The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “But Milord, the Rest Gate was just shifted and the formation’s power already used! We have no way of continuing to pursue them!”

  “We need to wait at least twelve hours until we can move against them again. Pushing the formation in reverse again might set off a chain reaction that will cause the entire formation to collapse.”

  The two subordinates were stricken with panic.

  Buzz!

  Upon hearing these words, the face of the leader went slack and the air seemed to freeze.

  That thick killing intent also seemed to freeze. For a moment, there was clear shock in the leader’s eyes, as if they had been suddenly punched. That belly full of rage was instantly vented.

  Finally…

  “Then let them live for another twelve hours. After another twelve hours, activate the seal and exterminate all these martial artists!”

  The leader shot one last glare at Wang Chong’s group before leaving with a shake of their robe.

  ……

  Several hours went by in the blink of an eye.

  Wang Chong finally began to open his eyes. At the same time, the nearby Demonic Emperor Old Man also began to cease the circulation of his energy, his complexion a much healthier color.

  “Wonderful! You’ve finally recovered!”

  The Formation Elder gleefully walked up to the master and disciple.

  “Wang Chong, kid, how is your condition?”

  Wang Chong stood back up and confidently declared, “There are no longer any major problems.”

  His condition hadn’t been that serious in the first place, as his energy had yet to run rampant. Thus, all he needed was some rest and meditation to recover.

  “Haha, great! Now we can think of a way to leave this place. Your calculation ability combined with my understanding of formations means that we can find the Life Gate and get out of here.”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man spoke up in his deep and dignified voice. “That’s right. There was no Origin Immortal Mountain here at all, only this extremely dangerous formation. It’s about time for us to leave.”

  They had come to the northwest to search for the Origin Immortal Art so that Wang Chong’s cultivation defect could be treated, but it was now apparent that there was no Origin Immortal Art here at all.

  Moreover, now that both the righteous and evil path martial artists had gathered, it was no longer proper to stay here for very long.

  The Demonic Emperor was beginning to contemplate retreat.

  To the surprise of the two, Wang Chong shook his head, his face solemn.

  “Master, Senior Zhou, this matter is not as simple as it seems, and it won’t be that easy to reach the Life Gate. At the very least, those people will never let us leave.”

  Buzz!

  The Formation Elder and Demonic Emperor Old Man glanced at each other in shock.

  “Chong-er, what do you mean?”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man was the first to speak, his brow tightly furrowed in confusion.

  “Yes, what are you trying to say?” the Formation Elder asked, staring at Wang Chong.

  After spending time with Wang Chong, the Formation Elder had become profoundly aware that Wang Chong was not someone who spoke without thinking. There was undoubtedly a reason he had said such things.

  Wang Chong did not directly answer, instead asking a question to the Formation Elder. “Senior Zhou, do you remember when you said that you felt that someone was meddling with the formation?”

  “That was just a guess of mine because the formation was moving rather strangely. Kid, why are you asking about this? Could it be…”

  As the Formation Elder spoke, his eyes went wide in disbelief.

  “Your guess was correct. There really is a third faction present here who is using the formation to target us, as well as the righteous and evil path martial artists.”

  “What?!”

  The other two were flabbergasted by this statement.

  “Chong-er, are you sure?”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man raised an eyebrow, his expression completely different from before. If there really was a third faction here controlling the formation in secret, even luring over countless martial artists of the evil and righteous paths, then there was something else going on in this incident.

  “Kid, do you know what you’re saying? It’s been several hundred years since someone has gotten their hands on the Origin Immortal Art, and countless martial artists have gone after it because no one owns it. But if it’s as you say, then it means that all those legends circulating outside are fake; that from beginning to end, this was all a conspiracy, a scam!”

  The Formation Elder was extremely agitated. He wasn’t very interested in martial arts, but he was extremely interested in the ancient formations of the Origin Immortal Lord.

  This was his lifelong desire as a formation master, but if the Origin Immortal Art was fake, then it meant the legends about the formation manuals could also be fake. In a flash, his face had turned ghastly pale.

  “Senior Zhou, let’s put aside the matter of the Origin Immortal Art for now. After all, the treasure maps for the Origin Immortal Art have been circulating for some time. This matter is not guaranteed to be utterly baseless. But there is no question that someone has been secretly controlling this formation the entire time,” Wang Chong solemnly said.

  In front of his two seniors, Wang Chong immediately voiced all the doubts on his mind, holding back nothing.

  “Do you still remember how we were forced out of the Rest Gate? The entire formation has clearly been altered because of it. In addition, the Rest Gate should have been safe, but we were attacked twice in the span of twelve hours. None of this is normal.”

  “But these are only suspicions, not actually indicative of anything. After all, this is an ancient formation left behind by the Origin Immortal Lord. No one knows its unique properties or how it actually operates. When you say the formation is odd, that’s only when considered using the usual rules, but those don’t necessarily apply here,” the Formation Elder said. Suspicion and certainty were two completely different concepts and indicative of completely different things.

  “If that were all, there would naturally be nothing to say, but Master, Senior Zhou, do you remember how, not long after we were forced out of the Rest Gate, we encountered Song Yuanyi and the Righteous Alliance group?” Wang Chong sternly replied.

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man frowned and said, “Chong-er, even that is not enough. Song Yuanyi entered the formation the same as us. To meet him within the formation is to be expected.”

  It was clear that he did not share the same view as Wang Chong.

  “Again, this isn’t enough, but… the Black Yin Ancestor?” Wang Chong asked, locking eyes with his master.

  At that moment, he seemed capable of seeing through all secrets.

  “To meet Song Yuanyi in the formation can be put off as coincidence, but to meet the Black Yin Ancestor so soon after meeting Song Yuanyi, is that still a coincidence? What exactly is the probability of meeting the two titans of the martial arts world at the same time within this formation?”

  Wang Chong looked at his two seniors. The Demonic Emperor Old Man and Formation Elder immediately fell into a shocked silence, pensive looks in their eyes.

  Chapter 1400 - Peering into the Formation!

  Chapter 1400: Peering into the Formation!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “That’s right! Although the chance of running into Song Yuanyi and the Righteous Alliance in the formation is rather small, it’s not completely impossible. But for Song Yuanyi and Luo Qiyin to appear at the Stop Gate at the same time can’t be written off as mere coincidence.”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man’s brow instantly creased even harder while the Formation Elder immediately became anxious and uneasy.

  “This truly can’t be explained through coincidence, but kid, if it’s really as you say, everything is
completely different. Moreover, based on what happened just now, we’ve probably become a thorn in their side. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have used both the Righteous Alliance and the Five Ancestor Alliance to deal with us.”

  The Formation Elder was growing increasingly uneasy, and if one looked carefully, cold sweat was beading on his forehead.

  “And if my judgment is correct, it’s probably because I saw through a part of their formation that they marked us as their target.”

  The Demonic Emperor was not the only top-class expert to have entered the Origin Immortal Formation. There was also Song Yuanyi and Luo Qiyin. Merely the presence of the Demonic Emperor alone should not have been enough to earn so much ‘concern’. It was clear to the Formation Elder that he was the one dragging everyone down.

  This fact made the Formation Elder feel rather ashamed.

  “Senior Zhou, it’s not that simple. Without you, both of us would be imprisoned in the formation until our deaths. Those people didn’t mind doing everything to bring Song Yuanyi and Luo Qiyin to us precisely because Senior was a threat to them. As long as Senior is here, they can’t threaten me, Master, or anyone else in the formation. Thus, Senior is not dragging us down. On the contrary, it’s because of Senior that we are still safe,” Wang Chong sternly said.

  “Is that so?”

  The Formation Elder’s mouth fell open. He had only been thinking about how he was burdening Wang Chong and the Demonic Emperor Old Man, never even thinking about the other effects of his contributions.

  “That’s how it’s always been.”

  Wang Chong smiled and nodded. He was not saying these words purely to comfort the Formation Elder. If not for this senior, he would have never been able to calculate the rules of the formation.

  “The more these people try to deal with us, the more they prove that they harbor ill intentions. If things go poorly, the members of both the righteous and evil factions will die here. We can’t allow this to occur,” Wang Chong sternly said.

  Those who had appeared here were all skilled experts of the martial arts world, a source of strength that Wang Chong could not disregard. There was a calamity in the future, a major crisis waiting for this world. These martial artists constituted an extremely precious source of resistance.

  No matter what sort of grudges they had with each other, whether they were righteous or evil, they were people who could change the fate of the world and the human race.

  “Senior can’t let these people just hide in the back and play around with everyone. Let’s work together to destroy this formation and give them a taste of our power!”

  “Haha! Good! Kid, you’re right! Let’s work together and destroy this formation!”

  Wang Chong’s words had stimulated a hint of pride in the Formation Elder. He had researched formations for several decades, and never had anyone played around with him like this.

  The Formation Elder was proud and confident. No matter where these people came from, he could not permit them to just continue plotting from the safety of the shadows.

  “Senior Zhou, based on past circumstances, they can essentially control a formation shift every twelve hours, and this ability is enough to force us out of the Rest Gate. Given how much time has passed, we have four hours more at most.”

  Wang Chong’s eyes shone with the light of wisdom.

  “There are two methods to break a formation. One is to leave through the Life Gate while the other is to destroy the core of the formation. Using either of these methods will allow us to leave the formation.”

  “Correct! These are truly the only two methods.”

  The Formation Elder looked at Wang Chong, stroking his beard as he gave an approving nod. Although Wang Chong had only studied with him for a short time, he possessed incredible comprehension abilities. These methods were truly the best two options for the three of them.

  “Leaving through the Life Gate will save the three of us, but everyone else will remain trapped in the formation. This is also the easiest way to escape. The other way is to enter the core of the formation and destroy it at the source. This is more difficult, and there’s a very high chance that we end up in the Death Gate. The closer we get, the more dangerous it will be, and we will also have to directly confront the power of the formation!”

  Wang Chong’s mind was rapidly whirring as he spoke. He paused for a moment, then continued.

  “However, as long as that third party continues to control things from the shadows, we can put any thought of leaving from the Life Gate to rest. In the end, even if we do our best, we will probably die here. In comparison, while destroying the formation’s core is more difficult and dangerous, it’s the most direct method.”

  The Formation Elder was quiet for a long time before finally speaking.

  “Although I don’t want to admit it, this truly is the only solution available to us.”

  He shot a worried glance at Wang Chong. He naturally understood how to destroy the formation, but the risk was far too great.

  A normal formation would only have one layer. For example, he could throw out a few stones to create a formation. More formidable formations could be divided into three layers, and the more powerful ancient formations could have five, six, even seven layers. Seven layers was the limit for most formations, but the Origin Immortal Formation actually had nine layers.

  This formation was unique, and its complexity and power already exceeded those of any other formation the Formation Elder knew about. This could truly be considered the world’s number one formation. Destroying it was far easier said than done.

  Although the Formation Elder had proudly proclaimed that he would work together with Wang Chong to destroy the formation, deep inside, he didn’t have much confidence. Formations were constantly changing, and there were far too many variables involved.

  A person trying to break the formation not only needed to see how the formation was shifting in the present, but also how it would shift one second later, the second after that, an hour later, and perhaps for even longer.

  And each of the nine layers of this formation would shift in a different way. The calculations needed to predict the shifts of all nine layers was in the millions, perhaps even larger. The Formation Elder asked himself and knew that not even he could do such a thing in such a short amount of time.

  “Senior Zhou, the two of us will work together. You will be responsible for calculating the shifts of the Nine Palaces while I will calculate what I’m best at, the shifts in the eight gates of Life, Pain, Rest, Stop, View, Death, Alarm, and Open.”

  Wang Chong spoke so firmly that his words seemed to thump against the ground.

  “This… Kid, let me warn you that calculating a formation is no laughing matter. There are millions of calculations to be done,” the Formation Elder uneasily said.

  “Heh, only millions of calculations is no problem!”

  Wang Chong smiled and made a soothing gesture.

  “!!!”

  The words the Formation Elder planned to say came to a halt at his lips, and he stared in a daze at Wang Chong. Wang Chong smiled back, his expression calm and composed. The Formation Elder found it hard to retort against such a display.

  “This… you… fine! Let’s do as you say!”

  In the end, the Formation Elder swallowed back down all his questions.

  Wang Chong did not pay much attention to what the Formation Elder might be thinking. He stood straight and scanned the gray landscape around them. He closed his eyes, and then a moment later, vast Psychic Energy spilled out and began to spread through the formation.

  By now, Wang Chong had realized that this Origin Immortal Formation could disrupt and hinder all kinds of senses, but in comparison to sensing using more physical kinds of energy, Wang Chong’s Psychic Energy was affected the least.

  Through his Psychic Energy, Wang Chong began to sense the structure of the formation and imprint it on his mind.

  Even in the world of Psychic Energy, the
formation was drab and gray, with little ability to see any fine details. And after traveling several thousand meters, Psychic Energy could not travel any farther. In other words, Wang Chong was incapable of seeing the entirety of the formation.

  Wang Chong looked at the fragment of the formation imprinted on his mind and muttered, “This should be enough!”

  At the beginning, Wang Chong truly would have been at a loss for what to do with just this, but after going from the Rest Gate to the View Gate, the View Gate to the Stop Gate, and then back to the Rest Gate, Wang Chong had both practiced his knowledge of formations and also deepened his understanding of the Origin Immortal Formation. He had even managed to comprehend many of the rules by which the formation operated.

  Although Psychic Energy could only make out a fragment of the formation, Wang Chong could use his understanding of the formation’s rules to conjecture the rest. Rumble! After around five minutes, Wang Chong’s mind began to groan and shake. That fragmented Origin Immortal Formation within Wang Chong’s mind began to run.

  Boom! A formation gate appeared, and then a second, a third… From the first formation gates, more and more began to manifest out of thin air and attach themselves to the fragmented formation in Wang Chong’s mind. In just a few short moments, the formation began to ‘grow’, at first to the left and right, and then outward and inward.

  During this entire process, Wang Chong was rapidly calculating. With each successful calculation, he added another small formation gate to the Origin Immortal Formation in his mind.

  As time slowly passed, the Origin Immortal Formation projection in his mind became more and more complete.

  As Wang Chong was puzzling out the entirety of the Origin Immortal Formation, the Formation Elder was involved in his own complex calculations. Unlike Wang Chong, the Formation Elder was seated cross-legged on the ground, his left hand forming gestures, his right hand drawing out concentric circles, and his mouth constantly muttering.