The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  After all, Qutaybah had far too great of an advantage in terms of age and physical strength. And unlike the Demonic Emperor Old Man, his dantian was not shattered.

  When he had exchanged blows with Qutaybah, the Wushang Village Chief could already tell that the Arab War God was extremely difficult to deal with. At the same time, he discovered that the Demonic Emperor Old Man was injured, but for the sake of the greater mission, the Wushang Village Chief had not said a word.

  “Wang Chong, don’t let Qutaybah get suspicious. Lead the soldiers in the pursuit. You can’t let him spot any weakness!”

  Wang Chong said nothing, only gazed at his pale master. Other than when they first met, Wang Chong had never seen the Demonic Emperor Old Man injured before. He was simply far too strong and had even been able to easily suppress Lu Wu. In Wang Chong’s view of the world, his master could never be defeated.

  “Chong-er, go! The mission above all!” the Demonic Emperor Old Man said, his eyes still closed.

  “Village Chief, I’ll leave my master to you!”

  Wang Chong clenched his teeth and finally got back onto his horse to lead the army.

  This pursuit lasted all the way until nightfall before it was finally called off. In the end, the Tang didn’t have much cavalry. Continuing to force the pursuit might break up the army and allow the Arabs a chance to turn and fight.

  Only once he could no longer see the Arabs in front did Wang Chong finally sound the signal and lead the army back to Talas.

  Bang!

  The sight of the victorious army caused the lofty walls of Talas to explode with cheers.

  “Wonderful! The army won! Our Great Tang is victorious!”

  Zhang Shouzhi and the many craftsmen who had followed the army to Talas to assist with the steel walls and other fortifications cheered as they excitedly emerged from the city. Behind them, the nomads and shepherds gathered their courage and followed.

  They hadn’t been able to determine the situation at the start, but when they saw the victorious army and the mercenaries in its ranks, all of them began to loudly cheer.

  The Great Tang had won!

  These soldiers had succeeded in defeating an army of Tibetans, Western Turks, and Arabs that far outnumbered them, five hundred thousand soldiers in all. This was something that no one had imagined to be possible.

  They had truly succeeded in weathering this storm.

  Wang Chong glanced at the cheering crowd, but he spent little time basking in the joy of victory before quickly riding into the city.

  Chapter 1113 - Inheritance, the Origin of Energy!

  Chapter 1113: Inheritance, the Origin of Energy!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Whew!

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man sat cross-legged on a bed, motionless as streams of thick energy rose from the top of his head like steam. After some time, the Demonic Emperor Old Man finally opened his eyes and gave a long sigh. A little redness finally began to gradually return to his pale face.

  Around him, Gao Xianzhi, Wang Chong, Cheng Qianli, and Wang Yan were all closely watching the Demonic Emperor Old Man. When they saw this sight, all of them breathed a sigh of relief.

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man had the highest cultivation level in the entire army. Only he had the strength to fight head-on with Qutaybah. If something happened to him, no one even dared to imagine the consequences.

  Seeing the Demonic Emperor Old Man finish his meditation, Wang Chong immediately stepped forward, his face fraught with worry. “Master, how is it?”

  “I’m fine now!”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man shook his head as he got off the bed. Wang Chong carefully inspected his master and sensed that his aura was still in slight disorder, not as mild and harmonious as it was at the start. Concern flitted through his eyes. It was obvious that his master’s condition was not as good as he claimed.

  Wang Chong turned his head and spoke to the other people in the room. “Lord Gao, General Cheng, thank you. Master is fine, so everyone can go and rest. In addition, I still have a matter to discuss with Master.”

  “Mm, that’s fine. This was truly a dangerous battle. If not for General Li, they might have managed to turn things around. Moreover, everyone has exhausted quite a bit of physical strength and Stellar Energy. All of you should rest.”

  Gao Xianzhi returned to his senses and nodded. He gestured to the others, and they filed out the door.

  Soon after, the room’s only occupants were Wang Chong, the Demonic Emperor Old Man, and the Wushang Village Chief.

  Although the Demonic Emperor Old Man hadn’t known the Wushang Village Chief for very long, the two had comprehended the Great Dao together and could be considered good friends.

  “Master, is it that serious this time?” Wang Chong worriedly asked. There were no outsiders left in the room, so Wang Chong naturally didn’t need to avoid the topic.

  After a long period of silence, the Demonic Emperor Old Man finally nodded.

  “It’s not that it’s very serious this time, but that it’s always been serious. Without the largest qi point that is the dantian, I can’t last for very long in an intense battle that verges on the Subtle realm!”

  “Is there really no way of fixing the dantian?” Wang Chong dejectedly said.

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man glanced at the Wushang Village Chief and both of them shook their heads.

  The Wushang Village Chief spoke before the Demonic Emperor Old Man could say anything. “In truth, after I accompanied your master to the Tibetan Plateau to defeat those Tibetans, your master and I studied many books and texts. Although Wushang Village is isolated from the world, it has a place that contained many books that can’t be found in the outside world. Brother Wenfu and I read through all these books and browsed through some other information, but we found no relevant texts.

  “The dantian is the origin of qi in the human body. If the dantian is shattered, there has never been a case where someone is able to cultivate again. It’s already astonishing enough for Brother Wenfu to return to the peak after having it shattered. This old man has lived to a ripe old age, but if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would have never believed it.”

  Wang Chong glanced over and saw that the Demonic Emperor Old Man was silent, clearly giving his tacit approval to these words.

  “How could this be…” Wang Chong muttered.

  No one was clearer than Wang Chong on the Demonic Emperor Old Man’s cultivation and attainments. Across the world of sects, perhaps across the entire world, his master was undoubtedly a peerless existence. If not even he could do anything about this problem, then it would probably be impossibly difficult to find a method that could repair a dantian.

  “Chong-er, there’s no need for you to worry. Your master has lived for a very long time and has no regrets. Your master is more concerned about that Qutaybah,” the Demonic Emperor Old Man said.

  “Your master and the Village Chief might have succeeded in driving him away this time, but he’s still much younger than we are. Once he’s recovered from his injuries, he will come back. The Village Chief and I have no problem with temporarily stopping him, but over the long term, whether it’s me or the Village Chief, the task will be very difficult.”

  Wang Chong said nothing, a dark cloud of worry gathering on his forehead.

  The Wushang Village Chief and the Demonic Emperor Old Man were the strongest members on the Tang side. If not even they could deal with Qutaybah, then probably no one could. Moreover, his master’s dantian had been shattered, and the Wushang Village Chief was more than ninety years old. Qutaybah was superior to them in both these aspects, and this was a fact that Wang Chong could not change.

  “Master, rest first. As for Qutaybah, no matter what, I’ll think of a way to defeat him.”

  At these words, the Demonic Emperor Old Man and the Wushang Village Chief exchanged a glance and broke into smiles.

  “Hahaha, I discussed
this matter with your master, and it’s true that we can only rely on you.”

  The Wushang Village Chief stroked his beard and chuckled.

  “Correct. Chong-er, this is also your master’s opinion. Your talent and comprehension abilities are the rarest your master has seen in his entire life. That you were able to reach the Saint Martial realm so quickly is proof of your capabilities!”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man faintly smiled.

  “!!!”

  Wang Chong stared in shock at his smiling master and the Wushang Village Chief, utterly baffled as to what they were trying to say.

  “But, Master, even though I can use the Yama Formation, I still haven’t actually reached the Great General level, whereas Qutaybah is an expert who is near the Subtle realm. With my current cultivation, how could I possibly be a match for Qutaybah?” Wang Chong said.

  His master’s and the Wushang Village Chief’s words had been far too abrupt and unexpected. Wang Chong had never properly fought with Qutaybah, but he understood that the gap between them was unthinkably vast.

  “The current you naturally can’t do it.”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man smiled, his gaze wise and profound.

  “So you need to carefully listen to every word your master says from now on. Village Chief, let this master and disciple have some time alone. But I will have to delay you a little longer and trouble you to stand guard for us.”

  “Haha, Brother Wenfu, you’re too polite,” the Village Chief said, and quickly strode out.

  A dazed Wang Chong glanced at the Demonic Emperor Old Man but suddenly understood and said no more.

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man saw that Wang Chong had already understood and gave a slight nod. Wang Chong had an incredible ability to comprehend and reason, one of the traits that greatly pleased the Demonic Emperor Old Man.

  “Chong-er, you and Xiaoyao are my last two disciples and my only two disciples,” the Demonic Emperor Old Man said. “Xiaoyao has a naughty personality that not even your master can do anything about, so the person to truly inherit my legacy is you alone. Your master has already passed the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art to you, so now, your master will pass the Myriad Spirit Sea Art to you. This was your master’s other important reason in coming all the way to this faraway city of Talas.”

  A hint of gratitude flickered through Wang Chong’s eyes.

  His master was truly doing all he could to assist him, teaching everything he knew. Except by his own family members, Wang Chong had never been treated so well. In Wang Chong’s heart, he had already begun to treat the Demonic Emperor Old Man as a relative.

  These thoughts lasted in Wang Chong’s mind for a few moments and he quickly calmed himself down.

  “But Master, didn’t you say that the Myriad Spirit Sea Art conflicts with the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art and perhaps all other arts as well?”

  Wang Chong composed his mind and sternly said, “The Myriad Spirit Sea Art requires creation after destruction, and recultivating requires an extremely long time. The matter of Talas is still not completely settled, so your disciple cannot restart his cultivation at this time.”

  The Myriad Spirit Sea Art allowed one to make all of one’s acupuncture points into dantians, conflicting with all the other known arts and techniques of the Central Plains. This made it impossible for other martial artists to cultivate the Myriad Spirit Sea Art.

  “Haha, that was then and this is now. In the past, this would have naturally been impossible. But your master is not merely teaching you the Myriad Spirit Sea Art, but the very origin of the Dao of Energy.”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man smiled.

  “The Dao of Energy?”

  Wang Chong raised his eyebrows and looked up in surprise. These words were completely different from what he had expected.

  “Any martial movement is just the form. As long as one understands the laws and principles that these movements touch upon, one can bypass all the restrictions and limits to cultivate them. The same applies for the Myriad Spirit Sea Art.”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man lightly stroked his beard and smiled as he spoke of a principle that vastly differed from established martial theory.

  Wang Chong was taken aback at first, but then he seemed to understand and began to think.

  “Chong-er, your master will now tell you the entire mantra to the Myriad Spirit Sea Art. Listen carefully! Qi is linked to Qi, the myriad things bring forth each other…”

  Time was short, and so the Demonic Emperor Old Man immediately recited the entirety of the Myriad Spirit Sea Art’s mantra. Wang Chong did not dare to show the slightest sign of neglect as his master passed on his teachings, and focused his mind so that he could listen. The Myriad Spirit Sea Art had more than ten thousand words and its contents were extremely abstruse.

  “Chong-er, remember them!”

  As an elderly voice rang in his ear, the Demonic Emperor Old Man patted him on the shoulder.

  “Now, I will tell you the true Dao of Energy!”

  Bang!

  A second later, there was a boom as Wang Chong’s soul was abruptly pulled away, and he followed the Demonic Emperor Old Man into a mysterious and never-before-seen world.

  “Chong-er, open your eyes and look carefully. This is the true face of energy. Only when one understands the essence of energy can one touch upon the Subtle realm.”

  The common people knew Great Generals to be the peak of the martial path, but few people knew that there was an even more profound and exquisite realm above, the ‘Subtle realm’.

  Even though people as powerful as Gao Xianzhi and Duwu Sili were revered by the common folk, they still knew not one thing about the Subtle realm. And if existences like the Wushang Village Chief and the Demonic Emperor Old Man hadn’t spent their entire lives researching the martial path, they would have never discovered this realm.

  To pass the Myriad Spirit Sea Art and all he had comprehended about the unfathomable Subtle realm to Wang Chong was the Demonic Emperor Old Man’s true goal.

  Wang Chong felt greatly blessed, and he cast aside all his other thoughts to put all his focus into sensing the world around him.

  Chapter 1114 - The World of Energy!

  Chapter 1114: The World of Energy!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  In a rush of wind, endless light surged in from around Wang Chong. This was the first time Wang Chong had ever touched upon such an exquisite realm. He saw countless points of light of various colors that filled every part of the sky.

  Is this the world’s energy? Wang Chong inwardly muttered to himself as he looked around.

  “Correct!”

  A familiar voice came out of the void, his master’s voice.

  “The world contains tens of thousands of different kinds of energy. The Stellar Energy we cultivate is one kind, or perhaps you could say it is several kinds. If techniques are different and energies are different, then the character will naturally be different as well. We draw this worldly energy into our bodies so that we can use it. This is what happens in the cultivation of the martial path.”

  “Many thanks, Master, for your instruction. Your disciple understands!”

  Wang Chong instantly understood.

  With a soul that had lived through different worlds, Wang Chong was more intuitively aware of these principles than the Demonic Emperor Old Man. The Demonic Emperor Old Man only had to point them out for Wang Chong to immediately understand.

  “Haha, Chong-er, you truly do have incredible comprehension abilities. Your master and the Village Chief had to spend a very long time to finally understand this principle. I originally believed that you would also need a very long time. I didn’t think that you would understand the moment it was pointed out.”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man had a gratified look on his face. The student had surpassed the master, and with such an outstanding disciple with so much potential, what regrets could he possibly ha
ve?

  “Chong-er, sense carefully. What do you sense? The different colors represent different characters, and even different colors have a difference in levels. Some of them are just trickling streams while others are vigorous rivers. As martial artists, what we need to do is absorb these mighty rivers of energy to constantly strengthen ourselves.

  “Thus, if you do this, even if your cultivation level has not risen, your strength will still undergo a quintessential transformation, and you will be able to display a fighting power above your cultivation level. When you have reached this level, what does it matter that you are not a Great General yet?”

  Buzz!

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man’s words caused another shift in Wang Chong’s eyes. The entire world instantly became much richer, the colors more dazzling. Every point in the world contained a differently colored ball of energy. As Wang Chong focused his senses, this world became much more distinct, as if he was looking at it through a magnifying glass.

  Wang Chong understood now that his master was using his powerful cultivation to directly send his view of the world into Wang Chong’s eyes. At this moment, their minds were linked, so Wang Chong could naturally see whatever the Demonic Emperor Old Man could see.

  Wang Chong had experienced this kind of thing before, so he cherished this opportunity even more. He immediately opened his mind and threw himself into this world of energy.

  In the world of consciousness and energy, the body did not exist, nor did any other solid object.

  As Wang Chong vigorously expanded his mind, he understood more and more. These balls of energy could be found all over this world, and when he sensed carefully, he noticed that some of these brightly-colored balls were as fiercely explosive as fire, others like gentle streams of water. Some were as cold as frost while others were as warm as the sun…

  One kind, two, three, four kinds… as Wang Chong explored, he came into contact with more and more different kinds of energy—one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand! The more Wang Chong sensed and felt this world’s energy, the more he realized that it wasn’t something as simple as Origin Energy and Stellar Energy. These were just generalized names, with the actual mixture of energies martial artists used to cultivate being far more complicated.