The Human Emperor c1-2382
Page 869
More importantly, those people had vanished in the same way as Wang Chong.
“Charge!”
“The treasure belongs to anyone who gets in there first!”
“Haha, Origin Immortal Art, I’m coming!”
The allure of the treasure had thrown these martial artists into a frenzy, all of them fearing that they would be left behind. None of them noticed what had happened up ahead, nor did anyone care.
Buzz!
One, two, three… one hundred, two hundred, five hundred… more and more people charged over with only one idea on their minds, one wave after another disappearing at a distance of fifty to sixty paces from the Origin Immortal Mountain. In order to obtain the treasure for themselves, many people attacked the martial artists around them. Various kinds of Stellar Energy and weapons flew through the air, creating a scene of utter chaos.
Numerous people dropped to the ground, motionless, before they could charge all the way. Even the evil path disciples of the Five Ancestor Alliance couldn’t help but pale at this sight. If the Five Ancestor Alliance charged in at a time like this, it would probably be dashed to pieces by the frenzied crowd.
“Aieee!”
A shrill and miserable scream suddenly came out of the Origin Immortal Mountain, quickly joined by many more into a vast undulating chorus. The sound made everyone’s hair stand on end.
These screams were like a bucket of ice water. Those martial artists who were heedlessly charging forward while attacking those around them quieted down and stopped their attacks. Even those martial artists at the very front came to an uneasy halt.
“Be careful! There are traps inside!”
An unaffiliated martial artist stopped, his face stricken with unease.
The frightening screams had caused everyone to calm down and realize that many martial artists had simply disappeared.
“Damn it! I just knew that this kind of treasure wouldn’t be that easy to get!”
Although many of them were still anxious to try and obtain the treasure, they were also extremely fearful.
Those martial artists who had charged in had all been of comparable cultivation level, but in just a short while, they had all been slain. From this, one could see just how formidable the traps within were.
“Haha, what a lot of cowards!”
The Black Yin Ancestor made no attempt to hide his disdain. He and Song Yuanyi had yet to move out, but the Black Yin Ancestor and the Five Ancestor Alliance had a different idea in mind. While Song Yuanyi had predicted that there was danger ahead, the Black Yin Ancestor and his people had been waiting for the others to scout the path for them.
And even if these people managed to get the treasure, as long as the Five Ancestor Alliance stood guard at the entrance, no matter who got the Origin Immortal Art, they would have to obediently offer it up to the Five Ancestor Alliance.
“Let’s go! It’s our turn now!”
The Myriad Ghost Ancestor, Pei Luanchang, raised his robe and covered more than a hundred feet with a single stride, breaking away from the group to make his way toward the front.
Now that everyone else had stopped, it was naturally time for the Five Ancestor Alliance to make its move.
Buzz!
The Myriad Ghost Ancestor had just made his first step when the world began to shake. A dazzling golden light soared up from the Origin Immortal Mountain, and then a revolving ‘Wuji’ symbol appeared in the sky.
(TN: The Wuji symbol, which stands for the infinite and everlasting, is literally just a blank circle. The Taiji symbol, which everyone is probably more familiar with, is that of the interlocking black and white spirals symbolizing Yin and Yang.)
Chapter 1386 - Eastern Turkic King
Chapter 1386: Eastern Turkic King
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The golden diagram was vast and grandiose, imbued with an energy that could cause the entire world to lose its luster. Those people who had managed to calm down immediately felt the blood rush to their heads once more, their eyes turning red.
Humans would die for riches as birds did for food. The stimulation of the Origin Immortal Art caused everyone to cast their fears to the back of their head.
“Forget it! You can’t get a tiger cub without entering the tiger’s cave!” an unaffiliated martial artist loudly shouted as he shot forward with astonishing speed. A moment later, in a ripple of light, the martial artist vanished.
Soon after, all the hesitating martial artists began to move toward that fountain of golden light, vanishing into the Origin Immortal Mountain in their fear of falling behind.
The Black Yin Ancestor and the Myriad Ghost Ancestor of the Five Ancestor Alliance had already charged forward, and when they saw this sight, they nastily grimaced.
“These damn things!”
With a grim expression, the Black Yin Ancestor fiercely thrust out a palm. “Aaaah!” Screams tore through the air as ten-some unaffiliated martial artists were blasted to bits by the Black Yin Ancestor’s Stellar Energy, their limbs showering the area. The survivors took flight and scattered, but even more martial artists continued to crazily charge ahead, ignoring the Black Yin Ancestor behind them and vanishing when they got fifty to sixty paces from the Origin Immortal Mountain.
As more and more martial artists charged into the Origin Immortal Mountain, the Myriad Ghost Ancestor and Black Yin Ancestor finally reached their breaking point.
“Everyone, hear my order! Charge into the Origin Immortal Art! Anyone who tries to stop us from obtaining the Origin Immortal Art must die!”
“Yes!”
Following the orders of the two ancestors, the several hundred Five Ancestor Alliance disciples pulled out their swords and charged forward with the Black Yin Ancestor and Myriad Ghost Ancestor, their bodies seething with killing intent.
“Guangting, there’s something fishy about all this,” Song Yuanyi suddenly said. His brow was deeply furrowed, and he stared pensively at that fountain of golden light. “I’ll take in a group to explore while you stay outside with the remaining half to reinforce us at any time!”
Although he did not dare to be careless, he could see that the pure energy of the Origin Immortal Art was soaring into the skies. Whether it was real or faked, he needed to head inside to see what was going on.
Whoosh!
In a flash of light, Song Yuanyi soared into the air. A moment later, he had followed the Black Yin Ancestor and Myriad Ghost Ancestor into the Origin Immortal Mountain.
After seeing Song Yuanyi and the Myriad Ghost Ancestor disappear within, Xie Guangting turned around and began to issue orders.
“Pass on my order! Assume sword formations! Be ready to handle any sort of situation!”
No one knew that in the distance, a pair of eyes was silently watching all this unfold. Only now did they look away.
“Your Highness, this Origin Immortal Mountain seems to have drawn over all the sect experts of the Central Plains.”
On a green hill several li from the Origin Immortal Mountain, a muscular figure turned his head, a look of utmost respect on his face.
“Heh, the Central Plains is truly bursting with talent. Even this little corner of the northwest has no weaklings!”
His robe snapping in the wind, a heavily-bearded middle-aged man with thick brows and narrow eyes smiled. One could tell at a glance that he was not a person of the Central Plains. He wore a black robe and gripped a long flute whose tassel fluttered in the wind, and he exuded an aloof and transcendent aura.
All kinds of Hu ventured deep into the Central Plains, but few of them exuded such a thick aura of nobility as this middle-aged man. There was no question that he was a man of some status.
If someone from Youzhou were present, they would have immediately recognized in shock that this was an Eastern Turkic King known throughout the northeast: Ashina Bagushidu!
This Eastern Turkic King possessed incredibly profound martial arts, and more
than half of Andong Protector-General Zhang Shougui’s operations against the Eastern Turks had been ruined by this man. It was even said that Zhang Shougui had requested a ritual tool from the Sage Emperor to deal with him, joining together with the generals of his army to cultivate a joint attack formation.
But Ashina Bagushidu had never been very interested in the matters of the Eastern Turkic army and court. Unless the territory of the Eastern Turks came under attack, he spent the vast majority of the time on his own, his movements mysterious and secretive. Not even Ozmish, Khagan of the Eastern Turks, could order him around.
No one had expected this renowned Eastern Turkic King to appear in the Great Tang’s northwest, near the location of the Origin Immortal Art.
“Your Highness, that youth was the Great Tang’s King of Foreign Lands! I really didn’t think that we would run into him while searching for the Origin Immortal Art. This King of Foreign Lands happens to be a thorn in the side of Ozmish Khagan and the other nearby countries. All the countries view him with great apprehension, but no one would have expected him to be here instead of the Great Tang’s capital!
“This fellow is very powerful. He was able to stave off Song Yuanyi and Luo Qiyin. This sort of person is truly a lurking disaster for the Eastern Turks!”
Two Eastern Turkic experts flanked Ashina Bagushidu, staring in the direction of the distant Origin Immortal Mountain with shock in their eyes.
Through the Battle of Talas and the Battle of Khorasan, this youth had succeeded in killing nearly one million Arab elites, forcing this bellicose empire to bow its head and bend the knee. There was no country in the region that did not know the name of the King of Foreign Lands.
“And there’s also that Righteous Alliance Lord Song Yuanyi and Myriad Ghost Ancestor Pei Luanchang. These are both top-class experts, but truly, hearing the rumor is inferior to seeing the person. The leaders of the sects of the Central Plains are far more formidable than the information we gathered said they were. Fortunately, these sect leaders are not available for the Great Tang Imperial Court to use. Otherwise, our Eastern Turkic Khaganate would lose innumerable people to such powerful martial artists!” the other Eastern Turkic expert said with a look of awe in his eyes.
When they had first set out for the northwest, they had all held some disdain for the martial artists of the Central Plains, but now that they had seen the battle just now, they were deeply stunned by the strength that had been displayed.
“Haha, so what? No matter how strong Song Yuanyi, Pei Luanchang, or even that King of Foreign Lands are, could they compare to His Highness?”
That first Eastern Turkic expert who had spoken now grinned as he turned his eyes to Ashina Bagushidu.
Ashina Bagushidu held his head high and welcomed these gazes with a silent smile.
That Eastern Turkic expert bowed as he deferentially said, “Your Highness, on this expedition, we can use this chance to take care of the King of Foreign Lands and these sect leaders in one fell swoop, exterminating a danger for our Eastern Turkic Khaganate!”
“Heh, that Emperor Taizong of the Great Tang once said that all the people of the world will gather where there’s an opportunity for profit. For the sake of profit, fathers, mothers, and siblings could fight with each other until blood flowed, much less other people. There’s no need for us to be so impatient. Let these various sects of the Central Plains fight with each other for a while. When the time is right, we can clean up the rest and reap the harvest for ourselves.”
Bagushidu’s robe flapped in the wind as he spoke. His profound eyes and mysterious smile made it seem like everything was under his control.
After gazing into the distance for a few more moments, the people standing on the hilltop vanished.
……
Meanwhile, in a flash of light, Wang Chong appeared in the Origin Immortal Mountain and dropped to the ground. He felt as if he had been drawn into a different world, a new scene appearing before his eyes.
“Master!”
Wang Chong’s eyes brightened as he noticed the Demonic Emperor Old Man down below.
“Mm!”
The Demonic Emperor Old Man solemnly waved a hand at the air, and Wang Chong was immediately pulled by an energy to the Demonic Emperor Old Man’s side.
“How is it? Are your injuries serious?” the Demonic Emperor Old Man asked in concern, pressing a hand on Wang Chong’s shoulder. An immense energy gushed forth into Wang Chong’s body, pacifying Wang Chong’s Stellar Energy and healing his injuries.
“I’m fine! Those two truly are formidable, particularly Song Yuanyi, who is incredibly shrewd and hard to deal with. He clearly saw through my identity but chose to wait until the last moment to make trouble! He truly deserves to be called one of the titans of the martial arts world!” Wang Chong said.
While Song Yuanyi’s Eternal Spring Mantra was something to fear, what was truly frightening about him was his shrewdness and intelligence. Wang Chong had tried so many tricks, even using the exemption provided to him by his Controller of Destiny title, but Song Yuanyi had remained suspicious of Wang Chong until the end while never showing it.
“Song Yuanyi is a very shrewd person with impressive abilities. Besides that, he’s always been paranoid, just as much as the people of the evil path, but he’s never been one to show it. Back then, I hated interacting with him, and he knew that he was no match for me, so we’ve always intentionally avoided each other.
“However, while this person is a crafty and paranoid schemer, you can’t discount his Eternal Spring Mantra. Although I cultivated the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art, I wasn’t able to do much to him. With your heavy injuries and energy in disarray, it was quite a feat to be able to escape from him alive!” the Demonic Emperor Old Man sternly said.
Wang Chong’s eyes widened. He had never imagined that his master would have such a high opinion of Song Yuanyi.
“Eternal Spring Stellar Energy is suited for long and direct battles. You’re no match for him in your current state, so you should avoid fighting him,” the Demonic Emperor Old Man said.
“Your disciple understands. Song Yuanyi truly is a powerful foe. If I hadn’t detected Master’s energy beforehand, I would have never dared to remain there to confidently exchange blows with him and the Black Yin Ancestor,” Wang Chong sternly said.
Wang Chong had seemed to be in great peril back there, surrounded by four titans of the martial arts world, but this had not been the case at all. Even before the Origin Immortal Mountain had begun to actually open, Wang Chong had managed to sense his master’s energy within that illusory mountain in the air, and most importantly, he had managed to communicate with him.
Song Yuanyi had believed that everything was under his control, but Wang Chong had already found a way out.
Chapter 1387 - Master and Disciple Meet!
Chapter 1387: Master and Disciple Meet!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Right, Master, what’s going on here? I waited a long time in the stone formation on the mountain, but there was no sign of you. And how did you get into the Origin Immortal Mountain before it had even appeared? And where is Senior Zhou?” Wang Chong asked. The events of the last few days were a complete blank for him.
“It’s a long story. When Senior Zhou and I went out scouting, we planned for it to be a short trip. But to our surprise, we ran into Song Yuanyi and his many Righteous Alliance experts. Senior Zhou isn’t a powerful martial artist, so I had to protect him, making our escape much more difficult. By the time we got back, you were already gone. I presumed that you had gone on your own to the Origin Immortal Mountain, so I took Senior Zhou and the Village Chief here in advance.
“But both Senior Zhou and I underestimated this place’s power. We had just forced our way inside when we discovered that this place was an immense ancient formation. The formation changed so quickly that before I even had time to prepare myself, I was separated from Senior Zhou an
d the Village Chief. This formation is extremely complicated. Pulling on one part will set the entire thing in motion, and the formation itself is constantly changing. All of us have been trapped in here for some time now.
“The only one who can comprehend this formation is Senior Zhou. I’ve already received word from him that he’s thinking of a way to break the formation, but there’s no solution in the short term,” he Demonic Emperor Old Man heavily said.
“Ah?”
Wang Chong gasped in surprise. After a short daze, he shook himself and inspected his surroundings.
He had been completely focused on his master before, but now, he realized that he was surrounded by a gray haze. It was impossible to distinguish the sky from the earth, and it was also not possible to see what was going on outside. This effect was rather similar to the Four Symbols Yinyang Soul Trap, though on a much stronger level.
Crack!
The crunching of bones came from nearby.
Wang Chong turned his head and saw that a seated skeleton wearing the uniform of a sect disciple had fallen to the ground. This person’s flesh had completely shriveled up, leaving only skin atop a framework of bones. From the look on his face, he had been writhing in excruciating pain before his death.
Looking around, Wang Chong saw more than a dozen such skeletons.
“These were all sect martial artists who blundered into the Origin Immortal Mountain. Even in death, they were not able to leave this place,” the Demonic Emperor Old Man said. “They were already there when I got here. It seems like this place hasn’t opened up just once or twice.”
Wang Chong did not reply, but his heart instantly sank.
“If that’s the case, then what if it’s a trap? If the Origin Immortal Mountain would appear on its own, there’s no need for a treasure map. Someone of the Origin Immortal Lord’s status would have never made such a mistake,” Wang Chong said.