Transcending the Nine Heavens

“Today, let us brothers travel together!” Ye Chenchen suddenly smiled sorrowfully, “Before his death, Chen Yu expressed that he wished to meet our father at Heaven's Gate. How can we let Chen Yu have the first honor? Several brothers are waiting below in Nine Springs; it would be truly joyous for us to set off together to Yellow Springs!”

Zhuge Cangtian lowered his head with a somber expression, muttering, “Going to Nine Springs is also fine; the matter of Uncle Jun’s family from back then still lingers in my mind... Even if we can truly ascend to the Nine Heavens Threshold and see our father, how should we speak to him? After telling him, what face will our father have to meet Uncle Jun?”

“Since we have already brought shame upon ourselves, let us end it here. We shouldn’t let our forebears feel ashamed any longer…”

Ye Chenchen, Stone Roar, and Zhuge Cangtian sighed simultaneously and spoke in unison, “I really envy Ling Mu Yang and Li Chunbo…”

The three exchanged bitter smiles, falling into silence for a moment.

Back in those days, only Ling Mu Yang and Li Chunbo were not involved; everyone else, directly or indirectly, had participated. Now, it was truly a case of lamenting the past, regretting not having acted differently…

“Why is it that our forebears can remain unwavering in life and death, yet we cannot?” Ye Chenchen sighed, hands clasped behind his back, “Before his death, Chen Yu said he lamented having no chance to redo his life… But what in our forebears’ lives truly needs a redo? Even when faced with death, they wouldn’t sigh like that, would they?”

Zhuge Cangtian smiled bitterly, “Big Brother, that's fundamentally different; there’s no room for comparison between the two; our forebears' unwavering bond comes from enduring countless hardships together. The so-called ‘friendship’ is nurtured little by little through adversity. We… our lives have been far too smooth; we don’t know what hardship is, what a true friendship is.”

“Our lives have been too smooth?!” Ye Chenchen and Stone Roar both trembled at his words.

“We’ve experienced so little together, and our goals and thoughts have differed; thus, even with the protection of our forebears, we cannot unite as one.”

“However, we at least understand those feelings, so we can ultimately awaken… that is already quite good, even if our realization came a bit late,” Zhuge Cangtian said. “Understanding is understanding; once we understand, it’s a gain; although we may not be as heroic as our forebears, we are certainly better than those who drift through life without purpose.”

Stone Roar laughed heartily, “Indeed, some people live their entire lives without ever understanding ‘loyalty’! All they see are benefits. Even when hearing stories of deep loyalty, they might refute: ‘Is there really such brotherhood in this world?’ Such people are even more pathetic and ridiculous than us…”

“Ignorance is not a sin, but slandering beauty with baseless words is truly detestable!” Ye Chenchen couldn’t help but chuckle lightly, “However, those people are just as despicable as us. They haven’t experienced it because they’ve had no opportunities or capabilities; compared to them, we are even more despicable because we have our forebears to guide us…”

The three shared a bitter smile, and before facing death, the brothers spoke and laughed as if forgetting the impending journey to the Road to the Underworld.

…

Outside the city, the Law Sovereign’s army had suffered significant losses after continuous battles, shrinking by at least a third, if not more.

Both sides fought fiercely, each risking their lives; while the coalition of the Nine Great Clans was completely wiped out, the losses on the enforcers’ side were also catastrophic, hardly qualifying as a victory, and even claiming to have the upper hand felt very forced.

The rare downpour had gradually decreased but continued to pour relentlessly.