu Qing Rou’s expression suddenly looked as though he was in deep thought, "Tie Long Cheng came simply because... he wanted to meet Chu Yang! The person who gave the army that tried to kill Du Shi Qing a way to escape. Tie Long Cheng wanted to meet the individual who managed to defeat Wu Kuang Yun single-handedly with barely any effort. That was all!"

"The last step was joining Bu Tian Pavilion. Without being aware of the internal issues, he managed to become the leader right from the start. This was due to the help from Tie Long Cheng and Du Shi Qing! Tie Long Cheng greatly admired talents and if the attempted assassination was to go public, Tie Bu Tian would have to remove a famed general from Iron Cloud’s military command! With regards to Du Shi Qing, he held Chu Yang in high regard and spared no effort when he praised him in front of Tie Bu Tian."

"These were Chu Yang’s first four steps! The four steps he used to reach the heavens through the use of human nature!" Diwu Qing Rou’s voice became very deep, "At this point, Chu Yang has managed to achieve his first goal and accomplished phrase one of his plan."

"Then is his second goal Bu Tian Pavilion?"

"No, his second goal was to purge the clan of spies!" Diwu Qing Rou continued to explain, "First, in order to accomplish this, he used lightning quick strategies in order to get rid of all the spies within Bu Tian Pavilion!"

"His methods always involved careful analysis and deductions. Everything that he did was based on a possible result which he had postulated. From that result, he would then dig out all the carefully guarded secrets and thus manage to eradicate all of the spies!" Diwu Qing Rou chuckled, "This is easier said than done!"

"Yes! In the beginning, the Golden Horse Riders Department sent spies everywhere. Their strategy was to gain the recognition of everyone by various means which ensured the safety of the spies. King of Hell Chu had managed to discover this and hence ensured his success." Han Bu Chu thought as he said slowly.

"Exactly! That is why after he took over Bu Tian Pavilion, his next step was dealing with all the spies. He shed the blood of the spies in order to establish his own authority! Using this, he then became a mysterious individual as he employed the use of a mask and a black robe. At the same time, he started to spread rumours all throughout the land..."

"These rumours were aimed at deterring action which King level leaders Yin and Kong might have taken. In other words, Chu Yang had recognized Iron Cloud’s weaknesses and planned his traps bearing this in mind. These were actions also taken in order to pave the way to progress up the hierarchy..."

"During that period, all of you saw him as a joke because we knew that the King of Hell Chu was Chu Yang. No matter how much confusion and rumours he tried to plant, his true identity would still remain unchanged. However, you have ignored a key factor in any situation. It is that these confusions could lead to changes in the circumstances around us!"

"Moreover, the recent mistakes by the two King level leaders were also because of these confusions and planted rumours! Bu Chu, did the two King level leaders we sent not know of the King of Hell Chu’s true identity? Why did they doubt it in the end? These results bear testament to King of Hell Chu’s deceptive schemes and psychological warfare!"

"Everyone has doubts; even the most intelligent minds are filled with uncertainties. I am afraid King of Hell Chu would use his resourceful head to turn even the smallest of doubt in your mind into full-blown suspicions and cause you to question your own conclusions!"

"This person... really has a comprehensive grasp of human nature! He is truly a frightening person!"

It was as if Diwu Qing Rou was slowly pulling each silk strand from a cocoon and pointed out every part of Chu Yang’s meticulous arrangements. This proved that he felt that Chu Yang was the greatest threat he had ever encountered. As he spoke, his voice gradually grew heavier and heavier.

Han Bu Chu unconsciously straightened himself as he listened attentively to Diwu Qing Rou’s analysis.

"At the same time, he began to sort out the royal court of Iron Cloud. He began with the lower ranking officials and with each individual who he managed to catch and verify, he gradually became bolder. His saber swung continuously yet, he chose to leave Number One untouched."

"It was because he wanted Number One to make contact with us. After verifying this, Chu Yang made his move to capture Number One. In addition to that, he used Number One’s identity to create many traps! Everything is connected!"

"He even managed to speculate the fact that Number One was holding on to some hope and predicted our reactions!" Diwu Qing Rou sighed, "If it were not for extremely accurate intelligence, I would be wondering whether this foe was a youth of seventeen or eighteen years of age or fox who was a couple of centuries old! Such meticulous and careful moves..."

"Yes. Even if we knew Number One ran into trouble, we trusted that Number One would not say anything. Plus, the fact Chu Yang did not make a move against Number One only solidified our beliefs... Therefore, no matter what traps were laid, we continued to fall for them!" Han Bu Chu sighed, "Despite Chu Yang not being aware of the relationship between Number One and yourself, he still managed to set those traps... That was already more than enough!"

"After he got a hold of Number One, he knew that he could not fight against us! With his strength, he couldn’t even withstand a single move. This was King of Hell Chu taking a risk. With his mouth, he could not swallow a big fish like Yin Wu Fa. Fortunately for him, a clan from Middle Three Heavens appeared and began to support him. King of Hell Chu essentially rose from the dead! He made full use of this clan, and continually framed us! Using the established power of a super clan without any effort on his part, he was able to topple our two heavenly pillars severely injuring our two King level leaders!"

"And with that, King of Hell Chu’s second goal was successful! For this second stage, the goal was to seek security!" Diwu Qing Rou sighed deeply, "The next step he makes will be to use all of his forces to surround King level leaders Kong and Yin! I hope Yun He will be able to hold it together!"

"Seek security?" Han Bu Chu was somewhat puzzled.

"Exactly! Golden Horse Riders Department has a total of four King level leaders. Currently, two of which have been essentially disabled! The remaining two are in charge of protecting Golden Horse Riders Department and absolutely cannot leave! If things continue as they are, King of Hell Chu might be able to make use of this period to develop Bu Tian Pavilion and rebuild Iron Cloud!"

"Everything King of Hell Chu has done was just to buy time!" Diwu Qing Rou sighed, "Furthermore, he has to make the most of this time because it would last no more than three months. Tie Shi Cheng cannot hold on for any longer! At that time, Iron Cloud Nation will face inevitable chaos! During which, King of Hell Chu would utilize this opportunity to strike at the Golden Horse Riders Department. He is aware that during Tie Shi Cheng’s death, we will not be able to send any powerful assassination groups or make any big moves against them."

"At that time, even if our forces were slightly weakened, it would still be a good thing for Iron Cloud Nation! Never mind such a large loss as this!" Diwu Qing Rou suddenly spoke fiercely, "While I do not want to admit this, it is true! King of Hell Chu will be able to use this window!"

Han Bu Chu’s mind was in shock.

He had judged King of Hell Chu very highly. However, what he was unable to believe was that he still underestimated him!

With each step forward, King of Hell Chu had already prepared the next strategy. In each transition from plan to plan, he managed to adapt to the situations at hand and gradually made more powerful moves... All in all, everything had changed in a most delicate manner.

"However, these things are still not enough! He is still far from being able to shake the foundation of our Golden Horse Riders Department! Therefore, it is likely that King of Hell Chu must have other plans!" Diwu Qing Rou thought as he said, "In his next step, King of Hell Chu will likely extend his reach into Great Zhao! However, before he does make his move, I cannot predict what he plans to do next!"

"Prime Minister, doesn’t King of Hell Chu have any weaknesses?" Han Bu Chu asked.

"Weaknesses? Even with superior wisdom, this King of Hell Chu still has many weaknesses!" Diwu Qing Rou said, "One of his such weaknesses is using unusual tactics to surprise people. Such people like adventures and risks! Although people like that might be able to rise quickly but will immediately fall to rock bottom the moment they fail!"

"Risky tactics can only have two possible outcomes! One is total victory; the other is total annihilation!" Diwu Qing Rou said slowly, "Patience is required when dealing with this kind of person! All we need is a single opportunity to turn the tables!"

"Also, while King of Hell Chu is called the King of Hell, he is not the kind that’s ambitious and unscrupulous! While I can see that Tie Bu Tian is a heroic figure, King of Hell Chu is one as well! If that is not the case, then King of Hell Chu would have gotten into a confrontation with Tie Bu Tian! A hero can admire an ambitious person, but an ambitious person would never work under a hero!"

"The word hero is a funny title! With heroes, they always value friendship!" Diwu Qing Rou explained slowly, "Ambitious people are afraid of losing while heroes are afraid of heartaches! If we were to deal with Tie Bu Tian and King of Hell Chu, we must capitalize on their friendship or relationships! For people like them, they will fail if their hearts are hurting!"

"We just need one opportunity... That will be enough!" Han Bu Chu muttered to himself, "Aim at affection..." He suddenly seemed to sense something and became agonized.

Having heard Diwu Qing Rou’s step by step analysis, Han Bu Chu realized how truly frightening King of Hell Chu was! There were many things that were considered ordinary and without meaning to others, yet they had all been carefully pre-arranged by King of Hell Chu!

Such discipline, such mentality... For someone with superior intellect like Han Bu Chu, this was still shocking! Thinking about how King of Hell Chu had orchestrated his plan step by step, Han Bu Chu had not even realized that his clothes had been drenched in cold sweat.