The Human Emperor c1-2382
Page 1426
“I see! I understand! I finally understand! Wang Chong, so this was the reason you wanted to kill me! I won’t let you go, never! I could kill you once, so I can kill you twice!”
Heaven and Essence Supreme could sense that the lost and disordered An Lushan was suddenly sobering up like he was waking up from a dream.
But what shocked them the most was An Lushan’s words.
He understood? Understood what?
And when had he ever killed Wang Chong? While his mind was clearing, why did his state seem to be even more confusing?
But their questions did not last for long…
“Let Us see what secrets you have!”
Heaven reached out with a hand.
At this moment, An Lushan didn’t even have a chance to resist and was immediately drawn into Heaven’s hand.
Bang!
There was no room for negotiation. Heaven’s mind surged into An Lushan’s soul like a storm.
Heaven’s overwhelming strength didn’t give An Lushan time to even muster a defense, and a moment later, everything was exposed.
Amidst crackling electricity, everything in An Lushan’s mind, including countless fragmentary images that had appeared after that strange development, rushed into Heaven’s mind.
Silence!
Absolute silence!
Heaven’s body crackled with electricity, but he said nothing.
After an hour in this suffocating atmosphere…
Buzz!
Heaven’s eyelids trembled and flew open. At that moment, his eyes were dazzlingly bright like the sun and moon, a light that one did not dare to look at directly.
“So that’s how it was; I see… To think that there was something in the world like this, that someone can have a second try after dying. It turns out that We already succeeded in another world!”
Heaven’s body rapidly pulsed with energy akin to blazing flames.
His intuition was right. After a long wait, he had finally received a result. In An Lushan’s mind, he had seen images that he could not possibly imagine, had witnessed the unbelievable truth.
The sealed dimension trembled as even Heaven was shaken by this unprecedented phenomenon.
Heaven finally understood that everything was far more complicated than it seemed. What had emerged from that black fissure was not a brilliant lightning bolt, but another soul.
Another ‘An Lushan’!
The two An Lushans were identical, and they both appeared in his senses, the two of them merging together.
By reading the memories of that other An Lushan, Heaven had found out everything.
The otherworldly invader army… the shattering of the world… Wang Chong transforming into a beam of light…
If these images were not right before his eyes, Heaven would have found it very hard to believe that this was possible.
He now understood why, over the many eons, it was An Lushan who had been chosen as the Child of the World.
Wang Chong and An Lushan!
This was a destined pair, the two of them foreordained to be foes.
And these two were also the two greatest linking points between the two worlds.
“This Child of Destruction is different from the rest, different from all the other Destiny Experimental Bodies, because he did not simply come from another world.
“Child of Prophecy? Hahaha…”
As Heaven read through that other An Lushan’s memories, he heartily laughed. As a thought occurred to him, his mind became much clearer.
“Dao Yi, didn’t you say that the person who appeared after many eons to destroy Our Celestial Palace would be Our greatest foe? Then now, We will merge with his greatest destined foe! Let us see if your prophecy is right or if Our fate is tougher!”
Chapter 2379 - 9: Three Years Later!
Chapter 2379: Three Years Later!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The fabric of space trembled as Heaven’s eyes erupted with a brilliant light, lighting up the sealed dimension.
Heaven lowered his head and said to the two An Lushans, “An Lushan, didn’t you want to kill Wang Chong? We will lend you a hand!”
Boom!
Before An Lushan could answer, an enormous energy howled out of Heaven’s body and into An Lushan’s soul.
But surprisingly, Heaven’s devouring encountered no struggle or resistance.
As Heaven was in the midst of devouring, a voice that was somewhat similar to An Lushan’s but slightly scratchy and brimming with endless hatred cried out, “Come on, then! I only have one condition! No matter what, he must die!”
As this voice spoke, the two An Lushans threw themselves into Heaven’s soul.
If there was one person in the world that could help him kill Wang Chong, then it was undoubtedly Heaven.
Boom!
The fusion process was much faster than expected. A few moments later, a light tens of thousands of times brighter than the sun erupted from Heaven’s body, and a beam of light shot upward, sending ripples throughout the sealed dimension.
The enormous energy even shook Essence Supreme’s soul fragment out of Heaven’s body. Besides that, Essence Supreme could sense that Heaven’s energy was rapidly rising after absorbing An Lushan’s soul.
His soul had been heavily damaged from the backlash that came from the destruction of the Celestial Palace, covered in cracks, but at this moment, his soul’s condition began to rapidly improve. It recovered by more than twenty percent, and while it was still not fully healed, its recovery speed was many times faster.
Moreover, on Heaven’s body, he could sense a special energy that had previously only appeared on An Lushan.
The World Consciousness!
Essence Supreme immediately understood that by completely devouring An Lushan, Heaven had inherited that power that An Lushan had as the Child of the World.
At this moment, Heaven was the new ‘Child of the World’!
As a spatial storm ripped through the region, Essence Supreme came to an understanding that what had happened just now had not been an accident. Heaven had voluntarily removed Essence Supreme’s soul shard.
“He no longer needs me. No one will dare to betray him now!”
Essence Supreme didn’t know what Heaven had gained from An Lushan’s soul or what he had seen, but there was no doubt that Heaven was brimming with confidence!
After a long while, the storm finally calmed down.
Crack!
Essence Supreme could sense that on the very edge of the dimension, there was a sharp crack, and then a tear appeared on that seemingly impregnable domain, a sliver of external energy flowing inside.
“How could this be?!”
Essence Supreme was flabbergasted.
But before he had time to think, Heaven began to slowly open his eyes.
“Your Majesty!”
Essence Supreme hastily lowered his head, his tone one of unprecedented meekness.
Essence Supreme suddenly understood that the moment they had been awaiting for so long had perhaps truly come.
All was quiet, and when Heaven finally spoke, the fabric of space trembled.
“Essence Supreme.
“The moment We have been awaiting for countless epochs has finally arrived!”
Heaven’s simple words left Essence Supreme’s mind reeling.
“But there is one other matter. Do you recall that girl We had you bring back?” Heaven said.
Essence Supreme bowed and said, “Yes. Your subordinate has already taken care of her.”
“Very good. There is a task for you to carry out.”
……
……
Several days later, in the capital of the Great Tang…
A gust of wind caused countless leaves to dance and sprinkle across the ground.
In his study, Wang Chong was reading through reports when a guard came in with a letter.
“Your Highness, someone outside
has come to deliver a letter!”
“Understood. Bring it here.”
Wang Chong casually pointed at his desk.
“Yes!”
The guard quickly departed. After a few moments, once he was done reading the report in his hand, Wang Chong finally took the letter. Upon glancing at its contents, he instantly paled.
There were no words on the letter, only a wooden hairpin and a white sheet of paper.
Wang Chong had gifted this hairpin to Xu Qiqin a long time ago, and on the white sheet of paper was an image of the Celestial Palace.
“Heaven!”
Wang Chong’s eyes chilled as he realized what was happening.
As Wang Chong spoke, the letter suddenly flew into the air, and a familiar voice began to majestically ring out.
“Wang Chong, We already know all your secrets. The grudges between us will not end like this. Three years from now, We will lead all of the Celestial Army and destroy this world. At that time, you will not have the slightest chance!
“Cherish your last moments!”
Heaven’s voice was cold, and as he spoke, a black flame instantly erupted from the letter and burned it into ash.
As the ash drifted down, Heaven’s aura vanished. Heaven had only attached a part of his consciousness to the letter, not sent his original body.
Wang Chong sat motionless on his chair, his eyes growing colder and colder.
‘Knew all his secrets’?
What did that mean?
And what did three years signify? Did it mean that Heaven was going to break out of his seal in three years?
Countless ideas ran through Wang Chong’s mind. After the Celestial Palace incident, Heaven and the Celestial God Organization had vanished like a puff of smoke. This was the first letter he had ever received from Heaven.
“Is this a declaration of war?”
Wang Chong slowly rose from his chair, a vast energy beginning to slowly erupt from his body.
“No matter what scheme you have, I will receive it with all I have.
“This time, I will not give you the chance to bring disaster on this world!”
He spoke these final words with absolute resolve.
……
……
Only a few people were informed about Heaven’s letter, so the capital remained calm. But in secret, everything began to change.
Under Wang Chong’s guidance, after discussion with Yeon Gaesomun, Ozmish Khagan, and the other sovereigns, and with the support of Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian Wang Zhongsi, Zhangchou Jianqiong, and Tongluo Great General Abusi, Li Heng began an unprecedented military expansion across the entire continent.
From the Central Plains in the east all the way to the Arabian Empire in the west, all the armies, regardless of people or country, began to rapidly expand at an astonishing speed, with many training camps being established.
This time, however, it was not for a war between countries, but to face a future threat of unprecedented enormity—one which threatened the lives of all of humanity.
Three years!
This was the time given by Heaven’s letter. At the same time, Wang Chong recalled that this was also when the otherworldly invaders would appear. Whether it was to deal with Heaven’s immense Celestial Army or to deal with the otherworldly invaders, humanity required a powerful army of unprecedented size.
From a certain perspective, it was rather fortunate that the entire continent had been embroiled in war for the last few decades. Even though all countries had suffered grievous losses, it also meant that they had been able to train up large numbers of experienced generals and determined soldiers who had been forged in fire and blood. This was an immense resource that Wang Chong had previously not had access to.
Bahram, Tiechi Bileli, Zhangchou Jianqiong, Zhang Shougui, Wunu Shibi… these renowned generals and ironblood soldiers packed the training camps. There were tens of thousands of camps, each one training numerous soldiers.
This massive empire that for the first time constituted the entire continent began to turn like a giant machine.
Not long after all this was completed, Wang Chong announced that he was entering seclusion so that he could break through into an even higher realm.
No one knew how long this seclusion would be, but everyone knew that Wang Chong was preparing for the final war.
…The decisive war between him and Heaven!
……
Three years flew by.
Splash!
As dawn approached, in a part of the ocean far away from the continent, waves splashed as a figure emerged from the bottom of the ocean. Upon closer inspection, this was a creature similar to a giant octopus, but it was also different, as there were many signs that it had been artificially modified. This was clearly a sea creature created through the Behemoth Fusion Art.
“Is this the place?” A whispered voice came from the head of the octopus.
“Yes. Everyone, be careful to not alarm them.”
Several figures silently jumped off the head of the octopus creature and made their way onto the shore. A few seconds later, the group took off the shark skins they used to move around underwater, and raised their heads.
In front of them was a craggy cliff face. They had chosen to come ashore here so as to not alarm the people on this island.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Using both their hands and feet, they scaled the wall like monkeys. In the pre-dawn darkness, they went completely undiscovered.
It took only a few seconds to reach the top of the cliff, from which they had a complete view of the place.
But after glancing around, they paled and immediately rushed toward the center of the island, casting aside all pretense of stealth.
The island was deserted. In front of them were abandoned tents, wooden sheds, and still-smoldering camp fires. There were even fish bones, bowls, and plates.
One of the men in black looked around and solemnly said, “They left, probably not too long ago. We were too late.”
Another voice came from nearby. “Look over there!”
One of the men in black emerged from a small wooden shed. In his hand was a large, ancient bronze book, the front covered with exquisite carvings and a striking golden vertical eye.
The Eye of God!
The men trembled in shock upon seeing this golden eye with its vertical pupil, instantly recognizing it.
The first to discover the Eye of God was the Supreme King, who had discovered it in some ruins deep beneath the Sassanid Dynasty.
Chapter 2380 - The Wind Stirs!
Chapter 2380: The Wind Stirs!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Thwish!
The leader waved his hand, and that bronze book flew into his hand. He flipped through the pages, which contained various martial arts, including the Lu Wu Mantra and the Mara Mantra.
“This is the secret martial arts manual that they use for their daily training on this island. The information we got was correct. This place truly is an important base of the men in black,” the leader solemnly said.
Over the last three years, Heaven and the Celestial God Organization had seemingly evaporated, vanishing without a trace. But the Great Tang and the rest of the continent had not given up on their pursuit, continuing to hunt them down until they finally found some clues.
“The Celestial God Organization has already been gone for three years. Why would they leave behind such an important book on this island?” one of them asked.
“This can only mean that there was something more important,” the leader said. “Inform His Highness that the Celestial God Organization is beginning to awaken. They might be starting to move again.”
Whoosh!
Following their leader’s order, a messenger bird quickly took flight, making its way northward.
“It all depends on Team Two now!”
On the ground, the leader watched the bird leave as a grave li
ght flashed in his eyes.
……
Whoosh!
A breeze blew through an extremely remote city in the northwest of the Great Tang. A lean figure wearing gray clothes cautiously passed through the city gate.
Behind him, a sign was hung from the rather old city gates, two words written upon it: ‘Abandoned City’!
The Great Tang did not have many abandoned cities, particularly after it had integrated the other countries. With the Great Tang as the center of the world, a large number of people had moved into the interior, making the place more prosperous and bustling than ever before. The people of the other countries living in harmony produced a unique and beautiful sight.
The reports said that there were still around five hundred people in this abandoned city, mostly old people who lived a simple life of beginning work at sunrise and resting after sunset.
Though there were not many people and the place was extremely remote, the Great Tang had not given up on this old and remote city. Not too long ago, the Imperial Court had appointed an excellent official as the county official to manage the area.
According to custom, the official would have to write a report on the current situation after taking his seat, but seven days had passed since the official had entered the city, and there had been no news. Later on, the Imperial Court had sent several emissaries to see what was going on, but they, too, had vanished.
Not only that, a camel caravan passed through the area and discovered that the city was completely empty. Moreover, at dawn, the caravan was attacked by something, and the group fled in a panic. The news eventually reached the Imperial Court, which dispatched this mission.
Quiet!
The city was deathly still, and as that gray-robed figure cautiously advanced, the streets were empty, countless fallen leaves being blown about in the wind.
No one!
No one!
No one!
The gray-robed man went from house to house, but he discovered that all of them were empty. There were still plates and chopsticks arranged on the table, even sumptuous meals, but nothing had been touched. Moreover, the long passage of time meant that this food was already covered in a thick layer of mold.