The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  To think that there was someone in this world who could predict what would happen after his death, far into the future, Wang Chong inwardly muttered to himself.

  Wang Chong only knew what he knew because he had lived through the experience, but the Origin Immortal Lord was different. It seemed as if this legendary existence who had passed away long ago possessed many abilities that others were unaware of.

  But the world is ever-changing. Even the Origin Immortal Lord probably had his shortcomings. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have the owner of this skeleton damaging the stele. It seems that even the Origin Immortal Lord can make a mistake. Though I’m here, nothing catches my eye except this stele.

  Based on the stele’s text, the Origin Immortal Lord had made arrangements for each person. For example, Li Si had obtained the ‘Scroll of Wisdom’ that he could use to assist his sovereign.

  But it seemed like he had left nothing for Wang Chong, whether he was the fourth or the fifth.

  Buzz!

  Wang Chong smiled as this thought occurred to him, but suddenly, a massive pull erupted from the stele, and before Wang Chong could react, his right hand was fixed to the stele’s surface.

  One stream of Stellar Energy after another flowed through his palm and into the stele.

  A moment later, beams of light shot out of the stele, each beam swirling with various characters.

  At this point, the Stone of Destiny began to translate.

  “Give up on the self to obtain the self. Give up on the true self to obtain the supreme origin.” Wang Chong muttered out the first two lines.

  Before Wang Chong could react, the stele shifted once more. All the words vanished, leaving only a ball of murky Origin Energy.

  The Origin Energy began to spiral like a vortex, soon manifesting into the images of the Yin and Yang.

  But a moment later, Yin and Yang shifted into four small beasts: a vermillion bird, a black tortoise, an azure dragon, and a white tiger.

  These four beasts were extremely lifelike. Calling and roaring, they turned into an eight-sided formation.

  “It’s the Origin Immortal Formation!”

  In shock, Wang Chong recognized this formation.

  This diagram was none other than a miniature Origin Immortal Formation.

  As Wang Chong stood there in a daze, his Stellar Energy began to rumble and surge.

  And while Wang Chong had already stopped using his Psychic Energy, it seemed to be stimulated at this time and erupted forward like bamboo after a rain.

  He already possessed immense reserves of Psychic Energy, and now, these reserves were rapidly expanding, and his Psychic Energy even seemed on the verge of turning tangible.

  If the deceased Masil had seen this sight, he would have undoubtedly been flabbergasted.

  Moreover, the chaotic state of Wang Chong’s Stellar Energy suddenly began to calm down, and he could clearly sense a pure energy flowing into his pores and circulating through his body.

  Unlike other energies, this energy did not conflict with the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art. On the contrary, it nurtured Wang Chong’s flesh and meridians, even assisting Wang Chong in solidifying his cultivation and pushing him ever closer to the Subtle realm.

  But Wang Chong’s attention was focused elsewhere by this time.

  As he gazed at the constantly shifting images and words in the sky, he seemed to understand something.

  “The origin, the origin…” Wang Chong muttered.

  For one moment, he seemed to understand, but a moment later, he felt like he understood nothing at all. Immersed in thought, he became motionless.

  After a long, long while, Wang Chong finally roused himself from his meditation.

  “I’m still missing something.”

  Wang Chong sighed as he opened his eyes.

  Destiny was not something that one could force. The words on the stele had been left by the Origin Immortal Lord, and as the creator of the Origin Immortal Art, he had undoubtedly reached an unfathomable level of cultivation. The word ‘Origin’ was undoubtedly a summation of all he had comprehended in his life of martial arts. Although he had reached a very high level of cultivation himself, he was still lacking compared to the Origin Immortal Lord.

  I can’t force it. Let’s meet up with Master first, Wang Chong said to himself. He took one last glance at the stele but noticed nothing new.

  Wang Chong began to inspect his surroundings, at which point he realized that he was in a cave. This cave had a diameter of ten-some meters, and his surroundings were pitch-black, making it impossible for him to know where he was.

  “And how do I get out of here? If the Origin Immortal Lord can see the future, what sort of arrangements did he make?” Wang Chong muttered to himself.

  Chapter 1417 - Joining Together Again!

  Chapter 1417: Joining Together Again!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  As Wang Chong mused to himself, the cave began to rumble. The wall next to him suddenly collapsed in a shower of dust and dirt, revealing a square opening several feet tall. And through this opening, he could make out a stone stairway.

  At first, Wang Chong was startled by this sight, but then, his face became a more complicated mixture of emotions.

  Wang Chong had basically known nothing about the Origin Immortal Lord before this. Moreover, as the King of Foreign Lands, an existence close to the Subtle realm, he felt that no matter how strong the Origin Immortal Lord was, he couldn’t be that much stronger.

  But when the wall collapsed, revealing a passage, Wang Chong felt as if the Origin Immortal Lord was utterly unfathomable. His every movement and even his thoughts seemed to be known by this man. Not even one thousand years seemed to be able to fend off his eyes.

  “Senior, my deepest thanks!”

  Wang Chong was soon flying up the staircase and out of the cave.

  Hwooo! Keeee!

  He had barely emerged from the cave when what seemed like the keening of ghosts resounded in his ear. At the same time, countless grains of sand beat against Wang Chong’s body. All Wang Chong could see before him was endless yellow sand.

  “This is… the Qixi desert!”

  Wang Chong realized with a jolt that this environment was clearly that of Qixi’s Moheyan Desert.

  “To think that the Origin Immortal Formation actually teleported me here!”

  A hint of astonishment flashed in Wang Chong’s eyes.

  It was already dark. After taking stock of his surroundings, Wang Chong headed northward.

  Not long after he left, in that cave beneath the Moheyan Desert, that ancient stele began to crack and crumble, and a few moments later, it was nothing but a pile of rubble.

  ……

  The Origin Immortal Formation was on the northwestern side of the Moheyan Desert, and Wang Chong sped in that direction. Four to six hours later, he sensed three familiar auras. At almost the same moment, an elderly voice called out in excitement.

  “Chong-er!”

  Directly to his north, under the dim starlight, Wang Chong spotted three figures headed his way.

  “Master!”

  Wang Chong was also elated, and he rushed to meet up with his master.

  “Hahaha, Wang Chong, kid, it really is you!”

  As they joined together, the short figure of the Formation Elder gave Wang Chong a fierce hug, his expression brimming with enthusiasm.

  “Rascal, we were searching for you for ages!”

  Although this wasn’t even his disciple, the Formation Elder cherished Wang Chong perhaps even more than the Demonic Emperor Old Man did.

  Wang Chong had only spent a little while learning from him, and yet he had managed to break the world’s number one formation. The Formation Elder regarded him as a treasure in every way.

  Wang Chong failed to notice the Formation Elder’s abnormal ardor, instead turning to his master and curiously asking, “Master, how did you manage to find me?”


  An elderly voice came from the side. “We searched almost the entire northwest for you, but after finding no trace of you, it was your master who eventually said that we should look in the Moheyan Desert. Although this place is devoid of both man and beast, it was also the only place we hadn’t searched yet.” The Wushang Village Chief, wielding his white cane, slowly walked forward and looked in relief at Wang Chong.

  The Wushang Village Chief had not been destined to enter the Origin Immortal Formation and had been separated from the Demonic Emperor even before that. In the end, it was only after the Demonic Emperor and the Formation Elder had left the formation that they finally met up again in the northwest.

  Creee!

  The sharp cry of a bird came from high overhead.

  All four of them looked up in alarm, but in the dark and cloud-covered sky, they could barely make out anything. All that could be seen in the dim starlight was a large bird with open wings flying in another direction.

  “Chong-er, this isn’t the place to talk. Let’s get out of here first.”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man quickly looked away, his eyes narrowing and his expression turning solemn.

  “Master, what’s going on? Is it the Righteous Alliance?” Wang Chong said, also sensing something strange.

  It was already very late, so Wang Chong had thought that he would have a few moments to chat with his master. But it now seemed that even though the Origin Immortal Formation had been broken, the events of the northwest were still far from concluded.

  “The Righteous Alliance is no longer looking for us.”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man shook his head, his expression grave.

  “All the martial artists in the northwest, including the Five Ancestor Alliance and Righteous Alliance, are now looking for YOU. The formation left behind by the Origin Immortal Lord was rather unique. Everyone saw what was going on when you were in the core breaking the formation.”

  “What!?”

  Wang Chong was dumbfounded by these words.

  “We already ran into many groups while searching for you, getting into numerous fights. But their target wasn’t us, but you. Everyone now believes that you possess some critical object from the Origin Immortal Formation,” the Wushang Village Chief added.

  The Formation Elder looked at Wang Chong and said, “Not only that, the news of the southwest has gotten out, and now many old scoundrels of the martial arts world have come over. Your master’s prestige back then was enough to suppress these people, but now, not even your master can suppress them.”

  The two of them had similarly grave expressions.

  Wang Chong instantly fell silent. It was clear that many things had happened since the Origin Immortal Formation had teleported him away and he had fallen unconscious. Although the Origin Immortal Formation was broken, the situation in the northwest had become even more dire.

  “Let’s go! They’ll be here soon!” the Demonic Emperor Old Man simply said.

  The group used their movement techniques and swiftly left.

  While leaving, the Demonic Emperor Old Man flicked out a finger behind him without turning his head. A moment later, there was a plaintive screech as an eagle several thousand meters in the air suddenly plunged to the ground.

  ……

  “We came too late! They’re already gone!”

  “Relax! They can’t get far!”

  Not long after Wang Chong’s group had left, one figure after another appeared, their eyes as cold as winter. After coldly scanning their surroundings, the figures vanished.

  ……

  Bang!

  A millstone-sized stone was suddenly thrown to the ground, and then a second, a third… Ten-some stones were seemingly randomly thrown around the area.

  As Stellar Energy was poured into them, the stones vanished.

  “The formation has been set up. Once we go in, our auras will be concealed. This should be enough to hide from the Five Ancestor Alliance and Righteous Alliance for now!” the Formation Elder said.

  With a wave of his sleeve, a door appeared. The scenes within and without the door were completely different.

  “Go in!”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man was the first to enter the formation, and the rest filed in.

  With another boom, the formation closed, and the Demonic Emperor Old Man and company completely vanished. Even if someone were nearby, they would just see empty space.

  Within the formation, the group of four sat cross-legged on the ground. Wang Chong sat in the center, surrounded by his three elders.

  When everything had calmed down, the Demonic Emperor Old Man was the first to speak. “Chong-er, what happened in the formation? Did you really obtain some precious treasure of the Origin Immortal Lord?”

  Of this group of three, the Demonic Emperor Old Man was the best choice to ask his disciple about the Origin Immortal Art.

  “It’s a long story. Although I did obtain a treasure from the Origin Immortal Formation, your disciple is not sure if it’s some precious treasure left by the Origin Immortal Lord.”

  Wang Chong had always been frank and respectful toward his master. He began to explain what had happened in the Origin Immortal Formation.

  The Origin Immortal War Banner, the Origin Immortal Formation diagram, and the red pearl were all taken out and placed before his seniors. These three treasures were incredibly valuable and should be kept hidden, but Wang Chong showed them all out of the sheer respect he had for his three seniors.

  “The Origin Immortal War Banner! It’s really the Origin Immortal War Banner!

  “And there’s even a diagram!

  “With these two treasures, you basically have the world’s number one formation! These are priceless!”

  The Formation Elder was the first to lose his restraint, first snatching at the Origin Immortal War Banner and then seizing the formation diagram. His eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets in excitement.

  He had spent his entire life immersed in the art of formations, and these two treasures had an almost fatal attraction, far greater than that of the Origin Immortal Art.

  Wang Chong silently smiled at this sight. He had completely expected this display from the Formation Elder. In fact, it would be much stranger if he weren’t this way.

  But the Demonic Emperor Old Man and Wushang Village Chief remained silent, their eyes resting on the black beast statue and the blood-red pearl on its head.

  “Let me look at that pearl!”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man, his eyes bright, extended a hand. The pearl flew up and into his palm.

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man immediately sent a stream of Stellar Energy into the pearl, and a moment later, with an intense shudder, the pearl exploded with scorching light and flew into the air, floating six or seven inches above his head.

  Even the Formation Elder put down the war banner and diagram at this time as all four of them focused on the pearl. Everyone could sense powerful emanations of energy coming from this red pearl that was about the size of a thumb.

  These pulses of energy were enough to make any martial artist pale. Even the energy within the Demonic Emperor Old Man’s body was minuscule by comparison.

  Chapter 1418 - The Secret of the Treasure Map!

  Chapter 1418: The Secret of the Treasure Map!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Just as expected!” the Demonic Emperor Old Man suddenly said, a bright light in his eyes. He had already noticed how unusual the pearl was when Wang Chong had first taken it out, and now, the pearl had verified his speculations.

  “This is an Energy Condensation Pearl!” the Demonic Emperor Old Man declared. He had needed only a few moments to understand the purpose of this pearl. “There were rumors in the martial arts world several hundred years ago about one or two of these pearls going around. They can help a martial artist by storing a portion of Stellar Energy so that it can be used when needed during combat.”

/>   Although he didn’t often show it, the Demonic Emperor Old Man knew the stories and legends of the martial arts world like the back of his hand.

  “Strictly speaking, these objects are not within the bounds of the martial arts world. They are considered ritual tools, but these are ritual tools that are incredibly difficult to make. One has to be at an almost divine level of strength. Average Great Generals are far from qualified!”

  Buzz!

  Wang Chong was deeply affected by these words, and his eyes once more focused on the red pearl. Whether in his current life or his previous, Wang Chong had not encountered this kind of treasure before.

  “Chong-er, even though this pearl can’t raise your cultivation level, it can store power, which is exactly what you need at this time.”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man swept his hand, sending the Energy Condensation Pearl flying toward Wang Chong.

  “Wait a moment!”

  As the Energy Condensation Pearl was flying toward Wang Chong, another energy held it fast in the air.

  “Brother Wenfu, look!” the Wushang Village Chief suddenly said. But he did not take the pearl, instead looking down at the ground.

  This happened so abruptly that Wang Chong, the Demonic Emperor Old Man, and the Formation Elder were all struck dumb.

  However, the three of them knew that someone as old, genial, and kind as the Wushang Village Chief would never suddenly get the idea of seizing the pearl for himself. A moment later, they all lowered their heads and looked at the ground.

  “This is…”

  With a single glance, the Formation Elder paled, his eyes widening.

  The others had also noticed the peculiarity. On the ground, white dots of light were twinkling like stars.

  It was just that the red light exuded by the pearl was so intense that they had barely noticed the white dots of light mixed in.

  The dense collection of dots connected together into a complicated diagram.