Chu Yang followed Wu Yunliang into the cave hidden within the crevice and as he entered, he saw a small, stone column platform. It was crafted into a sitting bench and upon closer inspection, there were signs of which it was frequently used.
Wu Yunliang walked towards it and pulled his sleeves in a graceful manner before sitting down. He looked at Chu Yang, staring at him for a slight moment before he smiled from the corner of his mouth as though it was a moment of deja vu.
"You weren't bad." Wu Yunliang' said as though cutting his first sentence short.
"The three individuals who you saw earlier clothed in black were from the Golden Horse Rider Department of Great Zhao. Specifically being controlled by Prime Minister Diwu Qingrou. The presence of this department is kept under tight wraps and their existence is not known to many." Wu Yunliang mentioned without giving Chu Yang an opportunity to speak.
"Golden Horse Rider Department, Diwu Qingrou…" Chu Yang was deep in thought. In his past life, these two names were well known throughout the land without a single person whom had not heard their names before!
The Golden Horse Rider Department was, in fact, the secret weapon of the Great Zhao Dynasty.
Diwu Qingrou, despite his name meaning gentle, was a powerful and extremely talented individual. His name was spread across all corners of the land and known by many. There were rumours that he first started without any basic knowledge of martial arts. However, he began to read when he was only 3 years old and completed schooling a mere 2 years later. At 13, his talents and depth of knowledge were so great that he was renowned throughout and soon after became an official at the tender age of 16, who managed an entire group of towns effectively and orderly.
By 20, he was already the overseer of the Southeast territory of Great Zhao and 5 years later, he became an official in the imperial courts involved in the management of the territories of the enter Great Zhao Nation. Currently, he is the Prime Minister and is not even 35 years of age! His current position allowed him to hold dominion over millions of people, controlling the imperial courts and officials. His influence and power is one to behold!
All of his achievements were accomplished within less than 35 years. There is simply no one who could hold a candle to him!
Originally, officials were in constant conflict with one another. However, as soon as Minister Diwu took over, he managed to reform the entire system, unifying the scholars and military officials. This was partially attributed to his ambition to expand the borders and his capability to oversee the entire nation effectively!
One of his greatest desires and ambitions was to rule and unify everyone under the heavens!
In Chu Yang's precious life, Diwu Qingrou was the keeper of the Lower Three Heavens Continent, commanding all of its regions. Despite the magnitude of the entire area, there wasn't a single conspiracy which was cast over the shadow of his influence.
Diwu Qing Roy utilised the might of the Golden Horse Rider Department which carried out the assassination of Crown Price Tie Butian, the heir to the ruler of Iron Cloud Nation. Subsequently, he seized the opportunity, decimating the Iron Cloud using the force of the armoured Cavalry of Great Zhao. The power and reach of Great Zhao grew astronomically and conquered Limitless Nation. It was then that all of the Lower Three Heavens was under the rule of Great Zhao!
However, the greatest thing about Diwu Qing Roy was not how he solely controlled and utilised the imperial court's power but also the sects in Jiang Hu. This was done by manipulating their greed and ambitions either to nurture chaos or create allies, enabling Great Zhao to accomplish tasks that were seemingly impossible.
Furthermore, if he had not admitted that he had used the sects, they would never have had realised that they were being manipulated by his deception!
In his previous life, when Chu Yang was searching for the Nine Tribulation Sword fragments in the Upper Three Heavens, Great Zhao nation had already conquered Iron Cloud and Limitless Nation, expanding its borders vastly and quickly. The name Golden Horse Rider Department had thus become well known from the role that they played during their conquests.
However, Wu Yunliang was not privy to the information Chu Yang had and continued to explain to him what the Golden Horse Rider Department was.
"This disciple only wants to know why you did not stop it?" Chu Yang's eyes narrowed.
"Why should I stop it?" Wu Yunliang smiled.
"Huh?"
"During the past 5 years, I have been present and listening in at every meeting that the second martial brother has had with them." Wu Yunliang replied, smiling with sarcasm. "Therefore, I have been aware of everything that has been going on and the details of each of their conversations."
Chu Yang became even more alarmed. He looked at Wu Yunliang's face and could not help but sense feelings of disappointment welling up within him.
Chu Yang looked down at Wu Yunliang because in his previous life, the sect was destroyed and he believed that any master who allowed the destruction of his own sect is not worth mentioning! This was the impression he had gotten from his past life as he had no interactions with him. However, now that he knew that Wu Yunliang was extremely shrewd, he realised that he had been too quick to jump to conclusions.
Actually, when you thought about it, no one who gets chosen as a sect leader would be an idiot.
However, the fact remains that Wu Yunliang had indeed let a conspiracy develop for five years!
The question is why?
Chu Yang looked at Wu Yunliang's composed face and seemed to vaguely begin to understand his situation.
"The other martial brothers have been disgruntled ever since I became the Master of Beyond the Heavens Sect even to the extent that they wanted to stage a coup d'état. Even the elders within the sect began to split into different factions. This disunity began to grow and had to be dealt with in order for a sect to prosper." Wu Yunliang said with a heavy heart. "That is the reason why I had let the situation be always observing closely. If I was not successful, either way, the sect would be destroyed."
"However, slightly into the second year of their conspiracy, I finally discovered their true motives. They were trying to use the fact that Beyond the Heavens Sect colluding with outsiders to wage a war between Great Zhao and Iron Cloud. This would therefore only be a small price to pay in the grand scheme of conquering everything under the heavens."
"How is this possible?" Chu Yang asked in fear. "It seems quite impossible for a sect to start a war between two major countries!"
"Nothing is impossible. What's important is whether you do it and how you do it." Wu Yunliang laughed coldly.
"Err, sect master, why would you tell me all these things? Isn't this the first time we are meeting?" The more than Wu Yunliang told Chu Yang, the more uneasy that he became. He felt as though he was being pulled into part of a larger conspiracy. It was as though he had been trapped and there was no way he could escape."
"Don't worry, just calm down. I have a reason why I am telling you all of this. Just have a seat." Wu Yunliang said glaring at Chu Yang.
Chu Yang raised his eyebrow in suspicion of Wu Yunliang's intentions as he reluctantly found a rock to sit down on. Coincidentally, the rock that he sat on was bigger and taller than the one that Wu Yunliang was sitting on.
Earlier when he was standing and Wu Yunliang was sitting, it seemed as though Chu Yang was the subordinate listening to the orders. However, now that he was sitting down, even though his height was about the same as when he was standing, their positions seemed to have reversed, with Chu Yang being superior to that of Wu Yunliang.
The Sect Master was sat beneath him; this situation was indeed paradoxical.
Wu Yunliang raised an eyebrow and laughed as if it was nothing. He looked straight at Chu Yang without mentioning anything about his actions and continued to talk.
Chu Yang groaned in disappointment within. He tried to make Wu Yunliang feel discontented at his behaviour, and provide him with a reason to take his leave. This would allow him to escape from being caught inside this conspiracy. Surprisingly, this cunning man pretended not bothered by it at all.
Curiosity can kill. This was true enough.
Chu Yang was filled with regret. I didn't have to give chase to those three! I have really done myself in this time…
"Despite being the Crown Prince of Iron Cloud, Tie Butian was young, only at a tender age of 17 or 18. Not only is he talented, he values everyone in Jiang Hu, especially the martial artists. He had even created a place known as the Bu Tian Pavilion, a common place where heroes could gather from all over. He has respect for the wise and constantly searches for talented individuals, treating them with generosity. He was a rare youth indeed. The entire country of Iron Cloud nation is dependent on him for daily operations due to the sickly condition of Cloud Nation's Kind, Tie Shi Cheng who is ill and bedridden. Truly, he is the pillar of the Iron Cloud military!"
"You can say that if Tie Butian died, Iron Cloud nation will definitely fall!"
Chu Yang drooped and mumbled in agreement.
So what if he is a talented youth? He'll be killed 3 years from now. The entire country destroyed along with him. Chu Yang remembered his death because Great Zhao sent more than 500 expert martial artists. They even spent an extremely large amount of money to hire assassins from other organisations to ensure the success of their mission. However, no one returned alive despite their success!
At that time, the news shook the entire world. The Iron Cloud Nation had retaliated with extreme cruelty; it was a blood-soaked revenge. Thousands died in the four districts on Great Zhao border – and even livestock was not spared! It was clear that the Crown Prince of Iron Cloud held an important place in their hearts…