The Human Emperor c1-2382
Page 970
All of them counted themselves as fortunate. Now that they had reached the surface, the northwest adventure was over. It was now time to think about what would happen next and how to deal with the aftermath.
Buzz!
But when Wang Chong and Young Master Qingyang emerged, the chattering crowd fell quiet, countless martial artists turning to look at Wang Chong.
At that moment, Wang Chong was the undisputed center of attention.
“Young Master Wang has come up! He’s finally come up!”
A softly whispered comment shattered the silence, and as if this was a signal…
Boom!
The crowd erupted into a thunderous cheer.
“Young Master Wang!”
“Young Master Wang!”
Everyone cheered Wang Chong’s name. From deep beneath the earth to the surface, this noble of the Great Tang had won the heartfelt support and respect of these martial artists through his actions.
The Imperial Court and the martial arts world had always been their own worlds, so it was a rare honor for Wang Chong to be so ardently cheered on by so many martial artists.
Wang Chong was at first dazed, but then he couldn’t help but smile. He had never imagined a scene like this.
“Congratulations to user! For completing the Northwest Expedition, you have been rewarded with 1000 points of Destiny Energy.” The Stone of Destiny’s voice rang out in his ear.
“Kid, I didn’t think that you were still alive.” Another voice rang out. At some point, the Black Yin Ancestor had walked over from the side, the Bone Devil Ancestor and Myriad Ghost Ancestor following behind like shadows.
“What? You still want to fight with me?”
Wang Chong looked at the Black Yin Ancestor and smirked.
Chapter 1568 - The Acknowledgement of the Righteous and Evil Paths!
Chapter 1568: The Acknowledgement of the Righteous and Evil Paths!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“No more fighting!”
The Black Yin Ancestor waved his hand.
“This old man has only ever fought with those members of the so-called righteous path in his life, and you’re a member of our evil path. Besides… with your current strength, I probably won’t be able to beat you!”
The Black Yin Ancestor helplessly and bitterly smiled. Given the strength Wang Chong had used to deal with the Goat, Deer, and Tiger Immortals, even if there were several more of him, he still probably wouldn’t be able to beat Wang Chong. Since that was the case, there was no need to make things unpleasant for himself. And besides, Wang Chong had saved their lives.
“Kid, our matters in the northwest have been finished, so we’ll be leaving soon. Take this thing with you!”
The Myriad Ghost Ancestor flicked his hand, throwing over a token carrying the image of a black ghost head.
Wang Chong subconsciously raised his hand and caught it, his mind stupefied.
“This is a symbol of status for us ancestors of the Five Ancestor Alliance, the Five Ancestor Token,” the Myriad Ghost Ancestor explained. “Although you’re a noble of the court, if you don’t mind our status as members of the evil path, you can take that token and come find us if you need anything.”
“Ah?”
Wang Chong was overcome with shock. This move from these evil path ancestors was truly too surprising. Raising his head, he saw that the Black Yin Ancestor and Bone Devil Ancestor were silently smiling. This was clearly a decision they had all agreed to beforehand.
After a few moments of silence, Wang Chong solemnly said, “Many thanks!”
He had never had any good impression of these evil path ancestors, and they had even fought before. Moreover, they had only cooperated previously because they had been forced to. But he was forced to admit that this action from the trio had won them a sliver of respect from Wang Chong.
But this sliver of respect almost instantly vanished.
“Kid, what sort of treasure did the Origin Immortal Lord give you?” the Myriad Ghost Ancestor suddenly asked, a patient look in his eyes. The trio stared in unison at Wang Chong.
“So this old ancestor wants to look as well? I’m alone right now, so why doesn’t the ancestor try and fight with me?”
Wang Chong smiled.
“Hahaha…”
The three of them loudly laughed.
Wang Chong possessed astonishing strength, and even putting aside the question of whether the three of them could win, they first needed the consent of all the other martial artists present. The question just now had merely been an attempt to probe Wang Chong.
Still laughing, the three ancestors took their leave, and with their ancestors departing, the Five Ancestor Alliance disciples also began to leave. The place became somewhat more deserted.
Not long after the Five Ancestor Alliance had departed, Song Yuanyi, Xie Guangting, Sikong Yuanjia, and Ouyang Changheng came over. All the Righteous Alliance disciples instantly turned to look.
The Righteous Alliance had the most unique relationship with Wang Chong of all the factions here. At the beginning, Wang Chong had tricked them, after which the ‘misunderstandings’ between them had only gotten deeper and deeper.
“Young Master Wang, it was fate that brought us together, but we must now take our leave.”
It was not Song Yuanyi, but Xie Guangting who was the first to speak. He had a refreshing smile on his face, not showing any of the expected hostility.
“Heh, I also have to go. The Origin Immortal Lord’s seal won’t be able to suppress that man for too long. It’s best to leave the northwest as quickly as possible,” Wang Chong answered.
“Oh?”
Xie Guangting was taken aback, and then he smiled.
“That’s fine. Young Master, let us meet again amongst the lakes and rivers.”
“Wang Chong.” Song Yuanyi suddenly spoke up. “Out of respect for you, I can temporarily put aside the crimes committed by you and your master. Let this settle the accounts between us. The rivers and lakes are vast, and we will probably not meet again.”
Song Yuanyi waved his sleeve and confidently strode away.
Xie Guangting stood alongside Wang Chong and watched Song Yuanyi, internally chuckling. He had known Song Yuanyi for a long time and had never seen Song Yuanyi so easily change his mind, much less when it came to a great demon of the evil path like Zhang Wenfu.
If Song Yuanyi had really meant what he said, he wouldn’t have personally come to bid Wang Chong farewell.
He had never before seen Song Yuanyi place someone so young in such high regard.
“Young Master, don’t take it to heart. This is my personal jade token, the Alliance Lord Token of the Righteous Alliance. If Young Master requires it, please come and find us. Again, please do not take Alliance Lord’s words just now to heart.”
After saying this, Xie Guangting grinned and followed Song Yuanyi.
It’s still the same Song Yuanyi!
Wang Chong was taken aback by Xie Guangting’s words at first, but as he watched the two of them leave, he shook his head, grinned, and put the matter aside.
With the departure of Song Yuanyi and Xie Guangting, all the Righteous Alliance disciples took their leave.
“Wang Chong! Kid! Where are you?” The shout of a familiar voice came from the distance. The startled Wang Chong’s smile faded as he rushed off in that direction.
Several thousand meters away, a short figure was loudly shouting as he made his way over.
“Formation Elder!”
Upon seeing that figure, Wang Chong waved his hand, a knowing smile on his lips.
Everyone had been underground for a very long time, and the entrance and exit were extremely far away from each other. Given all the time that had passed, the Formation Elder had probably learned what had happened and was making his way over.
“Haha, foul brat, you’re finally here!”
Hearing Wang Chong’s voice in the distance, the
Formation Elder hastened his pace, excitement on his face.
“Lord Marquis!”
As the Formation Elder rushed over, Wang Chong heard soft footsteps coming from behind him.
“Lord Marquis, I have come to say farewell.”
Wang Chong turned his head to the figure that had appeared behind him.
“Ancestor, you’re leaving so soon?”
Wang Chong looked in surprise at the Lone Silence Ancestor.
“Mm!”
The Lone Silence Ancestor nodded, a complicated look in his eyes.
“The matter here is settled, and I must return to Youzhou in the northeast. There are things there that I must take care of, so I will not give individual goodbyes. When you see your master and the old village chief, give them my regards!”
Wang Chong grunted and nodded. The Lone Silence Ancestor and his master had once been on friendly terms and could be considered as friends. Wang Chong had learned about this in the underground river.
“In truth, I came to find you. There are a few matters I wish to discuss with you before leaving.”
“Oh?”
Wang Chong raised an eyebrow in surprise.
After a few moments of silence, the Lone Silence Ancestor began to speak, his eyes fixed on Wang Chong. “In truth, I didn’t come to the northwest this time for the Origin Immortal Art.”
His first words left Wang Chong flabbergasted.
“Half a month ago, when this old man was at Youzhou, someone came to find this old man and offered conditions that were hard to refuse so that I would deal with a single person. But for various reasons, this old man decided to give up on the mission.”
Buzz!
Wang Chong’s eyes narrowed and his face paled. The Lone Silence Ancestor had spoken in a vague manner, but Wang Chong didn’t need an explanation to understand what was going on.
Wang Chong had never imagined that the Lone Silence Ancestor had come to assassinate him!
The Lone Silence Ancestor stared at Wang Chong and sincerely said, “My identity makes it inconvenient to speak too directly on some matters, but, Young Master, the Imperial Court is a dangerous place. Young Master must be cautious!”
“Many thanks, Ancestor!”
Wang Chong clasped his hands together and bowed.
For the Lone Silence Ancestor to speak with him about such things was incredibly rare. After all, the two did not share a very deep relationship.
Thwish!
Before the Formation Elder could arrive, the Lone Silence Ancestor turned around and left.
Just when the Lone Silence Ancestor had gotten a hundred-some feet away, Wang Chong suddenly called out, “Ancestor!
“That man… could you tell me what condition he offered that you couldn’t refuse?”
His question left the Lone Silence Ancestor trembling all over.
“This old man has a very good friend, a sworn friend, who was jailed in the imperial prison for various reasons. That man promised me that if I finished the mission, he would help me get him out!” The Lone Silence Ancestor stopped for a moment to explain, and then he blinked away, his figure soon completely vanishing.
“A good friend… the imperial prison…”
Wang Chong squinted in the direction the Lone Silence Ancestor had gone, a pensive look in his eyes. But he quickly came back to his senses and went to welcome the Formation Elder.
“Hahaha, foul brat, I finally found you!”
The Formation Elder hadn’t noticed anything unusual. When he saw Wang Chong, he laughed and moved up to give him a fierce hug.
“This place has experienced quite a few earthquakes, and it was right around the place you went in from. This old man was frightened half to death, but it seems that you’ve still got a lot of luck. I just knew that you weren’t that easy to kill!”
“Relax! I haven’t handed over the Formation Divine Treatise I promised to get for you, so how could I just die?”
Wang Chong faintly smiled.
Buzz!
At the mention of the ‘Formation Divine Treatise’, the Formation Elder’s eyes flew open and his body trembled in agitation.
“Wang Chong, kid… you… you…”
The Formation Elder was so excited that he couldn’t even speak a complete sentence.
“Hahaha!”
Wang Chong laughed and stopped keeping him in suspense, taking out the Formation Divine Treatise and handing it over.
“Wonderful! Wonderful!”
The Formation Elder trembled as he took the Formation Divine Treatise, and to Wang Chong’s great consternation, he began to weep, large tears dripping from his eyes.
Chapter 1569 - Returning to the Capital!
Chapter 1569: Returning to the Capital!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Senior!”
Wang Chong was somewhat caught off guard.
“I’m fine, I’m fine! Kid, thank you. To think that this old man would see such a supreme treasure of the formation arts in my lifetime! It’s wonderful!”
The Formation Elder waved his hand.
As he spoke, he began to flip through the book, and after just a few pages, his voice began to dwindle away and his eyes seemed almost glued to the pages. By the very end, he had completely forgotten Wang Chong’s existence and seated himself on the ground to read.
While startled at first, Wang Chong soon didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry. From the look on the Formation Elder’s face, nothing he said now would get through.
As Wang Chong stood guard over the Formation Elder, a constant stream of martial artists came up to bid farewell, and the crowd began to shrink.
After some time, a familiar figure appeared on the eastern horizon, holding an extremely striking white cane.
Wang Chong hastily went up to welcome him.
“Village Chief, where is my master? Wasn’t he with you?”
Now that matters in the northwest had been settled, Wang Chong was only waiting around for the Wushang Village Chief and the Demonic Emperor Old Man. Although Wang Chong had not seen the two of them on his way back to the surface, he had already received a special signal from them indicating that they were alright.
This was not the first time the three of them had been separated, and though they had each encountered their own trials and tribulations, nothing had ever been able to hold down his master and the Wushang Village Chief, and the same could be said for Wang Chong.
The Wushang Village Chief stopped, and after taking a flabbergasted glance at the cross-legged Formation Elder, intoxicated in the pages of the Formation Divine Treatise, he solemnly turned to Wang Chong.
The Wushang Village Chief got straight to the point. “Your master wanted me to deliver a message. He says that you shouldn’t wait for him and should go back to the capital first. He has some matters to settle and can’t go back with you.”
“!!!”
Wang Chong was startled by this message—nothing like this had ever happened in all the time he had spent with his master—but he soon regained his composure.
“Understood. Tell Master that I will wait for him in the capital,” Wang Chong quickly answered.
Although he didn’t know what was delaying his master, since his master’s mind was made up and he had even told the Wushang Village Chief to inform him, Wang Chong would naturally respect his decision.
“Right, Village Chief, with matters settled here, what other plans do you have?” Wang Chong said.
“Heh, old men like us aren’t as busy as you youngsters. I don’t have anything special to attend to. I plan to spend a few days here, meet up with your master, and then decide on what to do next.”
The Wushang Village Chief stroked his beard and smiled.
“。”
“Mm.”
Wang Chong nodded. Since the village chief already had plans, Wang Chong wouldn’t force anything on him.
Creee!
At this moment, a
sharp cry came from the distance, drawing the attention of both Wang Chong and the Wushang Village Chief. In the distance, a large rock eagle with a wingspan of more than two meters was flying toward them, distinguished by the golden hoop on its left leg and the red band on its right.
“Chong-er, it seems like you can’t remain here for long!” the Wushang Village Chief suddenly said.
He and the Demonic Emperor Old Man had accompanied the army to Talas and Khorasan, so he was extremely familiar with the army’s signalling methods. Ordinary correspondence used carrier pigeons while important military messages were conveyed by rock eagles with wingspans not surpassing one meter. But the rock eagle up there had a wingspan of two meters, and the golden hoop and red band on its legs indicated matters of utmost urgency.
This was not a rock eagle used in ordinary circumstances.
Creee!
A solemn-faced Wang Chong whistled and waved a hand in the air. A moment later, the rock eagle seemed to find its target and energetically descended toward Wang Chong.
Wang Chong reached out a hand to receive the rock eagle while everyone else present watched.
Opening the bamboo tube on the rock eagle’s leg, Wang Chong extracted a thin sheet of paper. With just one glance, he grimaced and his face turned grave.
“Village Chief, something has happened in the capital, so I’ll have to leave first. I’ll have to leave my master to you!”
Wang Chong bowed, then he let the rock eagle go and began to walk toward the crowd, letter in hand.
“Sirs, do any of you have a carriage I could borrow?” Wang Chong suddenly said.
“I do!”
“I do!”
The crowd instantly reacted and enthusiastically converged on Wang Chong.
……
At the same time, in a place several kilometers from where Wang Chong was…
“Foul beast!”
A cold roar resounded across the rolling green hills.
Thump!
A young figure, his long hair in disarray, dropped to his knees.
“Master…”
The young man’s entire body trembled while cold sweat poured down. In the blink of an eye, sweat began to drip down from his sleeves.