The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  As time passed, Wang Chong could no longer recall how much time he had spent in this place or how much distance he had traveled. He only knew that the chains had gone from two or three to seven or eight, then ten-some chains, and then dozens… Like the threads of a spider web, they all converged on a single location.

  Finally, after traveling along the chains for what seemed like an eternity, he saw a door of light at the nexus of the chains, exuding a dim glow as if it was waiting for something.

  Buzz!

  At this moment, the long-silent Origin Immortal Sword suddenly began to buzz and tremble. The heat coming from the sword immediately invigorated Wang Chong and brought him back to his senses.

  His body shot into the door of light like an arrow loosed from a bow.

  Endless bright light welcomed him, more dazzling than the sun, and he couldn’t even open his eyes. Finally…

  The light began to dim, allowing Wang Chong to slowly open his eyes. The first thing he sensed was sturdy ground beneath his feet, and when he fully opened his eyes, he saw that the vast white dimension had vanished.

  As he saw what was behind the door of light, his young and determined face was stricken with shock.

  Wang Chong thought that yet another strange world would be hidden behind the door of light, but he saw a resplendent hall illuminated by soft and gentle light.

  The hall was decorated in an ancient style, with carved beams and painted rafters. Banners hung from the side walls and drooped to the floor, and the walls themselves were intricately carved with images of birds, insects, flowers, fish, and some ancient beasts.

  All of it combined to create an aura of tranquility.

  “This is…”

  Wang Chong’s eyes were open in disbelief. Although he had never seen this place before, he did not feel it to be strange.

  This was inside the Origin Immortal Palace.

  Wang Chong had never imagined that after wasting so much time making his way through that white dimension and the door of light, he had only just now managed to get inside the Origin Immortal Palace. Countless thoughts passed through his mind, all of them coalescing into a single saying: ‘A short distance away yet poles apart’!

  From the outside, the distance between the golden barrier and the Origin Immortal Palace was just a few dozen feet, but for Wang Chong, this distance had been an entire dimension.

  An indescribable respect appeared in Wang Chong’s mind. All of this had gone beyond the scope of martial arts and involved a level of power that martial artists could neither imagine nor reach.

  Wang Chong quickly calmed down and focused. Several feet away stood two bronze incense burners, standing to the left and right. The incense burners were cast in the form of cranes standing on one leg, thin streams of smoke rising from their beaks and releasing a fragrance into the air.

  Behind the cranes was an ancient round altar, and on the altar was the Origin Immortal symbol. An old prayer mat had been placed at the very center of the altar, and a thin old man wearing a crane feather cloak of the Spring and Autumn Era was seated upon it. Numerous white hairpins had been thrust into his hair, and he was sitting motionless in a meditative position.

  His head was slightly bowed and his body exuded an aura of decay. From the exposed ashen-white skin, it was apparent that he had been dead for a very long time.

  The entire hall was silent.

  This should be the Origin Immortal Lord!

  Wang Chong gazed pensively at the Origin Immortal symbol on the elder’s clothes.

  Although he had been dead for a very long time, the Origin Immortal Lord stil exuded a transcendent aura. When he was still alive, he had undoubtedly been a dignified expert of celestial bearing.

  After a few moments of thought, Wang Chong walked up, kneeled in front of the elder, and bowed.

  “Junior Wang Chong pays respects to Senior Origin Immortal Lord. Please forgive me for the offense of intruding upon your palace.”

  Wang Chong knocked his head against the floor. As a guest who had entered the master’s room, he needed to show some courtesy. This had always been Wang Chong’s style.

  As he raised his head, he suddenly felt a strange feeling. Behind and above the Origin Immortal Lord, one of the carved butterflies on the wall had suddenly begun to move.

  Its trembling body twinkled with blue light that got brighter and brighter. A moment later, it broke free of the wall.

  “!!!”

  Wang Chong was struck dumb by this wondrous sight.

  The butterfly tested its wings and then took flight, rising into the air and then descending onto the Origin Immortal Lord’s forehead.

  The butterfly slowly flapped its wings, upon which the decaying and lifeless shell of the Origin Immortal Lord’s body began to undergo an inconceivable transformation.

  Wang Chong could sense a faint vitality suddenly appearing deep within the Origin Immortal Lord’s body.

  It was barely there at the start, a flickering flame, but a moment later, it had exploded into a storm.

  The deathly white hue of the Origin Immortal Lord’s skin rapidly turned ruddy as its original color was restored.

  The dry wrinkles slowly stretched as they were filled in.

  Wang Chong suddenly understood something, and he stared at the Origin Immortal Lord in complete stupefaction.

  “How… how is this possible?!”

  If not for the fact that it was happening right now, Wang Chong would have never dared to believe that such a thing was possible.

  As if in response to his speculations, the Origin Immortal Lord’s body faintly trembled, a minor movement that set off an earthquake in Wang Chong’s mind.

  “You’re finally here!”

  A long sigh echoed in Wang Chong’s mind, and as this voice spoke, Wang Chong saw the Origin Immortal Lord’s eyelids tremble and rise.

  Chapter 1544 - The Person Outside of Destiny!

  Chapter 1544: The Person Outside of Destiny!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  A dazzling light appeared in the eyes, and for a moment, Wang Chong felt like he was looking at a vast starry sky, not a pair of eyes.

  “!!!”

  Wang Chong’s body shuddered in shock.

  The sight of the Origin Immortal Lord, now much younger and brimming with vitality, had delivered an unprecedented blow to Wang Chong’s mind. He couldn’t help but feel that all of this was not real.

  The Origin Immortal Lord was still alive!

  Wang Chong had never imagined that this creator of the Origin Immortal lineage and a mythical existence of the Central Plains who had lived more than one thousand years ago was still alive, and that he was right in front of him and looking at him.

  Wang Chong felt like he was dreaming.

  “I have waited for you for a long time, Inheritor of Destiny!”

  The Origin Immortal Lord’s voice resounded in Wang Chong’s mind, surprisingly soft and genial. Those starry eyes also began to soften, exuding a sense of affection and intimacy that engendered no resentment.

  Wang Chong said nothing. While his expression remained calm, his mind was tossing and turning.

  Before this, the Origin Immortal Lord had just been a mythical figure from more than one thousand years ago. Wang Chong did not know him and was sure that he had never met him before. He had never imagined that this adventure would turn out like this.

  The Origin Immortal Lord had only spoken two sentences, but Wang Chong felt like his presence here had been long foreseen.

  “You know me?” Wang Chong muttered in a daze.

  “Heh!”

  The Origin Immortal Lord shook his head.

  “I am just waiting for someone who, after one thousand years, will take this sword and appear before me. You are the first person to appear here, so you are naturally the one that I was waiting for.”

  The Origin Immortal Lord turned his warm eyes to the Origin Immortal Sword.

&n
bsp; Wang Chong’s face froze. Destiny contained countless variables, but the Origin Immortal Lord was apparently certain that Wang Chong was the person he had been waiting for.

  “Senior says that I’m the Inheritor of Destiny, but what does that mean?” Wang Chong suddenly said, not wasting much time worrying about whether or not he was actually the person the Origin Immortal Lord was waiting for. He had far too many questions, so even if he wasn’t the person the Origin Immortal Lord was waiting for, he would still use this chance to ask a few questions.

  “Heh, this question is something that only you can answer.”

  The Origin Immortal Lord looked at the youth and chuckled.

  “Junior is foolish. Please, Senior, instruct me!” Wang Chong immediately bowed and asked for guidance.

  “Every sip and bite is preordained by destiny. Fortuitous beginnings and messy ends all have their reasons. If you still do not know, then it is naturally not the time yet. When the time comes, you will naturally understand,” the Origin Immortal Lord calmly said, making no attempt to explain.

  Wang Chong decided to ask the simplest question of all. “Just where is this?”

  “The Origin Immortal Palace!”

  The Origin Immortal Lord smiled.

  Wang Chong was somewhat taken aback to have his conjecture verified. After traversing through that white world, he truly had entered the Origin Immortal Palace.

  “Outside, this junior encountered the first-generation successor and then the female chief of the Origin Immortal Villagers, and after that, I met Senior. Both Senior and the first-generation successor said that they were waiting for me, but this junior is merely a general in the court of the Great Tang, not even a member of the martial arts world. What is so special about this junior that makes this junior worth waiting for?

  “For what reason did Senior arrange all this? And one thousand years have passed, the heavens and earth shifting, dynasty replacing dynasty. Is Senior truly not afraid of waiting for the wrong person?” Wang Chong asked.

  Everything the Origin Immortal Lord had said to Wang Chong had been too unreal. Waiting one thousand years for a person who had not even been born yet was simply too absurd, even if it involved a mythical figure like the Origin Immortal Lord.

  The future contained far too many variables and was simply impossible to predict. No matter what the Origin Immortal Lord foresaw or calculated, this was still too unbelievable.

  “Heh!”

  The Origin Immortal Lord suddenly smiled.

  “You doubt yourself?”

  “Yes!”

  Wang Chong firmly nodded.

  “Every thing in the world has its own destiny. Plant in the spring, grow in the summer, reap during the autumn, and store during the winter. These are not speculations, but laws. A single falling leaf can portend the coming of autumn, and a single ladle of clear water can tell if a river is turbid or pure. What you speak of as conjecture is simply nature to me.”

  The Origin Immortal Lord smirked at Wang Chong.

  Wang Chong creased his brow.

  “Mu Zhen’s descendants have finished their mission and Yuan Feng has successfully realized his promise. Each person exists for a certain purpose, and whether you believe it or not, the moment you appeared here and stood before me, the wheels of destiny began to turn ,” the Origin Immortal Lord nonchalantly said. (AN: The descendants spoken of are the Origin Immortal Villagers. Yuan Feng is the first-generation successor.)

  Wang Chong remained silent, the fogs of confusion growing thicker and thicker in his mind. He stared into the Origin Immortal Lord’s eyes, those eyes brimming with wisdom and seemingly able to pierce through spacetime and see all the secrets of the world.

  Wang Chong was stunned, momentarily speechless.

  For a moment, he felt like he was nothing more than an obstinate child in front of the omniscient Origin Immortal Lord.

  After a long while, Wang Chong finally asked, “What was Senior waiting for?”

  “A person who can change destiny!” the Origin Immortal Lord declared.

  “What destiny?”

  Wang Chong continued to question, his brow creasing even more.

  “A disaster, a crisis, a calamity that can turn everything in this world into dust! Only that person can change all of this!”

  The Origin Immortal Lord’s voice resounded like thunder in Wang Chong’s mind.

  The word ‘calamity’ caused Wang Chong’s body to shudder as if he had been struck by lightning, and he stared at the Origin Immortal Lord.

  “…Everything in the world has a beginning and an end, a rise and a fall. When that calamity comes, no one in this world will be able to escape! Although I possess supreme abilities that allowed me to glimpse this crisis in the heavens, I am powerless to stop it. Anyone who is enclosed by the Great Dao, who dwells within destiny, cannot escape it and cannot change it.

  “Thus, starting from more than one thousand years ago, I began to wait for a person, someone outside of destiny! Only when he descends will this world have any hope, is there a chance of ending this destructive destiny! In that era, he will be the most unique person in the world. I will give this person all the guidance I can and all the assistance I can provide so that he can complete his mission… This is my mission!”

  The Origin Immortal Lord stared at Wang Chong with sharp eyes, his meaning clear. The Origin Immortal Lord was certain beyond doubt that Wang Chong was that person!

  Bang!

  Wang Chong’s body did not move, but his mind was reeling, great waves raging within.

  Destiny!

  A person outside destiny!

  An indescribable feeling welled up within Wang Chong, but he quickly suppressed it.

  “This junior is a fool. What is this destiny?” Wang Chong cautiously probed.

  But there was no answer from the Origin Immortal Lord. He profoundly glanced at Wang Chong, and before Wang Chong could react, a white finger extended and thrust at Wang Chong’s forehead.

  Boom!

  As the Origin Immortal Lord’s finger pressed down, Wang Chong’s mind was drawn into another world. The resplendent hall and the Origin Immortal Lord were gone, replaced by intense flames.

  Wretched screams that made Wang Chong’s heart shudder filled his ears. In the flames, Wang Chong saw an old woman carrying a small child looking up at the sky in despair as she dropped to her knees.

  As the old woman collapsed, the world spun and shifted once more. Wang Chong now saw an immense continent that was entirely awash in fire.

  The Central Plains!

  Wang Chong’s body trembled in recognition.

  Crack! Boom! The blackened continent suddenly split in half, plumes of dust and dark smoke rising into the sky. Wang Chong could only watch as the continent crumbled away.

  The flames turned from blood-red to pitch-black.

  Deep within the flames, Wang Chong heard the neighing of horses and saw countless black, demonic figures with chilling eyes. They stared at Wang Chong from a distance, their eyes suffused with the desire to destroy.

  Buzz!

  These scenes merged with the darkest and most painful of Wang Chong’s memories, and his heart began to thump in fear while his body turned ice-cold.

  The destruction of the world…

  The appearance of the otherworldly invaders…

  Those blurry and inhuman figures were something that he would never forget no matter how many times he was reborn, and the sight of the burned and collapsing world would forever be branded into his mind.

  Buzz!

  At this moment, Wang Chong’s body erupted with an irrepressible killing intent and pain.

  “So you do know!”

  All the illusions vanished as the Origin Immortal Lord spoke once more. The Origin Immortal Lord gazed at Wang Chong’s disheveled hair, trembling shoulders, and crimson eyes, and he sighed.

  Chapter 1545 - The Golden Seed!

  Chapter 1545: The Golden Seed!

  T
ranslated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  In the past, all the Origin Immortal Lord had were the speculations and conjectures from his divinations, but from Wang Chong’s reaction, he was now certain.

  Wang Chong said nothing, but lowered his head, his chest heaving as he loudly inhaled and exhaled. He appeared to be caught in the worst nightmare of all, and tears had begun to pour from his eyes.

  How could he forget?

  How could he possibly forget?!

  He thought that he had learned to be indifferent, to hide things deep down, but when those memories reemerged, he felt a pain that cut to his bones and made his soul tremble.

  “What’s going on? How do you know this?!” Wang Chong hoarsely cried out.

  “What you have seen was my vision from more than one thousand years ago when I was observing the stars one night. Cultures come and go, and one dynasty replaces another. This is human history and has never changed. But this time will be different. There will be no replacement, no continuation. No other culture will appear on this continent and even the earth itself will crumble to nothing, destroyed! This will be the final calamity.”

  The Origin Immortal Lord’s voice seemed to come from far away and was tinged with indescribable bleakness. For a moment, even the light around him seemed to twist.

  “I used every method at my disposal but still failed to find a way to resolve this danger. I continued to pry into the secrets of the heavens, which caused my soul to wither. At the final moment, I glimpsed a ray of hope.

  “I saw that after one thousand years, a human would be born. His destiny would be different from anyone else’s. He was not within the five elements nor without, had no origin or destination. I could not gather any information about him through my divinations. All I was sure about was that one day, one thousand years from then, he would pull out a sword and lead all the humans of this world in fighting for that one last sliver of hope!

  “Thus, starting from that moment, I began to travel the world, inspecting every hill and mountain. After thirty years, I finally found that sword. I then established the Origin Immortal Sect and had Yuan Feng construct the Origin Immortal Cave deep underground, where I placed that sword.”