The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “Big Bro, I recognize him…” said a whisper at his ear. “That man was the fake Young Master Qingyang, Zhang Wenfu’s disciple and also the Great Tang’s King of Foreign Lands, Wang Chong!”

  “What? The King of Foreign Lands? That’s him?!”

  The words of his sworn brother had Zhang Shangwu flabbergasted.

  “The one that Freeman Wujin told us to go and join…”

  “That’s him!” the unaffiliated martial artist firmly said.

  The group became speechless, an eerie silence reigning.

  ……

  Wang Chong continued on his way deeper into the core of the formation, but his steps gradually began to slow.

  The closer he got to the core, the more dangerous it became, and the stronger the traps.

  Boomboomboom!

  Stone pillars struck the ground with a thunderous momentum.

  This was no longer a simple physical attack. Wang Chong could sense intense ripples of energy from the stone pillars. The energy in the air was pouring endlessly into the pillars, massively boosting their offensive power.

  “Aaaah!” With a scream, an unaffiliated martial artist was crushed into pulp by one of the stone pillars.

  There were far too many martial artists coming under attack in the formation. Not even Wang Chong could worry about them all.

  “Follow me!”

  Wang Chong activated the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art and pulled on those martial artists caught in the formation, rescuing them from death and tossing them into nearby formation gates.

  Wang Chong didn’t even have time to explain or treat their injuries. Every extra moment spent in these formation gates would increase the danger by that much.

  I’ll just save who I can. They’ll have to depend on themselves for the rest, Wang Chong quietly said to himself.

  On the way here, he had seen the corpses of far too many martial artists, and there were probably many more who were still struggling for their lives. The only thing Wang Chong could do was to get to the core as quickly as possible and destroy the formation.

  On the way, Wang Chong could only save as many as he possibly could.

  Keekee!

  As Wang Chong stepped into the next formation gate, avoiding a rain of arrows and stones, he heard a metallic chirping.

  The nearby golden beetles, as if attracted by something, threw aside their original opponents and flew at Wang Chong.

  Unlike the golden beetles Wang Chong had first encountered, these ones had a golden glow around them while thick pulses of energy came from inside their bodies.

  And they were clearly much larger.

  They must have gotten this way from eating the Stellar Energy of martial artists, Wang Chong supposed.

  These golden beetles could absorb a significant amount of Stellar Energy from each martial artist they killed, making them much stronger. The clearest manifestation of this was the glow around their bodies.

  For these golden beetles to have such thick and dazzling glows, they had probably killed numerous martial artists.

  Pa! Pa! Pa!

  Wang Chong fired off three bolts of Sword Qi at one of the beetles, but to his consternation, this time, his attacks only tore apart the glow around the beetle, and the beetle itself continued to charge unabated.

  Wang Chong’s heart shivered at this sight at how much stronger these golden beetles had become. He would now probably need five or six bolts of Sword Qi to kill one golden beetle.

  Keekee!

  The air resounded with sharp chirping as the numerous golden beetles charged in a frenzy at Wang Chong.

  Even Wang Chong would find it hard to fend off this many of them.

  Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Chong summoned a treasure from within his body.

  “Heavenly Mandate Battle Armor!”

  In a flash, Wang Chong equipped a dark red suit of armor.

  The helmet, mask, vambraces, gauntlets…

  The suit of armor completely enclosed Wang Chong, leaving only a few chinks between the individual pieces.

  With a thought from Wang Chong, these chinks closed together as well, leaving no gap for his enemy to exploit.

  Thudthudthud!

  Collisions rained down on the armor.

  The golden beetles battered against Wang Chong’s body, but failed to make any headway.

  “What is that?!”

  In the center of the formation, the three figures who had been watching Wang Chong this entire time saw that savage dark red armor appear abruptly on Wang Chong’s body. Their leader instantly raised an eyebrow and scowled.

  The two subordinates also appeared greatly alarmed.

  The golden beetles were not ordinary beings, but an ancient species that could break through Stellar Energy barriers and feed on energy. Moreover, they were also powerful enough to eat through iron and steel. Ordinary armor was simply useless against them.

  But the suit of armor that Wang Chong was wearing seemed to be impervious to them.

  “Milord, such a treasure couldn’t possibly exist in the martial arts world, and he’s never put on that suit of armor before. He must be together with those people!” one of the subordinates said.

  A dark look appeared on their three faces, and the eyes of the leader began to surge with killing intent.

  “Any treasure consumes Stellar Energy. I’d like to see how long he can endure the attacks of the Golden Armor Stellar-Piercing Beetle!

  “Keep an eye on that kid and increase the strength of the attacks against him! We can’t let him get close to the formation core!”

  The leader’s expression was extremely grave.

  “Yes!”

  The two subordinates assented.

  At this moment, Wang Chong had no idea of these events, nor did he have the time to care. The golden beetles were crashing in and being forced back, completely incapable of dealing with the Heavenly Mandate Battle Armor.

  But Wang Chong was by no means happy.

  The Heavenly Mandate Battle Armor consumed large amounts of Stellar Energy, and using it was no different from attacking with Stellar Energy. For the Wang Chong whose Stellar Energy was in disarray and at risk of triggering his cultivation defect at any moment, using it was an extreme risk.

  This was also why Wang Chong had not previously used the Heavenly Mandate Battle Armor.

  Not only that, even if the Heavenly Mandate Battle Armor could block the attacks of the golden beetles, it had yet another critical flaw: the time limit.

  The Heavenly Mandate Battle Armor can’t be used for more than an hour, but in my current condition, it won’t even last ten minutes. No matter what, I have to reach the formation core and destroy the formation before this limit is up! His face within the Heavenly Mandate Battle Armor was ghastly pale.

  Starting from now, Wang Chong’s Stellar Energy would be constantly drained and his meridians thrown into increasing disarray. For the first time, Wang Chong felt an intense danger. Those hidden schemers had clearly strengthened their attacks in order to kill everyone. Even his master and the Formation Elder were probably not safe.

  He had to destroy the formation.

  I’ve already reached the third layer of the formation. Once I get through this layer, I should reach the core, Wang Chong said to himself, continuing to operate the Origin Immortal Formation model in his mind. This formation was more massive and complicated than Wang Chong had imagined, and his Psychic Energy was also rapidly being consumed. Moreover, the closer he got to the core, the more calculations he had to perform.

  The Formation Elder was right. The Origin Immortal Formation truly did have too many variables, making the calculations far too complex. Probably only the original architect of the formation was capable of calculating a way to undo the formation. If he hadn’t created the model of the Origin Immortal Formation and had instead chosen to rely solely on calculation, the number of calculations needed to reach the core would have reached an astronomical number that was simp
ly impossible to calculate.

  And the effort was still taxing even with the model.

  Rumble!

  As he was calculating, another rumble came from the core. Wang Chong raised his head and saw through the world of energy that yet another vast wave of energy was sweeping toward his location.

  These scoundrels are up to their tricks again!

  Wang Chong squinted, a sharp and vicious light in his eyes.

  He had already experienced six or seven rumblings like this. With each rumble, the energy of the formation would strengthen and the attacks would become more powerful. Everyone’s circumstances were only continuing to worsen and become more dangerous.

  I have to move faster! Wang Chong urged himself.

  Keekee!

  The golden beetles continued to attack him, metallically chirping, as Wang Chong swiftly made his way into the next formation gate.

  Chapter 1407 - Under the Same Tent!

  Chapter 1407: Under the Same Tent!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Roooar!

  The moment Wang Chong entered the formation gate, he heard bangs and shouts. Within this formation gate, Wang Chong saw various peak Imperial Martial experts wearing uniforms emblazoned with the symbol of a white crane on Yin and Yang. They had assembled into a tight sword formation that they were using to resist the stones and arrows pouring down as well as the dark red lava gushing out of the ground.

  “Careful!”

  “Zhou Chang, hold! Alliance Lord will definitely come and save us!”

  “Yes, we can’t give up, no matter what! Let’s destroy this formation together!”

  These martial artists were in an extremely poor situation. Not only did they have to fend off the attacks from the formation, but also the attacks of the golden beetles. However, these martial artists worked together extremely well, and it also seemed like they had already paid some painful price to learn the weakness of these golden beetles.

  The martial artists were constantly swinging their swords at the surrounding golden beetles. Even though there were thirty to forty of these beetles, none of them were able to break through, as they were knocked away before they could get close.

  But the most obvious sight here was the massive black Qilin standing at the center of the sword formation. This giant Qilin’s large feet were constantly stomping down, and it shattered more than half of the incoming attacks. Besides that, it had also drawn over a significant number of beetles.

  Through this method, the black Qilin was sacrificing itself to protect those Imperial Martial experts.

  “Righteous Alliance!

  “Elder Ouyang!”

  Wang Chong’s face froze in surprise. He had never imagined that he would encounter Ouyang Changheng and the Righteous Alliance experts in such a central part of the Origin Immortal Formation. Though they were seemingly able to hold on, Wang Chong could tell that they were faring very badly.

  Ouyang Changheng’s black Qilin was not even exerting half of its usual power, and the Righteous Alliance experts it was protecting were all pale, cold sweat rolling off their foreheads and flowing down their backs and chests, drenching their bodies and even the ground beneath their feet. It was clear that their Stellar Energy reserves would not be able to last for long.

  Moreover, if a single gap appeared, the golden beetles would immediately exploit it, with consequences too frightening to be imagined.

  “Who goes there!?”

  “It’s you!”

  “It’s the fake Young Master Qingyang!”

  “What are you talking about? He’s the Demonic Emperor’s successor, a demon of the evil path!”

  Thunderous roars rang out as the Righteous Alliance experts noticed Wang Chong’s entry into the formation gate. In a flash, there was a clanging of swords and sabers, with a good portion of their weapons pointed at Wang Chong. The air instantly tensed.

  “This little demon can only have appeared here harboring evil intentions. Even if we must die today, we can’t let him off easily!”

  “Bastard! He wants to ambush us! Kill him!”

  “Forget it! We’ll bring him down with us!”

  The Imperial Martial experts of the Righteous Alliance furiously bellowed. Although Wang Chong was enclosed entirely within the bizarre and mysterious Heavenly Mandate Battle Armor, he had still been almost instantly recognized.

  Outside the formation, Wang Chong had used this armor in his battle against Righteous Alliance Lord Song Yuanyi and Black Yin Ancestor Luo Qiyin, leaving a deep impression on the onlookers.

  No one had expected Wang Chong to show up while they were trying to cope with the traps and dangers of this place. Everyone in the martial arts world knew of Demonic Emperor Zhang Wenfu’s infamous reputation. No matter where Wang Chong had come from, he had already become associated with the evil path and the title of ‘demon’.

  If this were any other time, they wouldn’t have needed to fear him.

  But they had consumed more than half their Stellar Energy and were reaching the end of their rope. How could they not be alarmed and furious?

  Wang Chong’s expression chilled at this sight.

  He had been considering whether he would save these people, but if they truly dared to attack him, then he couldn’t be blamed for what happened next.

  “Stop!”

  A furious roar came from overhead. At this crucial moment, Ouyang Changheng’s black Qilin spoke, his voice extremely harsh and severe.

  “Anyone who dares to attack Young Master Wang will be punished according to the laws of the alliance!”

  These words took all the Righteous Alliance experts by surprise, and even Wang Chong couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

  “But, Elder, he’s a disciple of the Demonic Emperor!” a Righteous Alliance expert said in concern, his momentary distraction almost allowing a golden beetle to get in.

  ‘If you encounter the Demonic Emperor or his disciple, kill them at once’ was an order from the alliance lord. No one had expected Ouyang Changheng to suddenly defy this order. They couldn’t help but hesitate.

  “There is no ‘but’! Everyone, stand down!

  “Young Master Wang saved our Righteous Alliance. If not for him, we would have already been dead at the hands of the Black Yin Ancestor. We are the Righteous Alliance, not the Evil Alliance. Returning kindness with hostility is not something that we can do. I can’t meddle with the orders of the alliance lord, but inside this formation, none of you are allowed to attack Young Master Wang!”

  Ouyang Changheng’s voice was stern and tolerated no objection.

  “Yes!”

  Although they were extremely unwilling, none of them dared to defy the elder.

  Wang Chong had been watching from the sidelines this entire time. He had been expecting a major battle, so Ouyang Changheng’s attitude had taken him by complete surprise.

  “Young Master Wang, my apologies. The righteous and evil paths have been opposed to each other since ancient times, and I am incapable of changing Alliance Lord’s attitude. I hope that Young Master can forgive us!”

  Ouyang Changheng’s voice came from the mouth of the black Qilin.

  “Elder is too polite,” Wang Chong sternly said.

  “Ah!”

  At this moment, a scream could be heard from the southeast. One of the Imperial Martial experts had been caught off guard, allowing one of the golden beetles to rush past his sword at his Stellar Energy barrier. This Imperial Martial expert was already exhausted and was incapable of resisting. In the blink of an eye, the golden beetle had gnawed through his Stellar Energy and burrowed into his body.

  “Aaah! Save me! Save me!”

  The Imperial Martial expert collapsed to the ground and rolled around in pain.

  “Huang Tong!”

  Everyone paled, but before they could rush up to assist, one golden glowing beetle after another rushed into the gap created by Huang Tong’s fall.


  Clingcling! Clangclang!

  Swords collided against the golden beetles, ceaselessly knocking them away. But this only added to the chaos. Without their sword formation, these martial artists were no longer capable of holding out against the golden beetles. More screams rang out as the Righteous Alliance experts fell to the ground.

  And when it rained, it poured. With another rumble, the sky darkened and thousands of arrows and stones began to howl down.

  The next wave of formation attacks had come, and these arrows and stones flew over with thunderous howls. It was clear that they were even stronger than before.

  “Not good!”

  Ouyang Changheng was alarmed by this sight. Bellowing furiously, he swatted at the sky with one of his large Qilin claws. “Aaaah!” A scream tore through the air as a particularly large golden beetle, surrounded by a dazzling glow, gnawed through Ouyang Changheng’s Stellar Energy and burrowed into his shoulder.

  Unlike the other golden beetles, this one was surrounded by a dark red glow that made it seem like an agate.

  The momentary lapse in concentration caused countless arrows wrapped in destructive energy to crash into Ouyang Changheng’s body. Each one of these had an immense weight, and thousands of these arrows striking his Qilin body immediately caused Ouyang Changheng to vomit blood.

  The black Qilin in the air began to sway, the Stellar Energy forming its body rapidly dimming.

  “Elder!”

  The Righteous Alliance experts called out in alarm. They lunged in panic toward Ouyang Changheng, all their former composure lost, even forgetting about the attacks coming from behind them.

  The closer one got to the center of the formation, the more powerful the attacks were. These people had only been able to survive for so long by relying on Ouyang Changheng! But not even Ouyang Changheng could endure for that long.

  “Ah!”

  Panicked cries rang out as more and more golden beetles converged on the Righteous Alliance experts, even the golden beetles around Wang Chong. Seeing that Ouyang Changheng and the Righteous Alliance experts were about to die to the golden beetles, Wang Chong immediately rushed forward.

  Boom!

  There was a thunderous explosion as golden-red light erupted from Wang Chong’s body. At the same time, Wang Chong also began to exert a massive absorption force that he used to pull away the stones and arrows and turn their might toward the outside of the formation gate.