This three-eyed god was wrapped in bronze armor, its divine and imposing expression looking down on the world, exuding a peerless aura.
A moment later, the three-eyed god opened two of its eyes, but the eye sockets were empty. Instead, two small hands bizarrely extended out from the sockets. When the hands opened, they revealed two deep eyes.
“Yang Ren1!!” someone shouted, immediately identifying this three-eyed god as the legendary Yang Ren, the executioner of all evils.
When the Wushang Village Chief summoned Yang Ren, his entire body began to exude a dreadful and somber aura.
“Executioner of All Evils!”
With a stern gaze, the Wushang Village Chief thrust forward his cane. A moment later, the white cane transformed into a black halberd, and the Wushang Village Chief vanished. The moment the Wushang Village Chief vanished, the bodies of the men in black froze in the air. As they felt themselves lose control of their bodies, their eyes began to brim with extreme fear.
Boomboomboom! With a series of explosions, the Wushang Village Chief appeared once more at the entrance to the tavern. Behind him, bloody holes appeared in the bodies of the men in black. No matter how thick and powerful their Stellar Energies had been, none of them had been able to stop the attacks of the Wushang Village Chief.
A moment later, they all exploded into black dust. Whether they had been half–Lu Wus or Black Flame Asuras, their remains were now scattered by the wind.
The Yang Ren God Art!
This was the strongest art of Wushang Village. No one knew where this art came from, and even the Wushang Village Chief only knew that this art had been with the village since its founding. But this art had extremely strict requirements that made it very difficult to cultivate.
The Wushang Village Chief himself had only comprehended it after the Battle of Talas. Before that battle, the Wushang Village Chief and the Demonic Emperor Old Man had already managed to comprehend a few things about the Subtle realm, but it was only during that momentous battle that the pair saw someone actually reach that realm, and they were even able to see the ‘breakthrough process’.
When they came back from that battle, the Wushang Village Chief and the Demonic Emperor Old Man came to comprehend many things.
The Wushang Village Chief had comprehended the Yang Ren God Art at this time. The ‘Executioner of All Evils’ was one of the three great techniques of this art. When using this technique, one could easily break through an opponent’s defenses, no matter how impressive their technique was or how sturdy their armor.
More importantly, the Wushang Village Chief could also use the Yang Ren God Art to influence the Stellar Energy in the bodies of his foes and make them unable to move. This was the reason those men in black froze mid-charge.
With just one move, more than half of the enemies in the ruined tavern had been cleared away. Let alone the men in black, even Wang Chong was surprised by this power.
“What a powerful art!”
He had heard the Wushang Village Chief mention this art on the road, but mentioning was completely different from actually executing the art. These men in black had powerful techniques and formidable vitalities, and even Wang Chong would have found it difficult to kill those men in black who cultivated the Black Flame Asura in a single blow. But in the face of the Wushang Village Chief, those men in black hadn’t even been able to last through a single exchange.
“How is this possible?! Quickly, flee!”
The deputy leader of the men in black was stunned by this sight. He had never imagined that these three would be so hard to deal with. The group he had brought was strong enough to exterminate an entire sect, but in this battle, not only had they not even tired out their foes, more than half of his men had been massacred. Even their leader had been heavily injured. There was no hope of victory if they continued to fight.
Swish!
Without the slightest hesitation, one of the men in black swung his hand, sprinkling a large amount of poisonous powder at Wang Chong’s group. The men in black then scattered like frightened beasts in every direction.
“Hmph!”
Wang Chong coldly sneered as he once more used the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art and began to create a vortex.
“Forget it! Let them be!”
Just as Wang Chong was prepared to strike, the Demonic Emperor Old Man’s voice rang out in his ear. Wang Chong hesitated for a moment, and the energy that had been circling toward his body reversed course and exploded outward, pushing away the poisonous powder and the surrounding debris.
As the dust settled, the only people left in the tavern were Wang Chong, the Demonic Emperor Old Man, the Wushang Village Chief, and the leader of the black-clothed men. Now that they had caught this big fish, they naturally didn’t have to worry about the small ones.
“Speak! Just who are you? Why do you keep pursuing my disciple?”
The Demonic Emperor Old Man’s foot pressed down on the body of the leader like a nail, firmly fixing him to the ground.
______________
1. Yang Ren is a god mentioned in the Chinese novel ‘Investiture of the Gods’. As a mortal, he was a Grand Counselor of the Shang Dynasty, serving the last King of Shang, King Zhou. When Yang Ren was discussing the construction of King Zhou’s opulent palace, the Deer Terrace Pavilion, with King Zhou, King Zhou became enraged and pulled out his eyes before having him executed. He was revived by another god, who implanted two ‘golden dan’ in his eyes which grew into hands, and the hands grew eyes.↩
Chapter 1332 - The Dread of the Black-Clothed Man!
Chapter 1332: The Dread of the Black-Clothed Man!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Haha, you think I’ll talk?”
The leader of the black-clothed men was splayed out on the ground, his mouth full of blood, but he actually turned his body around and smiled at the three.
This leader was unimaginably powerful, but the Demonic Emperor Old Man was his bane. There were forty to fifty small and bloody holes on his back and chest, through which his immense vitality was seeping out. With a single palm, the Demonic Emperor Old Man had obliterated more than half his life force.
“Hmph, that’s true. Since that’s the case, there’s no need to keep you around,” the Demonic Emperor Old Man indifferently said. All of these men in black were incredibly loyal, and it was almost impossible to get anything from interrogating them.
“Heheh, don’t get too proud. Even if I die, you lot won’t be able to live for long after! It doesn’t matter if you’re an Emperor, general, minister, or some bigshot from a clan; if we want to kill someone, no one can survive. I was careless this time, and if I hadn’t been in such a rush to succeed, burdened with the desire to offer up some contribution, I would not have died here. I’ll wait for you down below. You and your disciple will be following me shortly.”
“Impudent!”
The Demonic Emperor Old Man could hardly be bothered to care about the brashness this black-clothed leader showed before death. He brought his foot down, preparing to unleash a destructive burst of energy that would end this person’s life.
As the infamous Demonic Emperor of the martial arts world, he had killed countless people and naturally wouldn’t care about the threats of one man in black.
“Master, wait!” Wang Chong suddenly yelled.
He slowly walked toward the leader. “Master, I still have a use for this man in black. Leave him to me!
“Heh, it’s not hard if you want to die, and I quite admire your resolve to die, but there are some secrets that can be learned without needing you to speak.”
Wang Chong stared at the man in black.
“You!”
The man instantly grimaced as he thought of something, but before he could speak, bzzzz! A vast tide of Psychic Energy surged through the air and into his mind.
Bzzz! In the blink of an eye, Wang Chong’s boundless Psychic Energy was flooding through eve
ry channel in the man’s mind.
Although Wang Chong was now suffering from cultivation defect, his Psychic Energy had not been affected. His Psychic Energy was already very strong, and after he experienced the Psychic Energy inheritance of the three venerable seniors underground, it had only gotten stronger. As Wang Chong’s Psychic Energy burrowed into the man’s mind, he quickly encountered a seal.
Boom!
Unlike in the past, Wang Chong simply charged forward, and then there was the sound of a lock clicking open as what was once an impregnable fortress now opened to him.
“Stop!”
The composed man in black finally began to panic and began to try and fight back with his own Psychic Energy. But while his martial arts were of a high level, in terms of Psychic Energy, he was far from reaching Wang Chong’s level.
“Milord…”
The gloominess before him burst apart in an explosion of light, and at the same time, Wang Chong heard a voice. This was the first time he had ever obtained any useful information from a high-ranked man in black, so he immediately put in all his focus.
……
Before him was a vast and coarse land, blasted by sandy winds and covered in yellow rocks and gravel. Nearby, he could see vast dunes stretching off into the distance. Wang Chong stood in this world, silently watching everything.
He saw the black-clothed leader, and he also saw a man wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, apparently some kind of expert of even higher status. This pair was surrounded by many other men in black who were closely watching the perimeter.
“…That boy is truly very vigilant, and with the metal box he was given, he can sense us from long distances. It will be incredibly difficult to deal with him now. But if we did want to deal with him, we can just do it in the capital. In any case, secular authorities cannot restrain us. So why does Milord insist on drawing him out of the capital before striking?”
The black-clothed leader was down on one knee as he respectfully spoke.
“Now is not the time. With that person in the capital reigning over the Central Plains, we can’t act recklessly. All of you are still too weak and can’t attract his notice, but once you exceed a certain level, the situation will be entirely different. The capital is heavily garrisoned, and there are countless experts hiding in the shadows. We still have no confidence in dealing with him in that place!” the man wearing the yellow dragon robe said, his hands held behind his back.
Wang Chong felt his mind jolt when he heard these words.
“They’re talking about the Sage Emperor!”
The Sage Emperor was the number one man of the Central Plains, but Wang Chong had never imagined that these men in black so dreaded the Sage Emperor.
“This…” The leader lowered his head and said, “Your subordinate understands!”
“There’s no need to rush in dealing with that boy in the capital. Our first priority is still to find the other target. We’ve received word that he’s hiding in the northwest, precisely the area we’re active in. The great retire to the court while the small retire to the wilderness. This bastard has truly gotten bold!” the yellow-robed man spat.
The leader of the men in black only listened, not daring to interrupt.
“This time, I will give you thirty subordinates as well as two Celestial Emissaries to assist you. Do your utmost to capture that boy. He has something that we need on him!” the man in yellow robes proclaimed.
Wang Chong tried to make out his face, but all he could see was an indistinct form in the shadows.
“This subordinate will go!”
The leader stood up, and then everything began to turn fuzzy. Wang Chong knew that he had finished reading the memories of this black-clothed leader.
“Impossible! Impossible! You are actually able to see my memories of True Lord Yellow Dragon!”
A shocked and furious voice resounded as the man in black finally came to his senses and began to struggle. Time in the Psychic World could not be measured using common sense. It had apparently taken some time for Wang Chong to view that scene, but in the real world, it had taken less than a second.
“True Lord Yellow Dragon?”
Wang Chong’s brow furrowed, but then he slowly began to coldly smile.
“Hmph, no matter who you’re talking about, you can’t hide any secrets from me!”
A moment later, Wang Chong sent his Psychic Energy immediately burrowing farther down for even deeper secrets. He had already come away with a great harvest from this memory searching, but Wang Chong knew that it was the deepest secrets that were the most important. From the rank of this leader, he was sure that this man knew many core secrets.
Boom!
Wang Chong’s Psychic Energy surged even deeper into the man’s mind, but a moment later, bang! Wang Chong’s Psychic Energy was repulsed as if it had run into a steel wall.
Wang Chong felt like the deepest secrets in this man’s mind were surrounded by a steel fortress. If he wanted to see those secrets, he would need to breach this fortress made from Psychic Energy.
“Hahaha, don’t waste your energy. Each of the twelve golden locks is sturdier and larger than the one before. It was already rather difficult for you to break through the outermost layer. It’s impossible for you to access any deeper secrets!” The man in black strained his neck to glare at Wang Chong, derision in his eyes.
No matter how strong a martial artist was, even a powerful Psychic Energy expert like Wang Chong, they would only ever be able to break through the outermost seal. This was the absolute limit of the secrets they could learn.
“Is that so?” Wang Chong sneered. “Let me see how formidable this god of yours really is!”
Wang Chong would never take this man at his word. Without the slightest hesitation, he condensed his vast Psychic Energy and then threw it at the second seal like a meteor.
Boom! The two different Psychic Energies slammed against each other, and at that moment, Wang Chong could clearly ‘see’ that enormous golden seal in the man’s mind, protecting the most important channels. And when Wang Chong’s Psychic Energy collided with it, a gigantic, black, ancient character emerged on the surface of the golden seal.
Wang Chong had never seen this kind of character before. It was extremely complex, appeared even older than the Bird Seal Script of the Spring and Autumn Era, and was imbued with an extremely mysterious power.
Talismans!
Though this was his first time seeing one, Wang Chong immediately recognized this as the power of the most ancient Talismans. In the apocalyptic era, Wang Chong had encountered many kinds of power, including various martial arts and formations. The most unique of them were the Talismans. These things were difficult to understand with common sense. Wang Chong only knew that Talismans belonged to their own special category of characters. One could apparently invest one’s understanding of the world into these characters, creating a resonance with the world that imbued the characters with a unique power.
This was the kind of energy passed on through the many generations of shamans in the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganate, but this was only the lowest level of Talisman energy. The Talisman in the mind of this man in black, however, appeared even older and more mysterious, and was probably many times more powerful.
“Ah!”
Just when Wang Chong was planning to make another attempt at the seal, he suddenly heard a hair-raising scream. The face of the man in black suddenly twisted, his veins bulging as blood began to flow out of his ears, eyes, and nose.
“Chong-er, his seal has been activated!” the Demonic Emperor Old Man solemnly said.
More and more blood was pouring out of the man’s orifices, turning from violet to black. His vitality also began to rapidly plunge.
“Damn it!”
Cursing, Wang Chong ground his teeth and began to batter away at the second seal, hoping that he could obtain even more secrets from the man in black before he died. But he was too late.
Wan
g Chong could clearly see that the golden seal in the man’s mind was beginning to drip with black liquid, and the black was rapidly creeping across the golden seal. Not only that, under the influence of some invisible power, the network of seals running through the man’s mind were beginning to wring his brain to death.
Chapter 1333 - Playing with Men in Bamboo Hats!
Chapter 1333: Playing with Men in Bamboo Hats!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Ah!”
The leader of the men in black covered his head with his hands, his eyes going white as cold sweat poured out. Inhuman cries came from his mouth and it seemed like he was on the verge of death.
“Chong-er, give up. He’s almost dead!” the Demonic Emperor Old Man said as he withdrew his foot.
The man in black was twitching and writhing, rolling around in pain. Finally, his body went stiff, he exhaled his last breath, and he stopped moving. Around him, the ground was stained with his blood.
All was quiet. Whether it was Wang Chong, the Wushang Village Chief, or the Demonic Emperor Old Man, all of them were rendered speechless by the man’s gruesome death. The Wushang Village Chief was particularly shocked. He had long ago heard that this organization of black-clothed men was extremely strict and cruel, but hearing was different from seeing. It was clear that before his death, this man in black had endured an extremely intense and indescribable pain.
“These scoundrels are truly willing to do anything!” the Demonic Emperor Old Man coldly said. He had never had any good impression of these men in black, and it certainly wasn’t improving now.
The Wushang Village Chief walked over and soothingly said, “Child, what information did you obtain from his mind?”
“Mm!”
Wang Chong nodded.
“This appears to be rather troublesome. These people are just a vanguard. There seem to be several formidable fellows behind. In addition, just like you and Master realized, their base really is in the northwest,” Wang Chong sternly said, and then he revealed what he had seen in the mind of the man in black.
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