The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “Gentlemen, we have managed with great difficulty to obtain all six map pieces. Only the last step is missing. Once the treasury is open, we can test our skills against each other. Demonic Emperor, what do you think?”

  The Demonic Emperor said nothing, exchanging a glance with Wang Chong.

  “Heh, everyone is overthinking it. Please stand aside and I will open the treasury.”

  Wang Chong smiled as he walked forward.

  Beneath the calm surface, an undercurrent was surging, but at least for now, they had not resorted to blows.

  Everyone watched as Wang Chong slowly walked to the center of the altar and stood before the bronze pillar.

  The bronze pillar was about one meter tall and was covered in wavy patterns and complicated inscriptions, even some characters that were older than Bird Seal Script.

  There were no mechanisms on the surface of the pillar, so no one understood how this round pillar could be used to open up the Origin Immortal Lord’s treasury.

  “We’ve already looked at it, but we couldn’t find anything important,” the Four Ends Martial Lord commented. “However, given the Origin Immortal Lord’s abilities, he wouldn’t have left behind even a single clue. Young Master Wang, you were the one who undid the Origin Immortal Formation and took its treasures. We can only depend on you to open this formation.”

  These words had everyone focusing on Wang Chong.

  All was quiet as Wang Chong silently examined the bronze pillar, but he also failed to notice any obvious mechanisms on its surface. Wang Chong had originally believed that the Energy Condensation Pearl was the key, but he could not see any slot that would fit it.

  “Mm?”

  Suddenly, his eyes spotted a shallow ‘design’ on the top of the pillar which caused an idea to emerge in his mind.

  This was a shallow image of a beast that Wang Chong had taken little notice of at the start. But now, it exuded a sense of familiarity.

  Wang Chong immediately took out that small black beast statue from his bosom.

  He had possessed this statue for some time, but unlike the Energy Condensation Pearl, Wang Chong had never been able to find any use for it. Even his master and the Wushang Village Chief had failed to find anything special about the statue.

  Clack! Wang Chong had just put down the black statue when a powerful pull erupted from the pillar, holding fast the statue.

  The shallow beast carving immediately began to sink inward, firmly rooting the statue into the pillar.

  Clackclack! Gears began to ceaselessly turn, and a few moments later, the bronze pillar submerged back into the altar.

  But a moment later, with another rumble, a square bronze pillar rose from the earth. This time, the pillar had a clear indent on its surface.

  “Young Master Wang, hurry and place the treasure map there!”

  A voice came from behind Wang Chong, but even without this advice, Wang Chong could see what he needed to do. He quickly placed the six treasure map pieces in the square indent.

  Whoosh!

  Before anyone could look closely, violet flames erupted from the pillar and turned the map pieces into ash.

  “Ah!”

  “How could this be!?”

  Cries of alarm came from all around. No one had expected this to be the result of placing the six map pieces.

  Now that these six map pieces had been burned to ash, the treasure map to the Origin Immortal Art had ceased to exist.

  But before they could immerse themselves too much in shock, the event that all of them had been awaiting with great anticipation finally took place.

  After spitting out those violet flames, the square bronze pillar quickly receded into the ground, and the gears began to turn once more.

  As the crowd shouted and hollered, the altar suddenly plunged back into the earth, triggering a rumbling that started underneath the ground at the center and rapidly spread into their surroundings.

  All this happened under the creaking and clacking of gears, and the crowd was beginning to panic.

  The unknown was always that most fearful of things. No one understood what all these changes really meant.

  Suddenly, a martial artist in the crowd pointed at something. “Look over there!”

  Wang Chong and the rest of the crowd turned to look.

  When he managed to clearly make out that object, Wang Chong trembled all over in shock, a look of disbelief on his face. Meanwhile, his ears resounded with the cries of shock and disbelief from the crowd.

  A massive mountain, several hundred meters in height, had appeared on the distant horizon.

  There had been no mountain there before. It was like it had manifested out of thin air.

  But what was most astonishing was that this massive mountain was exactly identical to the illusion of the Origin Immortal Mountain that everyone had seen before.

  “A fake! It must be!”

  “It’s already appeared once before! Does that mean that there’s another Origin Immortal Formation over there?”

  “I don’t believe it! It must be an illusion!”

  Everyone still vividly remembered all the people who had already died in the Origin Immortal Formation. The sight of an identical Origin Immortal Mountain was an immense mental blow.

  Some of the martial artists who had been through the Origin Immortal Formation showed expressions of terror, their previous excitement evaporating.

  “Alliance Lord, what’s going on here? Why did another Origin Immortal Mountain appear?”

  The Righteous Alliance members were also inspecting this Origin Immortal Mountain.

  Song Yuanyi looked into the distance and lightly said, “This one should be the real Origin Immortal Mountain.” His calm face made it impossible for anyone to read his thoughts.

  “Formidable! Truly formidable! Reversing the heavens and earth, concealing the Yin and Yang—the Origin Immortal Lord’s understanding of formations has already reached an unfathomable level! I truly did not imagine that I would be able to witness the apex of formation arts in my lifetime!”

  No one was more excited at this time than the Formation Elder. Everything that was taking place was a complete mystery for those who did not understand formations.

  But for the Formation Elder, every event that had just taken place was bursting with information.

  This was like an immense iceberg. Ordinary people could only see the tip, but the Formation Elder could see the vast edifice beneath the waters, and what he saw was akin to the world’s most resplendent show of fireworks.

  Chapter 1436 - Schemers on All Sides!

  Chapter 1436: Schemers on All Sides!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Is this the real Origin Immortal Mountain?

  Wang Chong muttered to himself in excitement.

  It had been quite some time since he had obtained the treasure map for the Origin Immortal Art, but this legendary art had still been little more than a moon in the water for Wang Chong, a far-off and ethereal existence.

  Wang Chong had never imagined that he truly might be able to obtain this number one art. But now, everything before his eyes seemed incredibly real.

  “Chong-er, go!”

  A figure swept past him and his master’s voice resounded in his ear.

  “The Origin Immortal Treasury has appeared. This time, your master will get the Origin Immortal Art for you no matter what and treat your cultivation defect.”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man shot into the air like a bird.

  But even farther away, the Four Ends Martial Lord, the Lone Silence Ancestor, the Bone Devil Ancestor, and the others had been one step ahead and were already making their way to the mountain.

  “Let’s go!”

  Wang Chong grabbed the Formation Elder’s arm and followed.

  Countless martial artists began to converge upon the massive and grandiose Origin Immortal Mountain. This time, however, when they got several dozen meters from
the mountain, they began to cautiously slow down.

  “Damn it! This won’t be another trap, will it?!”

  For a moment, not a single one of the thousands of martial artists dared to get too close. Even the disciples of the Five Ancestor Alliance and Righteous Alliance slowed down. The Origin Immortal Formation had been powerful enough to pose a threat even to martial arts titans like Song Yuanyi and the Black Yin Ancestor.

  “There’s no rush! Let them go first!”

  To the southeast, the Black Yin Ancestor stood motionless, his eyes sweeping over the vast collection of unaffiliated martial artists in front of him. He faintly smiled.

  All the martial artists present had been drawn here by the reputation of the Origin Immortal Art and the desire to be the world’s number one.

  No matter how formidable the traps of the Origin Immortal Mountain could be, there would still be those who did not fear death.

  Clap!

  Just as expected, while everyone else was being extremely careful, someone lost their patience. A young martial artist of twenty-three or twenty-four years of age pressed a palm against the surface of the ‘Origin Immortal Mountain’.

  Bzzzz! Time seemed to stop as countless people stared at this young martial artist and the hand he had pressed against the mountain.

  Countless people who had been through the lethal traps of the Origin Immortal Formation felt their faces tighten and their hearts pound against their chests.

  But all that ensued was silence. There was no danger, no traps.

  More importantly, when that young martial artist pressed his hand against the ‘Origin Immortal Mountain’, he did not pass through an illusion as everyone had imagined.

  Hard and sturdy rock prevented the palm from going any farther.

  “It’s real! It’s the real Origin Immortal Mountain! It’s not an illusion! We really found it!”

  Before the young martial artist could speak, one of the martial artists who had been through the Origin Immortal Formation couldn’t help but shout out in glee, and soon, the whole crowd was cheering.

  Their roars and shouts caused the heavens themselves to quake.

  “It’s been opened! The real Origin Immortal Treasury! It was worth it to hand over that treasure map! The true Origin Immortal Treasury is finally about to appear!”

  In the distance, Eastern Turkic King Bagushidu stood on a low hill, and when he heard those thunderous cheers, he smiled.

  The mantis stalked the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. He had only needed to offer up a single treasure map for these martial artists of the Central Plains to handle everything for him.

  “Have all the experts we’ve mobilized arrived?” Bagushidu asked without turning his head.

  That cold and beautiful Eastern Turkic female assassin lowered her head and said, “Your Highness, the experts from Lion Hall and Black Sun Mountain are making their way here as quickly as they can. They will be here in another five minutes.”

  “Very good! Perhaps we might obtain another harvest besides the Origin Immortal Lord’s treasury.”

  Bagushidu continued to smile at the dense crowd of Central Plains martial artists, but a cold and harsh light gleamed in his eyes.

  ……

  “Haha, even though he hid for so long, we still managed to dig him out!”

  As those distant cheers shook the heavens, in a hidden place, a group of black-clothed men silently stood around like ghosts.

  Standing at the very front of the group was a man wearing the mask of a three-eyed deer, the eyes peeking out like beads of ice. This was the man in black that Wang Chong had happened to see for a moment within the Origin Immortal Formation.

  Three stalwart figures stood behind him, each exuding an aura as sharp as a sword. The bamboo hats they wore clearly indicated who they were.

  These were the three bamboo hat men who had battled with the Righteous Alliance not too long ago.

  Both groups had gathered together.

  And both groups sneered and chuckled as they listened to the distant cheers.

  “Milord, it seems like we can put our two missions together this time!” the leading bamboo hat man said, his cape flapping in the wind and his arms folded.

  The man wearing the three-eyed deer mask slightly nodded and said, “Heh, although I don’t like working together with you, in the end, it’s just killing someone. And since you’ll be of some help, it’s fine.

  “But don’t forget that we have another group of people that we need to kill!”

  As this cold voice spoke, the air instantly turned grim and somber.

  ……

  “Milord, what do we do?”

  Elsewhere, several figures stood in a row. If one looked carefully, one would notice that these people exuded an energy identical to those who had controlled the Origin Immortal Formation and used it against the large number of martial artists.

  “The Origin Immortal Formation left behind by the Immortal Lord was broken by them, and they even removed the ‘key’. Now, even the real treasury has been opened. If this continues, those objects the Immortal Lord left behind will truly be in danger!”

  “The current situation is extremely bad for us!”

  Although they were very far away, they had been observing all the developments taking place, including Wang Chong’s activating of the altar and summoning of the Origin Immortal Mountain.

  All of them looked in one direction, the concern evident on their faces.

  Finally, a voice broke the silence.

  “The Immortal Lord’s last will cannot be defied, and the situation is not as bad as it seems,” the figure at the very front said.

  He wore a splendid black robe, the sleeves, collar, and shoulders all decorated with golden thread that imbued him with a dignified aura.

  But the most striking part was the Yin Yang Wuji symbol on his chest.

  The Origin Wuji!

  The symbol worn by this man was none other than the supposed symbol of the Origin Immortal Lord.

  The legend of the Supreme and Infinite Origin Immortal Art had been passed down through generations of the martial arts world, and everyone knew that this number one art had been created long ago by the Origin Immortal Lord.

  Countless people would heedlessly rush forward to become the world’s number one, ultimately dying in their search for the art, only to be replaced by more.

  But very few people knew that besides the Origin Immortal Art, the Origin Immortal Lord had also left behind descendants to silently guard this treasure.

  For so many years, with all the real and fake treasure maps of the Origin Immortal Treasury going around, no one had ever been able to find the treasury.

  Besides the fact that nobody had ever been able to completely assemble the map, the failure was partially because the descendants of the Origin Immortal Lord had been hindering the search from the shadows.

  However, these people were not just guarding the Origin Immortal Treasury, but also an important secret. No matter what, they could not allow anyone to open the Origin Immortal Lord’s treasury.

  “Get ready! When the treasury is opened, no matter how many people get inside, they cannot be allowed to live! In addition, keep an eye out for that other group. They’ve been conducting this event from behind the scenes this entire time. When the time comes, they will definitely make their appearance. No matter what, they must be killed!”

  “Yes!”

  ……

  Meanwhile, after that martial artist had pressed his palm against the mountain, yet another change was taking place within the mountain.

  Rumble! The earth began to quake, shuddering far more intensely than it had before.

  “What’s going on? Could there be some other mechanism? Everyone, be careful!”

  Sensing the activity beneath their feet, the martial artists backed away like frightened beasts.

  Being bitten by a snake would give one a fear of ropes for ten years, and this was the Origin Immortal
Lord’s treasury, so it was completely expected for there to be more ambushes and traps. But what happened with the Origin Immortal Mountain took them completely by surprise.

  Buzz!

  Amidst the fierce shuddering, countless rocks rolled down the slopes of the mountain.

  Kacrack! A straight and massive fissure began to creep down from the summit to the base, dividing the mountain in two.

  The fissure widened, extending to the sides. Everyone stared in shock as some mysterious energy seemed to be controlling the mountain.

  Ten meters, twenty meters, fifty meters, one hundred meters… the halves of the Origin Immortal Mountain grew farther and farther apart, and dust and gravel continued to spill down from its slopes.

  “What… what’s going on here?”

  Everyone was struck dumb by this sight. Even Wang Chong and the Demonic Emperor Old Man couldn’t help but frown.

  This Origin Immortal Mountain was several hundred meters tall, and extremely steep and craggy. No human could simply divide such an imposing mountain into two halves. It seemed more like the work of a god.

  “Exquisite! Truly exquisite! This is a perfect example of a Reversing Dragon Diagram, the earth above and the heavens below! And then it turns into a Hidden Dragon Diagram. It seems like the real entrance to the Origin Immortal Treasury is underground.”

  The short figure of the Formation Elder stroked his beard as he spoke, his entire body brimming with excitement and joy.

  As if in response to the Formation Elder’s words, boomboomboom! The ground at the center of the divided Origin Immortal Mountain suddenly caved in.

  A giant pit six to seven hundred meters in diameter suddenly appeared before the crowd.

  Chapter 1437 - A Display of Divine Abilities!

  Chapter 1437: A Display of Divine Abilities!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  It was impossible to see the bottom of the pitch-black pit, and the sides were glossy and smooth.

  Everyone felt as if this crater was a bottomless abyss: deep, mysterious, dangerous, frightening.

  The many martial artists gathered before this yawning chasm felt like tiny ants.