The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  The King Ape’s body was very similar to a human’s, but it had had no suitable weapon for its immense strength, so it could not exhibit its full power. If it had a proper weapon, the King Ape could be strong enough to directly suppress Subtle realm experts.

  Wang Chong had ordered a division of soldiers to forge a weapon specifically for the King Ape.

  This giant metal cudgel was made entirely from Deep Sea Xuan Metal, and its internal structure contained more than one hundred and twenty thousand formations, making it extremely sturdy. It was the perfect complement to the Behemoth’s strength.

  But Wang Chong had not created this weapon purely to increase the Behemoth’s strength. There was one other important matter.

  “It’s about ready!”

  ‘Wang Chong’ swung the weapon, finding it as easy to move as an extension of his body. He gave a slight nod and then gestured at the soldiers to back away.

  Bang!

  The King Ape leaped into the air, swiftly leaving the giant foundry behind it.

  Green hills flew past at an incredible pace, and after about an hour, the King Ape arrived at another set of mountains.

  The mountains here were even steeper than those around Wushang Village, and even martial artists would find it difficult to traverse this region.

  The King Ape’s eyes swept across the surroundings and quickly settled on a green mountain.

  This should be the place, Wang Chong commented to himself, his eyes turning pensive.

  ‘Wang Chong’ had appeared here not because of anything to do with the King Ape, but because of a treasure he remembered.

  When the calamity arrived, Wang Chong, an ordinary person, was suddenly appointed as Supreme Marshal of the realm. In the early stages of the fight against the otherworldly invaders, humanity suffered devastating losses, many soldiers being annihilated. But later on, as the earth began to crumble, a treasure of the Central Plains hidden under the earth was exposed, and this treasure finally altered the situation on the battlefield.

  This treasure was one of the Nine Cauldrons of the Divine Land!

  In that battle, when the humans noticed the appearance of one of the Nine Cauldrons, they rushed toward it, and at great price, they finally managed to seize that bronze cauldron.

  As the Supreme Marshal of the realm, Wang Chong had naturally been given this cauldron.

  Through various tests, Wang Chong found that this cauldron had various special abilities. Through special formations, the power in the cauldron could be guided into the bodies of soldiers.

  And this energy was vital to resisting the otherworldly invaders.

  Wang Chong went to great lengths to find the way to use this energy, and he developed a special force that was specifically meant for dealing with the otherworldly invaders.

  This force was much more efficient than any other force when it came to killing otherworldly invaders.

  Alas, he had been given too little time to research the cauldron. By the time he was able to exert its full power, his forces were already out of supplies and at the end of their tether. In the end, the otherworldly invaders surged in and brought a complete end to the world.

  Wang Chong had gathered together all the elites of the world to research the cauldron, and they determined that there was not just one. And based on their research, they concluded that this cauldron was likely to be one of the legendary Nine Cauldrons of the Divine Land.

  The legends said that Emperor Yu the Great had forged the cauldrons through some secret method and hidden them in various places, under the sea, in the mountains, underground… They were used to suppress the earth energies of the Central Plains.

  However, the elites of the world concluded that though Yu the Great was connected to the Nine Cauldrons, these cauldrons predated him. Yu the Great had not been the one to forge them. It was possible that he had simply obtained them from somewhere and then hidden them.

  From what they could tell, each cauldron was hidden in a special place. Carelessly digging them up could shift the energy flow of the Central Plains and cause a major upheaval.

  Thus, even though Wang Chong knew about this treasure, he had not gone to dig it up after he reincarnated.

  These things could not be touched unless it was absolutely necessary.

  Chapter 2029 - The Kunlun Sorcerer, Master Xuan Ming!

  Chapter 2029: The Kunlun Sorcerer, Master Xuan Ming!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  At this moment, An Yaluoshan was already plotting rebellion, and he had the Yeluohe under his command, soldiers who shared some traits with the otherworldly invaders.

  Wang Chong was keenly aware that ordinary soldiers would find it very hard to kill Yeluohe, unless they were experts of the Imperial Martial realm or above. Even an army of hundreds of thousands would eventually be scattered and slaughtered by the Yeluohe.

  More importantly, the omens of the calamity were already evident. Wang Chong needed to be ready, as it would be too late to prepare when it was already upon him.

  Bang!

  With these thoughts in mind, the giant ape bellowed and swung down its cudgel. With one strike of the cudgel, the mountain peak was obliterated. The cudgel swung down again, slamming into the mountain with all of its hundreds of thousands of jin of weight. Groaning and cracking could be heard as the tough body of the mountain began to break apart.

  The Behemoth bared its teeth as it plunged its hands into the crack, and with a strong tug, it pulled apart the peak. The Behemoth then placed the sharp tip of the cudgel into the crack and began to dig down…

  He recalled that the treasure was buried very deeply and had been surrounded by steely rock. Human strength would be extremely inefficient for digging in these circumstances.

  Using the giant ape to dig might still take a few months, but that would be much faster than using human strength.

  Time slowly passed, and all was quiet. There was no sound except digging and the panting of the Behemoth, and no spectators to this sight.

  As Wang Chong controlled the King Ape to dig out one of the Divine Land Cauldrons, far away in the capital, a lean figure wearing a Daoist robe suddenly appeared at the western gate of the capital.

  “I’ve finally arrived!” the man muttered, a joyful look in his eyes.

  The vast capital was thronging with people and carriages, but the Daoist’s sharp gaze flitted past all of them, piercing through the air and locking onto the resplendent and hallowed Imperial Palace, the center of power in the Great Tang.

  “The true dragon has opened its eyes, and the stars have gathered. This is the only chance for the lineage of sorcerers to rise,” the man muttered in the middle of the crowd.

  This man was none other than the Kunlun sorcerer Third Son Xuan had seen through the dragon pearl!

  Whoosh!

  The Kunlun sorcerer waved his horsetail whisk and vanished into the crowd as he made his way toward the Imperial City.

  A few moments later, that man knocked on the gates and entered the Imperial Palace.

  ……

  “You are Kunlun sorcerer Master Xuan Ming?”

  Third Son Xuan was seated on the dragon throne, his body leaned forward as he looked in surprise at the Kunlun sorcerer. At his sides were his trusted eunuchs, servitors, and Zhao Changfu.

  All of them were astonished by this sorcerer with this transcendent air.

  “This lowly one is!”

  Master Xuan Ming brought his hands together and bowed.

  The hall was silent.

  They had heard the Sage Emperor bring up the matter of seeing the sorcerer in the dragon pearl, but none of them had expected the man to be real and to mystically appear in the Imperial Palace.

  “For what reason do you seek an audience with Us? And with what capabilities?” Third Son Xuan said after a few moments of silence.

  This sorcerer had come very mysteriously and abruptly. Not even he dared to act recklessly until he ha
d been properly investigated.

  “Your Majesty! This lowly one has appeared here because he sensed the Dragon Qi of the world and calculated that Your Divine Majesty, the master of all peoples, faces an inexorable doom!”

  Master Xuan Ming bowed and spoke in a tone that was neither meek nor proud.

  “Doom? What doom?”

  Third Son Xuan frowned.

  “Far in Kunlun, this lowly one sensed that the destiny of the True Dragon, Son of Heaven, was in distress, showing signs of imprisonment. If this lowly one is correct, Your Majesty suffers from possession by an evil spirit!” Master Xuan Ming respectfully said.

  The old eunuchs and Zhao Changfu were flabbergasted.

  What nonsense was this Daoist saying? What possession? What doom?

  His Majesty was the True Dragon, Son of Heaven, the master of the realm! An evil spirit attaching itself to the Son of Heaven? Absurd!

  Zhao Changfu was himself an eloquent speaker, so how could he ever be taken in by this Daoist’s words!?

  “Do not speak nonsense before the Sage Emperor! Where did this unruly Daoist come from…” Zhao Changfu harshly said, preparing to drive the Daoist out. But at this moment, a voice thundered into his ear.

  “Silence!”

  It was a roar that left Zhao Changfu’s ears buzzing. His body trembled in shock and terror, and when he turned to the voice, he instantly grimaced.

  “Your Majesty!”

  The one who had spoken was none other than the man who had always trusted Zhao Changfu, Third Son Xuan.

  His expression was grave, and his eyes were constantly shifting. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

  “All of you, get out!”

  Third Son Xuan waved his sleeve and spoke in a cold voice that brooked no objection.

  “Your Majesty!!”

  Everyone was taken aback, even those old, white-haired eunuchs. However, the decrees of the sovereign were like mountains, and no one would dare to defy them.

  “Yes! This lowly subject will withdraw!”

  Not daring to say more, they swiftly withdrew.

  Boom! The doors of Taiji Palace slammed shut, leaving only the Sage Emperor and the Kunlun sorcerer.

  “You say that We are possessed? What form does this possession take?” Third Son Xuan leaned forward and coldly said, “If you speak nonsense, We… will have your body pulled apart by five horses and then your head cut off!”

  The temperature plunged, and the hall instantly became brimming with danger.

  But the sorcerer was fearless in front of Third Son Xuan, and his fingers twitched as he rapidly calculated.

  “If this one’s predictions are correct, your possession took place before the age of twenty, and it was accompanied by a severe cold. Alas, Your Majesty’s Imperial Father and Imperial Mother did not notice. For the next thirty-some years, the evil spirit seized Your Majesty’s body. Moreover, that evil spirit came from another world and possesses powerful mental strength and many tricks. It is far beyond Your Majesty’s abilities to oppose, and everyone within and without the court was deceived.”

  Master Xuan Ming stood tall and sternly said, “It is only recently, when that evil spirit made a mistake, that Your Majesty was able to regain what you had lost. This is also why this lowly one, upon sensing Your Majesty’s Dragon Qi, chose this moment to appear.”

  Buzz!

  Master Xuan Ming’s words had Third Son Xuan’s eyes flying open in shock, great waves ranging in his mind.

  Third Son Xuan’s attitude toward Master Xuan Ming instantly changed, his eyes growing warmer.

  This was the first time anyone had ever spoken about that incident from thirty-some years ago and had noticed the evil spirit possessing him!

  Yes, he was the real Sage Emperor!

  For so many years, the common people had been fooled by a fake, regarding that evil spirit from another world as him, calling him Sage Emperor and revering him!

  Yes!

  He was no wise sovereign, no sovereign to be hailed for the ages. He was an evil spirit, a despicable and shameless man!

  This mysterious Kunlun sorcerer had, for the first time, spoken what he had always wanted to say, seen that truth from several decades ago.

  Third Son Xuan was overcome with excitement, even considering the sorcerer a bosom friend.

  “Good! Good words!”

  The Sage Emperor’s voice grew louder.

  “We ask you: how can you help Us?”

  “This lowly one knows a variety of techniques: astrology, divination, alchemy, and medicine. This lowly one also knows the arts of immortality and restoring life!”

  As Master Xuan Ming spoke, he waved his whisk and pointed one of his fingers at the coiling dragon pillar closest to Third Son Xuan.

  Buzz!

  As Third Son Xuan watched, that coiling dragon pillar which had stood for several hundred years bloomed with green, creaking and groaning as buds and branches began to burst out of its surface and spread across the hall.

  The branches swiftly began to sprout flowers and leaves.

  In the blink of an eye, the coiling dragon pillar was gone, replaced by a jade-green tree that was brimming with life, its many flowers filling the hall with their fragrance.

  Third Son Xuan blinked in shock.

  In the martial arts world, there were special arts that were imbued with vitality and could be used to grow plants, increase blood flow, boost cell division, and treat wounds. An example of this was Song Yuanyi’s Eternal Spring Mantra.

  But Master Xuan Ming’s art was different. Third Son Xuan had not sensed any life energy within his Stellar Energy. His Stellar Energy was of a completely different nature, and it was better to say that he used ‘magic’ or ‘sorcery’.

  Moreover, the Eternal Spring Mantra could only stimulate life, and it was much less effective on unliving objects. From this perspective, Master Xuan Ming’s abilities were stronger.

  “Of course, these are only minor magics. What is most important is that this lowly one knows exorcism arts!”

  As Master Xuan Ming spoke, he waved his horsetail whisk, upon which a faint puff of smoke issued from the whisk and shot toward Third Son Xuan.

  Third Son Xuan frowned a little at first, instinctively wanting to stop this, but after some thought, he undid his barrier and allowed the smoke into his body.

  Bang!

  This tiny wisp of smoke suddenly exploded with power upon contact with Third Son Xuan’s body, transforming into mysterious symbols that surged into his body.

  As if some shackles deep within his body had been broken, Third Son Xuan suddenly felt his body become much lighter. His control had increased, and he could more freely use his Stellar Energy.

  Chapter 2030 - We Cannot Let You Remain!

  Chapter 2030: We Cannot Let You Remain!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Good!”

  Third Son Xuan shot to his feet, his eyes bright and his body brimming with energy.

  “We did not misjudge you! You truly do have some measure of skill!”

  Regardless of how eloquent this mysterious sorcerer from Kunlun was, no argument could gain him the trust of Third Son Xuan so quickly. But if he could help him suppress Li Taiyi, things were entirely different.

  With An Yaluoshan’s dragon pearl and Master Xuan Ming, he would be able to truly control his body, completely suppress that bastard Li Taiyi, and let him sleep forever!

  “We can let you remain, granting you the title of Empire Guardian Heavenly Master, so long as you focus on treating that evil spirit!” Third Son Xuan declared, his dignified voice resounding through Taiji Palace.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty!”

  Master Xuan Ming immediately bowed, but his expression was extremely calm, and he did not seem very happy.

  “This lowly subject can assist Your Majesty in driving out the evil spirit, with sorcery serving as the primary method and alchemy as the secon
dary, but this will still be far from enough. Besides driving out the evil spirit, this lowly subject is also skilled in observing the stars and divination. This lowly subject has seen that Your Majesty is an imprisoned dragon. This is partially because of the power of the evil spirit, but another aspect is that Your Majesty has a nemesis star in your destiny,” Master Xuan Ming sternly said, changing the way he addressed himself from ‘lowly one’ to ‘lowly subject’.

  “This nemesis star is near to Your Majesty, and even if I do all I can to help Your Majesty, so long as that nemesis star remains, it will be difficult to settle anything.

  “Your Majesty will still be in grave peril!”

  “What?!

  “Destiny? Nemesis star?!”

  Third Son Xuan’s pupils constricted and his face paled.

  Master Xuan Ming’s words were far too surprising. He was the Sage Emperor and master of the realm. How could he have a nemesis star? And so close!

  “What nemesis star?” Third Son Xuan sternly said, his expression turning grave.

  When it came to his personal freedom, he was both unwilling to believe and unwilling to disbelieve.

  And no matter who this nemesis star was, he would swiftly remove them as soon as he knew who it was.

  There was no place under heaven that was not the realm of the sovereign, no person living upon these lands that was not the sovereign’s subject. Was there someone who dared to oppose him?

  “This lowly subject is coming to the capital for the first time, so he knows nothing about the affairs of the court and cannot immediately answer Your Majesty. However, this lowly subject can say that this person bears the appearance of the white tiger. The white tiger has a savage countenance and signifies war and slaughter. It is an ill omen, and this person’s character is extremely similar to the savagery of the white tiger. And someone with the divine visage of the white tiger is certain to wield military power of high authority, so they must be within the Bureau of Military Personnel.

  Master Xuan Ming made a hand salute and sternly said, “This lowly subject has calculated that this star is located to the southwest of the Ziwei, and it is connected in a significant way to the evil spirit. For the rest, this lowly subject cannot determine for now. But if Your Majesty wishes to remove the evil spirit, this person must be hindered in every way. When the time comes, there will undoubtedly be many twists and turns, and perhaps all the efforts might be ruined. The threat must be dealt with!”