Rise of Humanity

by <unknown>

  Xiao Qing retracted her huge net and she said with a frown, “The Divine Battlefield has only one safe passage out. Every other passage would lead only to a dead end with no chance for survival. Even with the three of us, we would only be able to guarantee our own safety if we entered ... he is dead for sure.”

  Xiao Yuan then said, “Dangers lurk all over the Divine Battlefield and even during his prime, he would die to the dangers if he entered the other passages. This is not to mention that he is on the cusp of death right now! There is no need for us to take the risk!”

  Xiao Yin nodded and replied, “That’s right. We could only ensure our own lives even if we entered the other passages in Divine Battlefield together. He’s just one man who is on his last legs before his fires of life are completely extinguished.”

  At the same time, a voice could be heard saying, “My three dear priests, Shui Zian is a wise and careful man. It is hard to be at ease if we do not see his body.”

  A slender shadow could then be seen emerging from the ground before splitting into three heads.

  It was the god messenger in the Swords Gate.

  He had kept his presence scarce and did not reveal himself at all up until now.

  “How could we be relieved if we do not see the body of Shui Zian for ourselves? It is only safe after we saw him dead with our own eyes. If Shui Zian walked out from here alive, all our efforts will in vain.”

  The body of the god messenger was faint and blurry, making it difficult to see his face as he continued, “Besides, there are many tokens on him and these are a precious wealth as behind each token stands a strong individual from different races. These tokens could redeem a promise from each of them. If these tokens are in our hands….”

  The three Qi Practitioners looked at each other and Xiao Yin inhaled a long breath before saying, “Alright! We will enter the Divine Battlefield together and with that, we would be able to deal with any threat if we teamed up together!”

  The three of them then started chasing after Shui Zian and they entered the Divine Battlefield.

  At the same time, Shui Zian ran on the swamps as fast as he could along with his weathered Yuan Shen in the Divine Battlefield.

  Pu tong——-

  The old man fell into the swamp and he tried to get up but to no avail as he had no more energy and stamina. When he look behind, he saw Xiao Yin, Xiao Qing and Xiao Yuan running towards him but he just couldn't bring himself to get up anymore.

  That should be the direction of Swords Gate….

  He struggled to sit up and he faced towards the direction of Swords Gate with a calm expression while blood gushed out from his mouth and his eyes started to darken.

  As he struggled, he saw some hallucination and he said to himself, The footsteps of our ancestors that traced back into the Great Wilderness… I think I have seen the back of the ancestors….

  Suddenly, colorful divine lights appeared, within the radiance was a blazing sun and moon. Both appeared to be pierced by something and a muscular young man could be seen jumping out from the light. The young man walked towards Shui Zian while he traveled on the swamp.

  Zhong Yue….

  Shui Zian had a shock and he fell back down again after trying to get up and he said angrily, “Why did you come out! Get back in the secret realm! Go! Arghh!”

  He then coughed out blood and he tried to make an angry expression but his eyelids were getting heavier and heavier.

  Zhong Yue then walked towards him and the next thing Shui Zian knew was that he was on the back of Zhong Yue as Zhong Yue carried him away from the scene.

  “Xin Huo, could you be reliable for just one time?” asked Zhong Yue to the little flame guy in his psyche ocean.

  “Stop wasting your energy, my life force has depleted completely….”

  Shui Zian coughed and murmured, “They have completely destroyed my life force and shattered any hopes of me surviving. Just put me down….’

  In Zhong Yue’s psyche ocean, Xin Huo nervously and carefully sensed and guided Zhong Yue to get past the dangers lurking around the Divine Battlefield through the eyes of Zhong Yue. At this time, this little flame dude was also very nervous and he said, “There are too many spells left behind by that great battle, it is very difficult to walk out of here… Don’t worry, I will not make any mistake this time, there will be no mistake, let me think for another moment….”

  “Don’t drag yourself into this for a person whose death is all but certain. It is not worth it, just put me down….”

  “Little brat, this is your token, I want you to take it back and put me down now to run for your life….”

  “Brat Yue, the pursuers are near,” reminded Xin Huo.

  At their backs, the three pursuers were drawing close and they were suddenly blocked by a remaining spell. Then, they continued their pursuit after they worked together to destroy that spell.

  “Put me down right now! If you don't put me down, you are the traitor of all humanity….” said Shui Zian as he coughed out even more blood which dripped down the nape of Zhong Yue’s neck.

  Zhong Yue remained silent as he tried his best to continue his advancement, carrying the old man behind him into the deepest part of the Divine Battlefield.

  “Put me down….” the old man on his back continued saying but before long, those pleading whimpers turned to silence as the old man eventually drew his final breath.

  Zhong Yue however, continued walking and he shook his head to shake away the tears on his face while at their back, the three pursuers gotten even closer as they worked together to overcome the obstacles.

  “Brat Yue….”

  Xin Huo hesitated and he finally said, “Put him down….”

  Zhong Yue continued to walk forward and without any option, Xin Huo could only try his best to guide Zhong Yue to search for another safe passage from the seemingly infinite lethal traps. After another moment, Xin Huo said again, “Put him down… He is not breathing anymore and it is difficult for us to escape from here if you carried him on your back….”

  At the back of Zhong Yue, the old man’s body grew colder as he had stopped breathing and his heart had stopped beating long ago.

  Zhong Yue shook his head, looked forward and he saw a lonely island in the middle of the swampy area in the Divine Battlefield that had yet to be destroyed by the chaotic spells left behind.

  “Xin Huo, bring me there.”

  Zhong Yue said with a sore voice, “I want to bury him there and let him sit in his grave, facing towards the direction of Swords Gate and the direction of the path out of the Divine Battlefield that was trodden by our ancestors….”

  Chapter 195: Tokens |

  Zhong Yue boarded the lone island in the Divine Battlefield, he placed the elder on the ground softly while he turned and started digging, uttering not a single word at all. When the hole was dug out, he gently placed the old man into the simple and crude grave, facing the direction of Swords Gate.

  “Elder Shui, below you is the earth, and around you are the waters. Burial brings peace to the deceased and so I buried you in the ground. Your name is Shui Zian and so I made your final resting place a place surrounded by the water. Elder, please rest in peace.”

  Zhong Yue stood up and gazed at the token with the Tai Chi patterns on it. He hesitated for a moment before placing it back in Shui Zian’s hands before covering up the grave.

  He cast his gaze onto the other side; Xiao Yin, Xiao Qing, and Xiao Yuan were standing there staring coldly at him, watching as he buried Shui Zian.

  The three magnates were wounded, obviously, it wasn’t an enjoyable trip following him all the way here. After all, this was the Divine Battlefield, it would be impossible to safely travel in and out of this place as one pleased.

  Although Shui Zian was now dead, opening up the chance for the three magnates to finally kill Zhong Yue, upon seeing that Zhong Yue had suffered no injuries walking in the Divine Battlefield, they realized that he might know of another safe p
assage that they were previously unaware of. Hence, it would take longer than expected in order to chase up to him.

  Zhong Yue mumbled lowly, “Xin Huo, I remembered that the last time, you’ve suggested to make them eat shit?”

  Xin Huo startled, unsure of why he brought up the topic.

  Zhong Yue then said coldly, “I hereby, accept your suggestion. One day in the future, when I’ve ascended high and powerful, I’ll strip off all of the godly celestial blood in all of the Xiao Mang celestials, and I will turn them into livestocks. They will starve for the entirety of their lifetimes, and if they have to eat, then the excrement of others will be their only sustenance. Let the heaven punish me if I’ve failed to honor the vow that I’ve made today and let the earth obliterate my existence if I were to ever go back on my words!”

  He turned and left the lone island, walking deep into the Divine Battlefield. The figure of a lonely young man disappeared in the midst of the hazy mists.

  “Even after death, he would still look after at his homeland, he is truly an honorable opponent.”

  Xiao Qing’s eyes flashed in rays and she whispered, “However, is Shui Zian really dead? Although we saw his corpse, his death had yet to be confirmed. I’m concerned about the veracity of his death, there may be some other form of trickery going on. After all, it’s not easy to kill a wise man, and it’s even harder especially when the wise man is also a strong and powerful cultivator at the same time.”

  Three days and three nights, they had fought tirelessly against Shui Zian. There was never once a single moment of reprieve from the moment the battle commenced. Even though they witnessed Zhong Yue burying Shui Zian, they had sensed the disappearance of Shui Zian’s breath, and they knew very well that they had destroyed his life force. Nevertheless, they just could not believe that a man of Shui Zian’s caliber would just die like this.

  “Let’s go to the island and check it out!”

  Rays flashed in Xiao Yin’s eyes, he took the first step and approached the island while the two old ladies, Xiao Qing and Xiao Yuan, followed behind. All three Xiao Mang magnates broke off and warded away the spells that barred their paths, trying to board the lone island in which Shui Zian was buried.

  All of a sudden, the swamp beneath them bubbled up as surges of a terrifying divine aura emerged. A head slowly rose from the water, half of it seemingly sliced away, but the remaining eye was still glimmering in its absolutely godly aura.

  The three magnates were shocked, they quickly stopped and retreated a few steps back, exiting from the detection of that head while they stared at it vigilantly.

  “A soul weapon made from the corpse of a god, this is not a good target to mess with.”

  The three magnates frowned, Xiao Yin cast his gaze over at Xiao Yuan and whispered, “Use your Bright Moon Mirror and shine on the island, check whether or not he really is dead or if it’s merely a deception he putted up!”

  Xiao Yuan nodded, she immediately cast the Bright Moon Mirror and shone onto the island, reflecting the scenes in the grave onto the mirror.

  Quickly, they cast their gaze into the mirror — the old man was sitting the grave, the blood stains on his body turned black and his corpse started to turn pale-white. Shui Zian was indeed, dead.

  “Since his death is confirmed, then there is no need to engage with this fallen god’s corpse anymore.”

  Xiao Yin heaved a breath of relief, he said, “With our prowess and speed, we can definitely chase up to that little human brat Zhong Yue, but this place is filled with chaotic spells and broken souls, even if we killed him, we would also have to suffer heavy injuries.”

  One of the old ladies, Xiao Qing replied laughingly, “Just a little brat of little consequence, just letting our descendants handle him will do. Have them to wait for him at the Lian Yun Mountain Ridge; there is no need for us to take the risk to go after him.”

  Xiao Yin nodded, the three magnates join hands and left the Divine Battlefield through the safe passage.

  “Celestial messenger of the Swords Gate, you may ease your heart now, we have confirmed that Shui Zian is dead.”

  When they arrived at the safe passage, Xiao Yin who was donned in the gray robe said placidly, “We saw him die with our eyes, we witnessed him being buried, there is no mistake regarding his death.”

  On the safe passage, the Swords Gate celestial messenger bowed and said smilingly, “I’m thankful to the three great priests. Also, how about Zhong Yue of the Zong Shan Clan?”

  Xiao Yin shook his head in reply, “He has a map with another safe passage, you didn’t see that coming, did you? The map you’ve gotten was not the only safe passage, that little brat has left from another safe passage.”

  “Another safe passage?”

  The messenger was stunned, mumbling, “Impossible, I’ve only seen one map in Swords Gate, how will there be a second safe passage?”

  Xiao Yin pondered earnestly and responded, “That is not a question that I have answers to it. But from the way he precariously traipsed through the safe passage, it seemed like it’s filled with dangers and lethal traps, more like a parlous safe passage than a completely safe one. I will order the celestial disciples to wait for him in the Lian Yun Mountain Ridge, as long as he walks out from the Divine Battlefield, he will die for sure. Shui Zian’s death is not a small matter, I suggest that you get back to Swords Gate now.”

  The messenger nodded and assented to the suggestion. A thought suddenly crossed the messenger’s mind and he quickly asked, “Shui Zian is dead, but may I ask the three great priests regarding the whereabouts of the tokens he had?”

  Xiao Yin was stunned by the question, he turned and looked at Xiao Yin and Xiao Yuan while the two old ladies shook their heads in reply, he then mumbled, “We didn’t see any tokens … Could it be that Shui Zian’s lifetime collection of tokens had fallen into the hands of that Zhong Shan Clan young man? It is very probable!”

  The celestial messenger shuddered in shock, exclaiming out, “This is not good, if that brat brings the tokens back to Swords Gate, then it’s nearly useless even if we’ve killed Shui Zian! That young man mustn’t be allowed to return back to Swords Gate!”

  The three magnates locked their brows, the strongest card that Shui Zian possessed was not his prowess as a magnate cultivator, but his wide circle of acquaintances. Each and every token was given by an expert cultivator, and with the tokens, he could call upon a one time favor from the owners of the tokens. It would be nice to be able to kill Shui Zian but if the tokens remained in the hands of Swords Gate, then there would be no much difference at all!

  Xiao Yin said solemnly, “On the other end of the Lian Yun Mountain Ridge is the Great Wilderness, we can’t recklessly cross the line or the old Sword God will be alerted, and our lives will be at stake. You are the celestial messenger, you will go to the Lian Yun Mountain Ridge and you will take down that brat, snatch over the tokens!”

  The figure of the celestial messenger flickered and blurred away.

  Xiao Yuan the old lady sighed, “What an unexpectedly troubling issue we have here, who would’ve foreseen that the human brat knew of a second passage, giving him an escape route to run away with the tokens. Let’s go, we shall leave these small matters to the little ones.”

  The three magnates then left.

  In the depths of the Divine Battlefield, colorful rays illuminated the sky while mists billowed like pythons. From time to time, there would be broken souls of the fallen gods lingering in the swamp and there would be shattered soul weapons clashing with the godly weapons; or the collisions between skills and spells, lunging immense impact forces in the space.

  There was an upended vast ocean in the sky, and floating mountains like stamps in mid-air. Oftentimes, there would be huge tidal waves of water gushing over, and volcanoes erupting incessantly underground. Then they would all suddenly disappear in a split second. All the while, there were also beasts and living beings striking marvelous and yet dreadful appearances, gallo
ping all over the places.

  Zhong Yue arduously traipsed through this forsaken land, his mind was vacant and his thoughts were unfocused. If it weren’t for Xin Huo who has been running the calculations in search of a safe passage, and prompting Zhong Yue on the steps to take, Zhong Yue would long be dead by now.

  Huge sadness and sorrow consumed his heart as he was in grief over Shui Zian’s death.

  “Strange….”

  Xin Huo suddenly said, “Now come to think of it, I realized something very, very strange. Brat Yue, have you seen the tokens of that little geezer Shui Zian?”

  Zhong Yue was still stupefied as he shook his head and answered apathetically, “No.”

  “This where it gets really strange.“

  Xin Huo was baffled, and continued, “He is strong, the secret realms in his Yuan Shen can be forged into spatial soul weapons like the spatial wristlets, but that would require him to extract the secret realms and forge them himself; or otherwise, when he dies, his Yuan Shen secret realms would crumble and spew out everything in the realms. In other words, the tokens will be splattered all over the places the moment he dies as the secret realm crumbles….”

  Zhong Yue was stunned, a glimpse of hope emerged in his eyes, “You are saying that….”

  “That little geezer might be feigning his death?”

  Xin Huo said, “Or he might really be dead, but his prowess is too strong that the Yuan Shen realms did not crumble and the tokens are still hidden in the realms. But that old brat Shui Zian’s surely doesn’t have that kind of strength….”

  Zhong Yue inhaled a deep breath, the air of the heroic and valorous young man he once had has returned. He said staunchly, “Xin Huo, turn back, find that lone island, I want to take a look and inspect Elder Shui again!”

  Xin Huo was shocked, he quickly replied, “It’d be even harder to return back to the island, it’s very difficult to find it again.”

  “No matter how long I have to spend, nothing can stop me from returning to the island!” Zhong Yue said solemnly.