Chapter 53: The Contempt of the Nine Tribulations Sword

The large man waved his hand, and with a whistle, the eighty or ninety black-clothed, masked men who had gathered around immediately formed a neat line. In the blink of an eye, they formed a solid wall in front of everyone, their imposing presence indicating their elite status.

Old Gao and the remaining four guards felt as if they were in a dream.

Seeing the situation becoming increasingly dire, with the enemy about to succeed, everyone felt an overwhelming sense of anger and frustration. Just when it seemed there was no hope, Chu Yang suddenly appeared with a captive, and his first words were to order both sides to stop!

And the other side actually complied!

Only now did they realize that the captive was the commander of the group!

Damn! This was too coincidental, too incredible!

In the nick of time, he had infiltrated the enemy camp alone, captured their leader, and calmly returned under their pursuit. With his own strength, he had turned the tide of battle in an instant. Was this a myth? Or a legend?

It seemed such a thing had never been heard of in reality!

Everyone's gaze toward Chu Yang changed instantly.

"There is one thing I want to... speak with him," the leader of the black-clothed, masked men said, looking at Chu Yang. "I need to confirm that he is still alive."

"No problem," Chu Yang agreed readily, slapping the back of the large man in his grasp. A cold, icy gas penetrated the man's body from his palm.

The large man shuddered and immediately regained consciousness. Seeing his situation, he became furious. Struggling, he shouted, "What are you waiting for? Kill them!"

"But you—"

"Don't worry about me!" the large man roared. "What time is it to care about my life?"

"Sir, your mask is still on," Chu Yang gently reminded him. "And you have already lost. In this situation, even if you order us to die together, do you think it's possible? Will your subordinates follow?"

The large man was taken aback, furious. "Bastard! Who are you? Lost? What gives you the right to say I have lost?"

"My right is..." Chu Yang said arrogantly, "...that you are now in my hands! I am the butcher, and you are the fish and meat!"

The large man breathed heavily, his eyes filled with intense humiliation and unwillingness. Suddenly, he twisted his neck and lunged toward the sword!

A chorus of gasps rose.

Chu Yang sneered, grabbed him with one hand, spun him around, and kicked him in the buttocks, growling, "If you don't listen, even if you die, I will remove your mask, strip you naked, and hang you on the flagpole of Iron Cloud City! Try me, and see if I can do it!"

The large man trembled, finally calming down. He was not afraid of death, but Chu Yang's method was utterly vicious!

Given his reputation in Iron Cloud, if he were to die and be humiliated in such a way, it would be unbearable! Not to mention the reputation of his family and the military...

"Fine, fine," he sighed deeply. "All you want is to reach Iron Cloud City safely. I promise not to intercept you."

"But I don't trust you!" Chu Yang said coldly. "Therefore, you must personally escort us for a while!"

"You!" The large man turned sharply, glaring at Chu Yang.

Chu Yang's heart stirred. This man's eyes were filled with the authority to decide life and death, boundless cruelty, and a haughty disdain for life and death!

This was definitely a man of high rank and power!

"Don't glare at me. Once we are safe, I will let you go. I know what you are worried about. Don't worry; I won't make things difficult for you or expose your identity. Not even to myself," Chu Yang said calmly. "I don't trust your promise, but now you have to trust me."

He paused, then added, "You have no other choice!"

The large man stared at him for a long time, then snorted and waved his hand. "Go on. I'll play along with them."

"Brother!" The leader of the black-clothed, masked men stepped forward, suddenly throwing his large knife to the ground and walking over with his hands outstretched. "Let me take my brother's place! I promise to listen to you on the way. Please be assured, though I am not as important as my brother, we will keep our word."

"Damn it! Get the hell out of here!" Chu Yang's captive roared, furious. "You're trying to drive me mad! When I get back, I'll exterminate your entire family, your nine generations! How dare you mess around in front of me? Get out, get out!"

"Take your weapons, damn it, we'll need them! Get out, get out. Are you happy to see me in this state, you bastards? Get out already!" the large man shouted angrily.

Under his scolding, the dozens of men finally reluctantly retreated.

"Listen to me! If you dare to harm my brother in any way, we will hunt you down to the ends of the earth and tear you apart, even if it means the extermination of our nine generations!"

The leader of the black-clothed, masked men shouted fiercely, then turned and walked away, looking back every few steps. Soon, they disappeared into the forest.

Seeing them finally retreat, Chu Yang was finally exhausted and sat down on the ground. His hands were trembling, and he barely managed to reach into his clothes, grabbing the purple crystal jade, ready to use it to recover his energy.

A domineering thought arose, and the soul of the Nine Tribulations Sword appeared, blocking his intention.

Chu Yang was speechless, inwardly cursing: Damn it, you didn't help during the battle, and now you won't even let me recover!

"During the battle, you didn't use the power of the Nine Tribulations Sword, so how could I help you? I am only an assistant, not someone who takes over your body. Whether it's your body or your will, you, Chu Yang, are always the dominant one, not the Nine Tribulations Sword. You need to understand this. Besides, when you are completely exhausted, using your own strength to recover can help you break through your limits and increase your power. If you let this damned jade, which is only heavy and useless, help you recover, what kind of breakthrough would that be?"

Chu Yang had not expected the Nine Tribulations Sword to respond, let alone with such a long speech, which left him stunned.

The purple crystal jade, an unparalleled treasure, was described by the sword soul as a "damned jade that is only heavy and useless"!

"Once you solve the mystery of your identity, I will be the first to devour this damned jade! It's frustrating to see so much energy and not be able to absorb it!" the sword soul grumbled angrily, then fell silent without waiting for Chu Yang's reply.

Damn!

Chu Yang was dumbfounded. So this guy had been eyeing the jade all along!

"You can absorb it now. No one is stopping you," Chu Yang probed.

"Then how will you find your parents? Do you plan to wander the world naked?" the soul of the Nine Tribulations Sword roared angrily, muttering, "I haven't found a suitable host in tens of thousands of years, and now I finally find one, and it's a stubborn fool!"

"Who are you calling a fool?" Chu Yang was thoroughly enraged, his small universe erupting. He shouted, his eyebrows furrowed, and his hair standing on end. Damn it, no one in his past or present life had dared to call him that, and a sword actually had the nerve to do so! This was intolerable!

"I... I didn't call you that," a confused voice said.

Old Gao approached Chu Yang with a complex expression, about to thank him, but was taken aback when Chu Yang suddenly opened his eyes and shouted, "Who are you calling a fool?"

The old man was completely baffled. Did I call you a fool? I haven't even said anything yet!