The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “It’s not right!”

  Wang Chong quickly sensed that something was wrong.

  This figure was extremely prominent on the stone bridge, and they were not standing very far from Wang Chong and Bagushidu, but Wang Chong couldn’t sense the aura of any human from the figure. Moreover… Wang Chong turned to Bagushidu and saw that he was smirking. Wang Chong understood.

  If someone had really gotten here before them, Bagushidu would have never been so composed.

  “Heheh, King of Foreign Lands, there’s truly nothing I can hide from you. It seems that you’ve already guessed.”

  Bagushidu had been observing Wang Chong this entire time, and there was no change in Wang Chong’s face that could hide from his eyes. But he did not offer any explanation, immediately leading Wang Chong farther along the bridge.

  “Let’s go! I’ll take you to have a look!”

  The two of them slowly advanced, and a few moments later, Wang Chong finally saw that person on the stone bridge.

  This man had a tall and imposing figure, and he wore a tattered robe that blew about in the wind.

  His feet were standing apart, and simply by standing there, he exuded an extremely powerful aura. This was a grandmaster who viewed the entire world with contempt.

  But even though they were just six or seven feet apart, Wang Chong felt no life from this man. And when he sent out his Psychic Energy, he was even more sure of this.

  This man was dead!

  Given how the wind had worn down his robe into such a tattered state, he had probably been dead for a long time.

  “Just who are you?”

  Wang Chong muttered to himself, a sense of inexplicable strangeness in his heart.

  Anyone would need to gather all six pieces of the treasure map to open the Origin Immortal Treasury, and even if they opened it, they would run into all kinds of traps and monsters, and there were also five generations of successors guarding the path. Wang Chong had never imagined that someone would manage to get here before them, and even manage to reach the core and walk onto the stone bridge.

  This deceased martial artist standing on the bridge was a great riddle that shrouded everything here in a befuddling fog.

  Wang Chong quickly began to inspect the man, and as his eyes moved down the man’s robes toward the man’s feet, he spotted a tattoo of a Celestial Wolf on the man’s ankle.

  This was a Turk!

  Only Turks of high nobility were allowed to have the tattoo of the Celestial Wolf on their ankles.

  Buzz!

  With a sudden flash of insight, Wang Chong began to think up all sorts of theories, but for the moment, he was certain of nothing.

  “This is the patriarch of our Earth Sect from more than two hundred years ago, Ishinishidu. At the same time, he was also the last state teacher of the Turks!”

  Bagushidu had a solemn expression as he took two steps forward. His grip on Wang Chong slightly relaxed as he raised his other hand in front of him and respectfully bowed to the state teacher of the Turks.

  “State teacher? Two hundred years ago…”

  Wang Chong’s eyes flew open. The state teacher of the Turks had somehow appeared more than sixteen thousand meters beneath the earth and died within the core of the Origin Immortal Treasury? Who would believe something so absurd? As he stared at the body, the strange feeling he had intensified.

  Wang Chong understood that some story he knew nothing about had taken place here two hundred years ago. But Wang Chong was in no rush and did not ask. Since Bagushidu was already willing to give him the name of Ishinishidu, he was certain to give him the story without asking.

  As expected, Wang Chong quickly heard Bagushidu’s voice.

  “In the Turkic language, Ishinishidu means ‘Son of the Celestial Wolf’, ‘Son of the Gods’. He was the most brilliant genius of our Solar Holy Mountain lineage, and the most powerful sect master of our Earth Sect. Before the age of twenty, he had already defeated all his rivals in the Earth Sect, including the sect elders, and become the next state teacher of the Turks.

  “And right after he passed the age of twenty, he comprehended the paramount secrets and became the number one expert of the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates in both name and reality. Not only that, Ishinishidu was extremely knowledgeable and had long ago learned all the martial arts of the Solar Holy Mountain, and was able to merge them together into his own formidable art.

  “Whether it was from the Central Plains, the Turks, Ü-Tsang, or Mengshe Zhao, he knew all martial arts. He had a plan in mind, and after defeating all the experts amongst the Western and Eastern Turks, he made all the martial artists of the Western Regions bow to him. Ishinishidu went south into the Central Plains, seeking a decisive match with its experts so that they could test each other’s martial arts, and anticipating that he could reach an even higher level of martial prowess.

  “The Central Plains was a great gathering place of experts and is hailed as a martial arts holy land. The martial arts of that place arise from a lineage completely separate from the Solar Holy Mountain’s. Ishinishidu spent six months traveling from the north to the south, paying a visit to every sect he passed by on the way and displaying utmost courtesy. But though he traveled the realm and encountered all sorts of experts, not a single one was able to fight him. The vast majority weren’t able to take even a single blow while the rest were only able to take two or three moves.

  “Ishinishidu felt a harsh disappointment!”

  Bagushidu slowly recounted a tale from two hundred years ago. Together with Ishinishidu’s body standing on the stone bridge, in that domineering posture which had not decayed despite the passing of two hundred years, it created an intense psychological impact that made it feel like all those events of the past were taking place right now.

  Wang Chong couldn’t help but imperceptibly frown. He was not a member of the martial arts world and understood little about its workings. However, Bagushidu’s words made him recall a story of the martial arts world he had once heard from his master.

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man had also talked about how Ishinishidu had challenged the experts of the Central Plains two hundred years ago, but his attitude had been extremely different from the utmost courtesy Bagushidu claimed.

  When he went to pay visits to the various sects of Central Plains, even if the sects didn’t want to take the challenge, he would force them to fight, and his methods were extremely cruel.

  The majority of the experts he defeated had their arms and legs broken, their cultivation crippled. When Ishinishidu challenged a sect, he destroyed a sect, and the number he had destroyed had climbed into the hundreds.

  Ishinishidu perhaps only displayed respect to those experts who could defeat him, but for those weaker than him, he regarded them as ants.

  Ishinishidu essentially found no adversaries in his journey to the south, and the number of experts who died at his hand was uncountable. This was the first calamity brought down upon the Central Plains by a single Hu.

  According to what the Demonic Emperor Old Man had said, Ishinishidu truly was very strong, and the vast majority of the experts in the martial arts world were no match for him. But that didn’t mean that he was unmatched in the world.

  While the martial arts world only knew about people like Song Yuanyi and the Black Yin Ancestor, Wang Chong also knew about people like Great Tang War God Su Zhengchen, Anxi War God Gao Xianzhi, and also the Sage Emperor hidden within the palace.

  These people would go their entire lives without ever clashing with the martial arts world. Even if some calamity took place within it, they still would not intervene.

  But to that Hu who challenged the Central Plains, if he defeated the likes of Righteous Alliance Lord Song Yuanyi, he would clearly consider himself to have overcome all the experts of the Central Plains. Thus, it was impossible to render a firm judgment on this matter.

  However, at the time, Ishinishidu’s conduct had finally managed to enrage the hidden e
xperts of the Central Plains. But by the time these experts had gathered to deal with Ishinishidu, this state teacher of the Turks had already begun to make his way back to the north.

  The group pursued, hoping to catch up to Ishinishidu, but once they went beyond the borders, they lost him. And from that point onward, there was no other news about this man.

  This man had been like a comet, streaking brilliantly through the world before vanishing without a trace.

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man treated this event from the past as an interesting tale to tell Wang Chong, but neither Wang Chong nor the Demonic Emperor Old Man had cared that much about it. After all, it had taken place two hundred years ago, far from the present age.

  Wang Chong had never imagined that the man who had stirred up that calamity in the Central Plains, the Hu who had slaughtered his way across the martial arts world, would be the patriarch of the Earth Sect. Moreover, his body was not within the Solar Holy Mountain, but here, on the stone bridge in the core of the lightless world of the Origin Immortal Treasury.

  And now, right in front of him!

  “According to Ishinishidu’s original plan, after he subjugated the Central Plains, his next target would be the High Monk of Ü-Tsang’s Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple. Ishinishidu believed that even if the martial artists of the world were no match for him, unable to test his skill, the High Monk of the Great Snow Mountain was bound to be a powerful opponent. If not even the High Monk was a match for him, then Ishinishidu would truly be without peer in the world, and there would be no opponent in his lifetime capable of challenging him.”

  Chapter 1507 - The Secret of the Earth Sect! (II)

  Chapter 1507: The Secret of the Earth Sect! (II)

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “He stood at the very apex of the world!

  “However, just as he was about to leave the Central Plains and return to the north, Ishinishidu ran into a man, a Han! The moment Ishinishidu saw him, he knew that this man was incredibly strong, stronger than any foe he had ever faced! Ishinishidu chased him for ten days and ten nights, from the northeast to the northwest. Only when they were almost at the Western Regions did he finally succeed in forcing the man to fight.”

  Bagushidu’s mention of the northwest caused Wang Chong to raise his brow. Even without Bagushidu saying anything, Wang Chong could already guess at a few things.

  “…The moment the two clashed, Ishinishidu realized that the martial art used by the man was completely different from any other art he had encountered. It was not Turkic, from the Central Plains, Ü-Tsang, or even Arabia. He had never heard of it before, let alone seen it. Moreover, this Stellar Energy was extremely bold and upright, and not only was it powerful, it could even refine opposing attacks.

  “Ishinishidu believed that he had reached a sublime level of cultivation, and his Stellar Energy was incredibly dense. But when he attacked, more than seventy percent of his strength was refined and thrown back at him. You have to realize that Ishinishidu had already reached the Dark Radiant Heaven1, and no one who had not also reached this level could be a match for him. This alone was enough to leave him incredibly shocked.

  “Ishinishidu had knowledge of countless martial arts reaching back into ancient times, but he had never read any book with knowledge of this art. The more Ishinishidu fought, the more shocked he became. He knew that he had probably run into a true hidden expert of the Central Plains.

  “This man possessed a vast array of moves, none of which Ishinishidu had ever seen. The two exchanged more than one thousand blows, but not only did Ishinishidu not win, he was actually disadvantaged. Such a thing had never happened before. At a certain point, the mysterious man decided to stop fighting, saying that he did not like to kill, nor did he care for achievements and reputation, and he did not wish to fight anyone to the death and hoped that they could both stop fighting here. Ishinishidu felt sincere admiration for this man’s character, and the mysterious expert also felt a closeness to Ishinishidu due to his strength. After fighting, the two of them actually became friends.

  “But later on, there was a minor matter that apparently caused the man to develop some misunderstanding of Ishinishidu. In the end, the two of them got into a fight and became enemies. Ishinishidu felt extreme grief and regret over this, but the man’s misunderstandings of Ishinishidu were so great that he refused to listen to Ishinishidu’s explanation and jumped into a pit. Ishinishidu was forced to follow him down…”

  Bagushidu’s eyes shone with regret at this moment, apparently feeling rather remorseful over this tragic tale of friends-turned-enemies. But before Bagushidu could continue, Wang Chong cut him off.

  “Hmph, if my guess is right, that mysterious man you speak of was the Origin Immortal Lord’s sixth-generation disciple!”

  Wang Chong got straight to the point. Given how the man was pursued to the northwest and had a bold and upright energy that could nullify enemy attacks, and given that Ishinishidu had eventually died on the stone bridge at the core of the Origin Immortal Treasury, Wang Chong didn’t need to think much to understand that the mysterious man was the Origin Immortal Lord’s sixth-generation disciple. This was the same disciple who had killed the Four Ends Martial Lord with a single palm.

  Not even Wang Chong had expected that Ishinishidu, after causing so much trouble in the Central Plains, would run into the sixth-generation successor of the Origin Immortal Art while returning to his home. And it was no wonder the experts of the Central Plains were no longer able to find him or hear anything else about him.

  Just how many people could equal the state teacher of the Eastern Turks?

  But what stirred up Wang Chong’s disgust was something else…

  “The people of the Origin Immortal Palace don’t care about earthly matters and have never interacted much with the martial arts world of the Central Plains. And given the personality of this Ishinishidu as you describe, once he knew of the Origin Immortal Art’s existence, he would persistently seek the instruction and learnings of the Origin Immortal Art successor. Martial arts are never transmitted to outsiders, particularly not the Origin Immortal Art, which is the number one art of the Central Plains. So why would it ever be given to Ishinishidu just because he asked? But even if Ishinishidu couldn’t get it, he would definitely think of another way.

  “If my guess is right, Ishinishidu probably found a moment where the sixth successor of the Origin Immortal Art had his guard down and ambushed him. This is the only way to explain why Ishinishidu died here two hundred years ago. Bagushidu, you’ve got a rather thick skin! You’ve managed to so frankly speak about such a shameless affair while speaking about remorse, pity, and misunderstandings. I really must hand it to you!”

  As Wang Chong exposed the truth, his voice was brimming with derision.

  If betrayal for the sake of personal gain and a pursuit all the way down to the Origin Immortal Palace more than sixteen thousand meters beneath the earth could be called a misunderstanding, anything in the world could be considered a misunderstanding.

  “Heh, it’s just a matter from two hundred years ago. Right or wrong, it’s not for those who came after to say. And what need is there to take the matter so seriously?”

  Bagushidu wasn’t angered over Wang Chong exposing the truth. He simply smiled and passed over the point.

  “At any rate, our Earth Sect’s patriarch followed him into this place, but the sixth-generation successor of the Origin Immortal Art was incredibly shrewd. He used all sorts of traps and mechanisms to deal with Ishinishidu, but Ishinishidu managed to take care of all of them. This was the first time Ishinishidu had ever seen so many mysterious and unknown things, and his mind was opened. Thus, at the time, he had been in no rush to seek an explanation.

  “Ishinishidu managed to handle all the obstacles in his way, and nothing the sixth-generation Origin Immortal Art successor did had any effect on him. Surprisingly, the sixth-generation Origin Immortal Art s
uccessor also became suspicious and jealous because of this, so he lured Ishinishidu to the core of the Origin Immortal Treasury and used some extremely powerful weapon to kill him on this stone bridge. The most brilliant state teacher of the Turks in the last two hundred years thus died in this place, entering his eternal slumber. What a pity!

  “More importantly, with the death of Ishinishidu, our Earth Sect, and the influence of the entire Solar Holy Mountain, was greatly weakened, and for the next two hundred years, no new state teacher emerged. Later on, the Khagans of both the east and west ended the post of state teacher, and our Earth Sect began to decline.”

  Bagushidu appeared greatly aggrieved and couldn’t help but sigh.

  He had personally experienced the decline of the Earth Sect, and as the current Sect Master of the Earth Sect, he was far more shocked by this tale than those who listened.

  Wang Chong was cold and indifferent. Bagushidu was actually being quite sincere with his emotions in front of a Han. Wang Chong could tell that every word of his came from the heart and that he was holding nothing back. Even though they were enemies, Wang Chong had to admit that the Earth Sect Master was different from any other foe he had encountered.

  He had an elegance and grace that no one possessed.

  “Hmph! In the end, these are all just your conjectures. You didn’t see it for yourself, so all these stories are based on your guesses and theories. There’s no evidence, so it naturally can’t be treated as true!” Wang Chong suddenly said.

  “Heheh, and how do you know that I didn’t see it for myself?”

  Bagushidu suddenly turned and deeply gazed at Wang Chong, a smirk on his lips.

  Wang Chong felt his heart thump, and he was instantly rendered speechless.

  The story between Eastern Turkic State Teacher Ishinishidu and the sixth-generation Origin Immortal Art successor had taken place two hundred years ago, and there was naturally no one alive who could have witnessed it, but Bagushidu’s expression…

  Wang Chong felt his hair stand on end. It didn’t seem like he was just putting on an act. But how could such a thing be possible?