The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “Time is short. I’ll deal with the stone pillars while you think of a way out!” the Demonic Emperor Old Man loudly shouted. He had been the one who had shattered the stone pillars, but the danger followed them like their shadows, and this was only the beginning.

  Ripples appeared in the sky as invisible energy poured into the space. Stone slabs began to congregate, and in the blink of an eye, a massive stone pillar had taken form, with a second and third well on their way to completion.

  This kind of stone pillar would not just vanish because they were attacked. As long as one remained in the Alarm Gate, these stone pillars would emerge in an endless stream to rain down attacks.

  The situation was dire. Their energy was constantly being drained while giant rocks were falling from the sky.

  “Damn it!”

  The Formation Elder lowered his head and began to think frantically as cold beads of sweat rolled off his forehead. In just a few moments, the Formation Elder’s face was completely red and his body was soaked.

  The Formation Elder had never been an expert martial artist, and there was a big gap between him and Wang Chong. Nor was he that sort of character who could remain unperturbed even as a mountain collapsed.

  In a peaceful environment, he would definitely be able to think of a way, but in this sort of urgent situation where there was so much pressure on him, he could not think as he normally did.

  Even though he knew it was a problem, the Formation Elder had never been able to correct it.

  A new wave of attacks was about to descend, and the group was about to be pushed further in the direction of the even more dangerous Pain and Death Gates. At this moment, an extremely calm voice rang out.

  “Qian Palace, straight north. In one hundred and twelve steps, the View Gate will appear!”

  As he spoke, Wang Chong thrust out a palm, sending Stellar Energy flooding into the air to shatter apart the third stone pillar, which had just finished forming, and then shot off in the direction of the Qian Palace.

  Everyone else soon understood what was going on, and those unaffiliated martial artists rushed off in the direction Wang Chong had indicated.

  “That’s right! It’s the View Gate, the View Gate!”

  Wang Chong’s words caused the Formation Elder to quickly calm down, and he soon calculated the View Gate’s position. In the brief time that had passed since they had moved from the Rest Gate to the Alarm Gate, three hundred and twenty-four shifts had already taken place.

  Now that the reaction had been set off, returning from the Alarm Gate to the Rest was impossible. Moreover, the three hundred and twenty-four shifts were each pushing them toward the extremely dangerous Death Gate, as would the six hundred and eighty-two further shifts soon to come.

  The Qian Palace direction, where the View Gate would briefly appear, presented their only chance. As long as they could get into the View Gate, they could avoid the inevitable death that came with the Death Gate. This was the best choice in their situation.

  But this opportunity would only last for a moment. If they did not seize it, they would lose their only chance to escape the current predicament.

  If one wanted to find this only chance of survival, one would need to make six to seven hundred calculations in just a few moments. And when it came to calculations, Wang Chong truly possessed astonishing talent.

  “Qian Palace, leaning west, sixteen steps. We can get into the View Gate six seconds faster,” the Formation Elder suddenly called out.

  Wang Chong quickly responded to the Formation Elder’s words. The older were still the wiser, and though he had managed to find their only chance at survival and even calculate the distance and direction, his calculations had still somewhat differed from reality. The Formation Elder was truly more capable in this aspect.

  “Hurry!”

  Wang Chong, the Demonic Emperor Old Man, the Formation Elder, and all the unaffiliated martial artists charged in the direction indicated by the Formation Elder.

  Rumble! The entire formation was still shifting around, and the group could be swept up into a more dangerous formation gate at any moment. Bzzz! Suddenly, it seemed like they had crossed into a different world. The massive stone pillars vanished and the massive pull instantly weakened.

  The View Gate!

  The group immediately knew that they had entered a new formation gate.

  “We’re here!”

  Wang Chong sighed in relief, but a moment later, he felt that something was wrong. Everyone who had followed him inside—his master, the Formation Elder, the unaffiliated martial artists—had vanished. Only Wang Chong was left in the formation gate.

  “Ma–!”

  Wang Chong had just spoken when, to his astonishment, the gray sky turned orange-red. At the same time, to his left and right, two masters appeared. Stunned, he immediately swallowed back the rest of his word.

  As Wang Chong was staring in confusion at the two ‘masters’, the two became four. And in the blink of an eye, there were also eight Formation Elders, all of them looking in shock at him.

  “Kid, just which one is you!”

  Hearing the Formation Elder’s confused voice, Wang Chong frowned. Just as he was about to speak, his eyes looked ahead, and what he saw instantly rendered him speechless.

  In a place between the Formation Elders and the Demonic Emperor Old Men, light rippled, and then a person identical in appearance to himself walked out.

  Their eyes met, and they stared.

  Fake mountains, trees, bamboo, streams… several other objects began to manifest around him.

  Wang Chong could even hear gurgling water. And amidst the streams and gardens, several dozen martial artists appeared, all of them prone on the ground, expressions of shock on their faces.

  “Be careful! Everything here is an illusion. Close your eyes and use Psychic Energy to sense!” A voice suddenly resounded in Wang Chong’s mind, the elderly and deep voice of his master.

  Wang Chong instantly understood.

  The defining trait of the View Gate was illusion, but unlike normal illusions, these illusions were indistinguishable from the real one. Even the sound of flowing water could be replicated. And if one were injured here, it might not end up being a simple illusion.

  Chapter 1393 - Seeing Through the View Gate!

  Chapter 1393: Seeing Through the View Gate!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Buzz!

  Wang Chong closed his eyes, at the same time sending his Psychic Energy sweeping out around him. All the illusions faded away, and Wang Chong could only sense his master, the Formation Elder, and those few unaffiliated martial artists.

  But between Wang Chong, the Demonic Emperor Old Man, the Formation Elder, and those martial artists were fiery streams of red lava. Wang Chong immediately understood that the gurgling water he heard was actually the flowing lava, the truth mixing into the fiction.

  The sky’s orange-red hue was also probably because of the lava.

  Although the illusions had been fake, falling into the lava would not be.

  “Pay attention to your feet. The temperature of the lava is extremely high! It’s not just ordinary lava!”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man’s voice resounded in Wang Chong’s ears. He had evidently noticed the lava as well.

  Bang!

  Wang Chong suddenly punched at a stream of lava several dozen feet away. Smoke plumed into the air as the red lava trembled and splashed up high into the air.

  This action seemed abrupt and inexplicable, but it soon had an effect.

  The orange-red sky suddenly twisted, and at the same time, the illusions began to peel away like paper.

  “Ah! What’s going on?!”

  The unaffiliated martial artists immediately came to their senses, and they stared in fear and shock at the flowing stream of lava before them. If not for Wang Chong, the closest martial artist would have already stepped into the lava.

  �
��Senior Zhou, you calculate the shifting of the Nine Palaces and I will calculate the shifting of the formation gates!” Wang Chong loudly called out. The View Gate was not that dangerous, but under the influence of the formation’s energy, it might worsen at any time. They needed to get out of here as quickly as possible.

  Wang Chong had formidable Psychic Energy, and not even the Formation Elder could compare to him when it came to calculating the formation gates. But Wang Chong was still a student, and while he was skilled in calculating the formation shifts, he was far inferior in understanding when it came to the general field of formations and the shifting of the Nine Palaces. This had been the reason for the minor error in his last calculation.

  “Okay! The two of us will work together to calculate the movements of this formation!”

  The Formation Elder was in a state of agitation. The formation left behind the Origin Immortal Lord was far more complicated than any formation he had ever encountered, with more than ten thousand possible permutations. Even the Formation Elder found it difficult to keep up. The slightest miscalculation would cause a new shift, so he had never been able to accurately calculate the laws of the formation. But Wang Chong perfectly filled in for the Formation Elder’s flaw.

  Whoosh!

  The winds howled around them, carrying with them the screams of the dying, which were only getting louder and coming with more frequency. Wang Chong and the Formation Elder closed their eyes and put all their focus into calculation. And around them, without Wang Chong’s disruption, the illusions reappeared and began to constantly shift.

  Boom! A bolt of Stellar Energy struck the lava on the ground, once more tearing apart the illusion. This time, it was the Demonic Emperor Old Man who had put a stop to it.

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man was not skilled in formations and would be of no help in that aspect, so this was all he could do to assist.

  “Senior Zhou, in twenty seconds, where will the Kan Palace be?” Wang Chong suddenly said.

  With a wave of his finger, the Formation Elder quickly determined the answer. “To the southeast, three degrees to the left!”

  The positions of the Nine Palaces should have been unchanging, but the formation left behind by the Origin Immortal Lord was so powerful that it could change the terrain and move around the Nine Palaces.

  “Kid, hurry! The speed at which the formation is shifting is picking up. Have you found the next safe formation gate yet?”

  The Formation Elder opened his eyes and worriedly stared at Wang Chong.

  Ordinary people might have failed to sense it, but over the course of his calculations, the Formation Elder had keenly sensed that the formation was moving faster, pushed along by an outside force. This was nothing normal at all, and there was now even less time available to the group.

  He could only place his hopes on Wang Chong!

  “The Kan Palace, to the left, one hundred and seventeen steps! On my mark!”

  Wang Chong soon opened his eyes and turned his bright eyes in the direction of the Kan Palace.

  A few moments later, Wang Chong bellowed, “Hurry! Now is the moment!”

  Bang! Following Wang Chong’s order, everyone charged forward. There was a rumble as one of the streams of lava suddenly began to gush, sending flames into the sky. The orange-red sky rapidly began to turn dark.

  “Hurry!”

  Wang Chong leaped forward, a burst of Stellar Energy sweeping up those martial artists as he made his way toward the Stop Gate.

  ……

  As Wang Chong was leading his group toward the Stop Gate, elsewhere, several individuals who had been watching other areas and controlling everything immediately turned their heads to the position where Wang Chong, the Formation Elder, and the Demonic Emperor Old Man had been placed.

  “Milord, it’s that group again! These fellows seem to have calculated the laws governing our formation! We can’t hold them!” one of the people said.

  Wang Chong’s group was far too obvious. While screams and howls were coming from all the other parts of the formations as the power of the formation ground people to bits, Wang Chong’s group was rather untroubled and unaffected by the power of the formation.

  Another voice spoke up. “Milord, based on how they’re moving, they might be planning to return to the Rest Gate. Once they get back, our attacks will be useless against them, and if this keeps up, they might find something in the middle of the formation.”

  “Returning to the Rest Gate? Impossible! These are just ants, so how could they possibly fight against us? No one can break through the formation left behind by the Immortal Lord!”

  That person who was the leader put their hands behind their back and sneered, their eyes turning toward a large and imposing figure elsewhere in the formation.

  “That man also entered the formation? Since he’s too powerful for our formation to deal with, let’s push him over so that they can fight it out! I don’t want any survivors today!” the leader coldly said.

  “Yes! Milord!”

  ……

  Wang Chong had no idea that his group was being watched. The space around them fiercely juddered, and then Wang Chong, the Demonic Emperor Old Man, and those martial artists entered the Stop Gate.

  Thwishthwishthwish!

  They had barely entered when arrows rained down with a howl from all sides. A split-second later, vast gouts of flame also began to sweep toward the ground, shrouded by churning clouds of smoke.

  “Ah!”

  “What’s going on? Why is this place even more dangerous?!”

  “Not good! Look behind us!”

  The martial artists called out in alarm. They had originally believed that by following Wang Chong’s calculations, they would be heading for a safer place, but instead, they were greeted with a storm of attacks.

  “Hold your breath and focus on countering!” the Formation Elder’s voice rang out. “The View Gate appears calm on the surface, but the dangers are lurking beneath. The Stop Gate appears dangerous, but it’s actually safe. Have none of you realized that while attacks here are the most numerous, none of them are as strong as those of the Alarm Gate?”

  The art of formation was the art of the real and false. Unless one completely left the formation, there was no such thing as a completely safe place.

  Danger and safety were always relative!

  The Formation Elder’s reminder made everyone realize that while those arrows were each as thick as a finger and appeared extremely dangerous, and those rocks flying out from behind them also seemed rather powerful, they were only equivalent to the attacks of a Profound Martial expert. Just as the Formation Elder had said, while it seemed dangerous, it wasn’t actually that bad.

  “The Stop Gate isn’t that safe. Of the Five Elements, the Stop Gate is considered Wood, and it restricts the other gates. It is a minorly inauspicious gate, one plagued by misfortune, but also one where misfortune can turn into blessing. In order to avoid being pushed into the Death Gate by the formation, we have to use the Stop Gate to reverse the course! Kid, hurry and find the Life Gate! I’ll calculate the shifts of the Nine Palaces!”

  Wang Chong nodded. Spreading out his Stellar Energy barrier to enclose the Formation Elder and the martial artists, he closed his eyes and began to calculate.

  Boom! Boom! Boom! The arrows and stone battered against Wang Chong’s Stellar Energy barrier, but all of them were kept out, the stones exploding into powder and the arrows bending and snapping.

  “Chong-er, focus on calculating! I’ll handle the rest!” the Demonic Emperor Old Man said, and then an even fiercer wave of Stellar Energy spread outward, swiftly enclosing everyone while repelling all the attacks.

  Wang Chong said nothing, only nodded and threw all his focus into frantic calculation.

  “Senior Zhou, calculate the position of the Xun Palace for me. This time, we’ll go straight back to the Rest Gate! This is our last chance!” Wang Chong sternly said.

  Chapter 1394 - Eternal Spri
ng Emperor!

  Chapter 1394: Eternal Spring Emperor!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  One misstep would lead down a road of errors. Going through the View Gate to the Stop Gate, and then back to the Rest Gate, was the shortest path to escape danger. If they missed out, the turning of the formation would sweep them up in a vortex that would bring into increasingly dangerous areas until their deaths.

  Even if they did not fall into the Death Gate, returning to the Rest Gate still required passing through one hundred and eight formation gates. The calculations required over this process exceeded one hundred thousand—an immense number, even for someone like Wang Chong.

  Buzz!

  As Wang Chong was focused on calculation, the space suddenly trembled, and a vast energy suddenly began to approach.

  “Alliance Lord, watch out!”

  A shout rang out, and before anyone could react, a slender figure charged out of the storm.

  Klack! Klack! The moment that person appeared, a thick, fragrant aroma filled the air, and countless flowers and grass brimming with life dropped from the sky. At the same time, patches of green appeared around that person and rapidly began to expand.

  Countless other individuals followed this man, all of them wearing the same uniform with the striking emblem of the white crane and the Yin Yang symbol on their left chest.

  The Righteous Alliance Lord!

  Wang Chong turned in shock upon sensing this familiar energy. Across from him stood a proud figure, his imposing and majestic bearing leaving a deep impression on anyone who beheld him. If this was not Righteous Alliance Lord Song Yuanyi, who else could it be?

  “Ah! The Demonic Emperor!”

  “Everyone, be careful!”

  Swords and sabers were pulled out of their sheaths as the pale-faced Righteous Alliance experts around Song Yuanyi immediately recognized the Demonic Emperor Old Man. In a flash, they all assumed defensive postures.

  A person’s reputation was like the shade of a tree, and in the world of martial arts, there was no one who did not know the name of Zhang Wenfu. Let alone those of the righteous path, even evil path disciples would pale in dread and awe at the mere mention of his name.