Rise of Humanity

by <unknown>

  Xin Huo then replied angrily, “You are way too stingy! I dare you to show yourself and let me see which old friend of mine is so stingy! Brat Yue, let’s laugh and mock him until he shows himself!”

  Zhong Yue struggled and climbed towards the jade pool with his heavily injured body, and he rolled into the jade pool even as he had no more strength to walk. After a moment, he got up, panting heavily while the marvelous energy and vitality surged through his body, nourishing his Yuan Shen and mending his wounds completely.

  Then, that drip of ancestor blood merged with the water in the jade pool. Together with the jade water, it seeped into Zhong Yue’s body and Zhong Yue immediately felt that the purity of the Fu Xi bloodline in his body was gradually increasing!

  In just a split second, his wounds recovered and the ancestral blood started to trigger the ancient Fu Xi bloodline inside him. Zhong Yue felt the divine third eye in his forehead burning. It was reforming after being affected by the ancestor blood and the Fu Xi bloodline.

  His divine third eye became more powerful and totem carvings that looked like the innate totem carvings of the Fu Xi Celestial Race emerged faintly inside it!

  What a shame, only a drop of ancestral blood….

  As the jade water depleted, the ancestral blood was absorbed by Zhong Yue completely. The growth of his divine third eye stopped, and he sighed in his heart.

  At this point, he had never such power, and his five wheels became incredibly strong. They had all became extremely stable, while their strength increased drastically.

  There are more benefits than just this, as I have reached the peak level in the five great secret realm at the very least!, Zhong Yue

  thought, standing up after being replenished and healed by the jade water!

  The jade pool then ascended, vanishing into thin air, while bright lights illuminated the way before Zhong Yue as a path leading straight to the outside of the palace appeared.

  Zhong Yue then walked out of this golden palace. As soon as he stepped out of the doors, the doors closed shut immediately. Then, he looked in front of him and saw another golden palace labeled the “Wan Xiang Palace”!

  Wan Xiang Palace? Could it be that this is a palace that tests our Wan Xiang Secret Realm? My Wan Xiang Secret Realm has yet to reach the peak level….

  Zhong Yue’s eyes twitched as he breathed in deeply, and walked towards the palace.

  In the palace, Zhong Yue looked around, and saw, one after another, more draconic golden statues standing at the sides of the palace. At the same time, he felt a horrifying aura emerging again that sealed off the power of his other four wheels, leaving only the Wan Xiang Wheel operating normally!

  Does this need to be this difficult…

  The eyes of Zhong Yue twitched again and he murmured, Is this how the other dragon disciples pass the tests, as well?

  He was extremely shocked and showed a serious expression as he said after recollecting his thoughts, Seems like I have underestimated the people of the outside world, there are so many individuals no weaker than me! But if they could pass the test, then so can I!

  Zhong Yue then walked one step forward and thought, Fine! Show me how amazing and dangerous the dragons’ Wan Xiang Secret Realm can be!

  As if the statues could hear him, a draconic golden statue stood up, and a Wan Xiang Wheel formed behind its back.

  The Wan Xiang Wheel of the statue was as big as Zhong Yue’s. It looked like the Ancestral Dragon wanted to test the capabilities of his descendants, which was why the statues were all on the same level as Zhong Yue.

  The draconic statue jumped down and charged towards Zhong Yue!

  “Are the dragons really stronger than me?”

  Zhong Yue shouted as he pushed his Wan Xiang Secret Realm to its limits, and screamed, “I refuse to accept it!”

  Boom!...

  The draconic golden statue slammed into him and when they separated, the statue turned into a golden dragon with a long body that coiled around Zhong Yue, using its explosive power as it clawed at Zhong Yue.

  Zhong Yue then shouted and turned into a Xiang Dragon. The golden dragon and Xiang Dragon flew all over the palace, plunging towards their target with all sorts of ways and means in order to crush their opponent.

  After a while, Zhong Yue learned all the moves of his enemy. Mimicking the techniques of the Wan Xiang Secret Realm used by the statue, he crushed it with the same moves it possessed.

  He then fought with one after another of the golden statues, and just like previously, he won the battles after suffering heavy injuries that nearly cost him his life.

  However, he also learned to control his Wan Xiang Secret Realm in a more efficient and flexible way after absorbing the experiences he had gained during the battles.

  Then, another jade pool and the dragon finger appeared again. A drop of blood also appeared on the fingertip of the dragon finger, and it merged with Zhong Yue after he entered the jade pool.

  I will not be any weaker than the dragons, for I am the descendant of Fuxi…. murmured Zhong Yue to himself.

  After absorbing the jade water and the ancestral blood, Zhong Yue felt renewed again, and proceeded with the next stage.

  At the same time, the many strong individuals among the dragons had already walked out of the fifth stage, which was the Dao Yi Palace.

  Those who had managed to reach this point were all the best of the best in the Awakening level. There were a total of nine of them, including Jiao Qingtu.

  The nine dragons looked at each other with strong battle intent and Jiao Qingtu suddenly said with a smile, “Dear senior martial brothers and senior martial sisters, how many golden statues did you all defeat along the way?”

  “In the first palace, eighty of them.”

  A dragon girl replied, “The second palace, eighty-four; the third, seventy-two; and the fourth was seventy-six. The fifth palace was a little bit too hard for me, as I barely passed the test by defeating sixty-two of them before I was defeated.”

  “So it seems I was about even with Senior Martial Sister Ao Feifei.” said another dragon girl.

  “I was about the same.”

  A Po Clan’s disciple said, “We have to defeat only sixty of them to pass the test, and we will be bestowed with a jade pool and the Qi of the Ancestral Dragon after passing each test, so what is the point of defeating all hundred of them? Brother Qingtu, how many have you defeated?”

  Jiao Qingtu laughed and said, “Over ninety of them at each level. I wanted to defeat all hundred of them, but sadly, I failed. I wonder what happens if someone defeats all hundred draconic golden statues in each of the golden palaces?”

  “Defeating all hundred of them?” Everyone shook and agreed with a laugh, “To be able to defeat all hundred of them, one would have to possess the same level of power as the Innate Dragon God. Those who could pull off this kind of feat would have basically already awakened the ancestral blood; there would be little meaning in participating in the Ancestral Dragon Ritual for such people anyway.”

  Chapter 228: Five Levels Mergence |

  “It's way too hard to awaken the ancestral blood in us.” The nine talented dragons did not hide their admiration and they all agreed, “The rewards of the Ancestral Dragon Ritual are there in order to help us to awaken the ancestral blood in us, but there’s only a few that could do that.”

  Only the legends could awaken their ancestral bloodline during the Ancestral Dragon Ritual. These nine individuals may have acquired the jade water and the Qi of the Ancestral Dragon that acted as a catalyst in their cultivation, but the nine of them were still far away from being compared with the legends.

  “In my opinion, I think all we have to do is defeat all a hundred statues in one of the stages,” Ao Feifei said after she thought for a while, and she continued, “I once read in a record that stated that a drop of the ancestral blood will be bestowed upon whoever defeats all one hundred statues in any one of the stages, which could greatly enhance the power of o
ur bloodline and even awaken the ancestral blood in us.”

  Yu Jiao sighed and replied, “But it is way too hard to win against all the statues, as the final statue will possess the same power as the Ancestral God at the same level as us. A drop of ancestral blood might not be enough to awaken our bloodline.”

  Then, silence overwhelmed them, and they waited quietly. After a while, when no one else had walked out from the Dao Yi Palace behind them, Jiao Qingtu shook his head and thought of Zhong Yue. His strength is definitely able to place in the top ten of the Awakening level of the dragons, and he has reached such a high level in the【Soaring Dragon Hundred Forms】. With the strength he possesses, it shouldn't be difficult for him to pass the tests, so why is he still not out yet?”

  There were nine of them right now, and those that were listed in the top ten of the Awakening level should have been able to pass the tests, so Zhong Yue’s absence greatly troubled Jiao Qingtu.

  All of them then started to walk forwards. Not long after, they stopped in front of a river that floated in the air and off into the void. They then stood on the water and allowed the water to carry them into the void.

  Po Luhe laughed and asked, “So what is the sixth level about?”

  “From what we heard from the elders, the sixth stage is a stage where the Qi Practitioners of the five levels; Inner Core, Atman Body, Awakening, Rebirth, and Spirit Nurture level would all participate together.”

  A Jiao Dragon Clan’s disciple said, “The elders said that there will be a fierce battle where all disciples of the same levels would fight among themselves until the last one standing. With that, there will be only five people standing after the battle. Then, the five people remaining will have to fight one another, and those at a higher level will have to suppress their strengths to the same level as the weaker one. For example, if an Inner Core Qi Practitioner faces off against an Awakening level Qi Practitioner, he will have to suppress his strength to the same level as the Awakening level Qi Practitioner. Finally, the last one standing will be awarded with the grand reward from the Ancestral Dragon, which is the Lei Zhe totem carvings and the Ancestral Dragon’s markings! If the winner manages to reach a certain level in the future, he or she will be able to enter the sacred place of the Ancestral Dragons to cultivate using the markings!”

  “The Ancestral Dragon’s markings and totem carvings?”

  They were all very excited. Many of the Dragon Gods disappeared after they ascended as gods, as they were all picked up by the Ancestral Dragon and with that, they became a legend after cultivating themselves to an even higher level in the sacred land!

  At the same time, they became very wary of each other secretly, as there were nine Awakening level Qi Practitioners that passed the test, and three of them were from the Jiao Dragon Clan. The Jiao Dragons were very well known for their combat prowess!

  The river carried them away with the current, and after quite some time, the river merged with another river that was carrying eight Rebirth level Qi Practitioners. The majority of them were from the Jiao Dragon Clan, as well!

  Not long after, another river carrying six Inner Core Qi Practitioners merged with the river again. This time, there was only one Jiao Dragon Clan disciple, while there were two Ao Clan disciples.

  The Jiao Dragon Clan’s disciples possessed incredible combat power in the early stages, but when they reached the Inner Core level, their inner core would not be as pure as the other dragons, since their cores contained some serpentine attributes. Thus, they were slowly surpassed by the other dragons.

  The reason for this was because the Ancestral Dragon and one of its concubines gave birth to the ancestor of the Jiao Dragons. The concubine was a Draconic Serpent, a rare species among the serpents, and so the Jiao Dragons contained some serpent attributes.

  Somewhere in front of them, the Atman Body and Spirit Nurture level dragon disciples also merged with them. There were thirty-one Qi Practitioners among the five levels that had reached this point, and with that the number of people that managed to get to this point was much higher than the previous Ancestral Dragon Ritual.

  Those who failed at this point would be sent out of the secret realm, and return back to the Eastern Sea’s surface.

  As the river carried them forward, a ring appeared in front of them. Behind the ring was a closed door, while behind the door was the battlefield where the last man standing of their corresponding levels would fight together!

  Only through defeating the other dragons and becoming the strongest existence among the dragons would he or she be acknowledged by the Ancestral Dragon, and be able to obtain the Lei Zhe totem carvings and Ancestral Dragon’s Markings!

  Jiao Qingtu laughed and suddenly jumped into the ring. He then shouted in excitement, “I am Jiao Qingtu, and I hereby seek your advices, dear senior martial brothers and senior martial sisters!”

  ------

  “Qingtu, you have to go through us if you want to become the strongest Qi Practitioner in this generation’s Five Level Mergence Battle!”

  A Inner Core level dragon Qi Practitioner dashed up to the ring and his face changed slightly immediately as he felt an inexplicable power suppressing his strength to the Awakening level – the same level as Jiao Qingtu’s!

  With that, the atmosphere became intense, and battles were about to erupt!

  Meanwhile, Zhong Yue was still struggling to get past the tests. By now, he had only reached the Shen Cai Palace, and after defeating the ninety-seventh golden statue, he had unfortunately lost to the ninety-eighth statue and failed that level.

  Out of his expectations, he was still rewarded with a pool of jade water and the Ancestral Dragon’s Qi even after failing that level.

  Why is the reward so shabby this time?

  Zhong Yue absorbed the jade water and the Ancestral Dragon’s Qi, and he felt that his five great secret realms had increased by quite a lot again. Although the Ancestral Dragon’s Qi could nourish and increase the Yuan Shen and bloodline, its effects were still not as good as a drop of ancestral blood.

  But the jade water helped me reach the peak level of my Wan Xiang, Shen Cai, and Dao Yi Wheels.

  Zhong Yue sighed. He was dissatisfied by the fact that he had failed at the Shen Cai Palace. But it also helped him realize his own weaknesses that had prevented him from reaching the peak of the Awakening level.

  Dragons had always been known for their longevity, something that humanity had never been able to match. Humans left their prime once they pass thirty years of age, and humans of the Great Wilderness had an average lifespan of only sixty-some years.

  This was where Zhong Yue lost to the dragons. Humans did not have a very long life, unlike the dragons, and even if he cultivated as hard as he could and poured in effort a thousand times the effort they did, he would still be unable to overcome this disadvantage.

  The next level is the Yin Yang Palace.

  Zhong Yue got up and wondered, “How can the Ancestral Dragon surprise me in this stage?”

  He then walked out of the Shen Cai Palace and headed towards the Yin Yang Palace. In this stage, he used his full strength and obliterated all of the golden statues and passed the stage with little effort.

  All of this was because of his sun and moon spirit that focused on the Yin and Yang Qi. In addition to the fact that he had cultivated his Yin Yang Secret Realm to the peak, he was basically invincible in that aspect!

  The Dao Yi Palace!

  Zhong Yue collected his thoughts as he measured the final golden palace in front of him, the Dao Yi Palace. Even with his current achievements, he couldn't guarantee that he could pass this stage.

  Although he had reverse-opened his Dao Yi Wheel, making it stronger than anyone else’s, the Dao Yi Wheel consisted of power not only from the Dao Yi Secret Realm, but also the overall power of the other four wheels, which made the Dao Yi Secret Realm the strongest of them all!

  Through this battle, I will be able to see how much I have achieved throughout this
period of time!

  Zhong Yue took a deep breath, opened the door, and entered the golden palace.

  Zheng zheng zheng——

  Zhong Yue’s Yuan Shen let out bone-cracking sound, and the five wheels appeared at his back uncontrollably.

  This was the stage to test the Dao Yi Secret Realm, and also the stage to test the overall proficiency of the five great secret realms. Thus, the five great secret realms were not suppressed at all!

  And this applied to the draconic golden statues, as well!

  Zhong Yue looked around and measured the five wheels of these statues. He thought, So this is destined to be an extremely tough fight!

  “Come on!” shouted Zhong Yue.

  ------

  In the other place, Ao Feifei, Po Luhe, and the other disciples watched the ring with serious expressions as Jiao Qingtu, his strength suppressed to the level of Spirit Nurturing, fought with a Yu Clan Spirit Nurturing disciple in a very intense and fast-paced battle!

  By this time, Jiao Qingtu had already won ten rounds in a row, and he showed no signs of stopping!

  Suddenly, the disciple of the Yu Clan was hit and kicked out of the ring. Before he landed on the ground, a white light flashed across the sky, and he was sent out of the secret realm!

  With that, Jiao Qingtu had just acquired his eleventh victory!

  “Anyone else?” shouted Jiao Qingtu, without showing any signs of fatigue or exhaustion.

  “Maybe he really can hold long until the end, and receive the Ancestral Dragon’s heritage and markings...” murmured someone in the crowd.

  One after another, challengers went up the ring, and were defeated one by one. Jiao Qingtu’s momentum was seemingly unstoppable as he continued to defeat all his challengers, including the stronger individuals from the Jiao Dragon Clan.

  He was just too strong. He had his fundamentals mastered to an unbelievable degree, making his foundation even more solid than other people of his level. This gave him the capital that allowed him to make short work of every single challenger, even at different levels!