The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  The Path of the First Sage!

  This was a nightmarish place for the Confucian Sect. Just as Master Zhu had said, at least thirteen leaders of the Confucian Sect had tried to force their way through this path, only to return in defeat with their lifespans reduced.

  The Crown of Confucius!

  It was not an object that just anyone could take. The Confucian Sect’s long periods of dormancy, and its appearances for only brief moments in the several hundred years of a dynasty’s reign, were closely connected to this object.

  Master, no matter what, I will realize the dream of our Confucian Sect. I won’t let anyone ruin this Harmonious World that we worked so hard for.

  Li Junxian’s eyes turned steely as this thought came to mind, and he strode forward.

  All was quiet in the dark passage, with the only sound being that of Li Junxian’s footsteps echoing off the walls.

  Li Junxian was focused and vigilant as he stepped forward.

  He had heard about the thunderous reputation of the Path of the First Sage since he was a child. There were many books in the Confucian Sect that talked about this path, but few of them described the exact details. Even those Confucian Sect leaders who had walked the Path of the First Sage rarely mentioned what actually lay within. They only vaguely mentioned that the Path of the First Sage represented the Supreme Sage. It stood for the path of thorns he had walked in becoming a sage, all the doubts and suspicion he had endured, the attacks and imprisonments.

  Clap!

  As he was pondering to himself, fwoosh! Flames burst up around him without any warning. The searing pain of the fire, like being gnawed by ten thousand ants, assailed every part of his body. Amidst the fierce flames, he could see corpses piled up like mountains, extending to the horizon.

  These corpses were wearing armor, and the surroundings were littered with shattered weapons. War banners flapped amidst the flames. There were banners of the Great Tang and also banners from the surrounding foreign countries.

  This was a fierce battlefield!

  Li Junxian was alarmed, but before he could figure out what was going on, he heard soft groans.

  “…Hungry! I’m so hungry!”

  It was just one person at the start, but more and more voices joined in, and it was soon countless people who were wailing and howling.

  “Junxian, distribute our food to them.” A familiar and elderly voice entered Li Junxian’s ears.

  “Master?”

  Li Junxian raised his head in shock. In the flame was a white-bearded elder who was leading several young disciples in Confucian robes as they distributed food to the emaciated people.

  “Master!”

  Both startled and delighted, Li Junxian rushed over.

  Another voice spoke up. “Master, we don’t have much food. The disciples have only had one bowl of porridge per day over the last few days. If this goes on, the disciples won’t be able to go very far!” At the side of the white-haired elder was a youth wearing Confucian robes, his brow furrowed in worry.

  “Senior Brother?”

  Li Junxian’s eyes widened, and he came to a sudden stop.

  “Junshan, we can’t worry about that much. We should alleviate as much suffering as we can!”

  The elder sighed, a look of sorrow on his face.

  “Junxian, remember this. Only by killing the body can you obtain humanity, and only by giving up the body can you obtain virtue. In order to realize the Harmonious World, you must be prepared to give up everything, even if it means your own life!”

  The white-haired elder raised his head and looked at the distant Li Junxian.

  “Master…” Li Junxian muttered.

  The sight of that elderly and compassionate face, and the sound of that familiar and lecturing voice, made Li Junxian’s heart ache. Tears began to run down his cheeks.

  “Hungry, so hungry…”

  “I haven’t eaten for four days or taken a drop of water. Elder, take pity on me…”

  More and more moaning beggars gathered, and the flames burned ever more fiercely. Their emaciated bodies gathered around the elder and the youths, crawling across the ground.

  They quickly distributed all the food they had, but more and more starving people gathered. The sounds of their pleading crescendoed, and beggars even began to congregate around Li Junxian.

  “Bastard, I’m done eating!”

  Suddenly, one of the starving people took a spear and stabbed that Confucian youth from behind. The spear penetrated through his chest, and blood gushed out.

  “Senior Brother!”

  Li Junxian cried out in shock, his eyes going wide and his body turning cold. But just as he was about to rush over, he heard a furious voice.

  “It’s all the fault of you damn Confucians! Look around you! This is all your handiwork! What Harmonious World? You only know how to feign benevolence and righteousness, but you’re not good for a single thing!”

  That starving person waved around his spear and angrily fumed.

  “Where’s the food?! Why is it only this much? You must be hiding some! Damn rotten scholars! Weren’t you all about taking responsibility for the world? Then offer your flesh for us to eat!”

  Plush! Another infuriated starving beggar took out a sword and stabbed the Confucian youth. The crowd of beggars was getting more and more agitated, their hunger growing more and more out of control.

  “You!”

  These furious and savage faces both stunned and angered Li Junxian. Li Junxian immediately began to call on his Stellar Energy to push away these starving people.

  But at this moment, Li Junxian’s master extended a hand and gestured at him to stop.

  “Junxian, let them be! Only by killing the body can you obtain humanity, and only by giving up the body can you obtain virtue. If you don’t understand this, how can you realize the ideals of our Confucian Sect, returning peace to the world? One day, you will also encounter a scene like this.”

  Li Junxian saw his master’s compassionate and smiling face in the flames, exactly the same as the one embedded deep in his memories.

  Chapter 1809 - The Crown of Confucius!

  Chapter 1809: The Crown of Confucius!Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr“I’m hungry! So hungry!…”Moaning and wailing, the starving people turned mad, their instinct driving them to rush at Li Junxian’s master. They tore large chunks of flesh from his master and his fellow students, and swallowed them down while they were still dripping with blood.Li Junxian could clearly see at this time that there were women, elders, and even children in this crowd.“Masteeeeer!”As he watched his master being devoured by the starving people, Li Junxian roared and charged forward like a madman. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not close the distance between him and his master.“I’m so hungry!”A starving voice came from his side, and before Li Junxian could react, a figure charged at him and began to madly gnaw at his arm.“Stand aside!”Li Junxian’s eyes turned red, and he fiercely raised an arm to shake off this starving person.But when he got a clear view, he froze.It was a child, his body scrawny and thin, his immature face brimming with the desire to survive. Though Li Junxian’s hand was raised high in the air, he couldn’t bring himself to strike.A moment later, his master and all his fellow students were engulfed by the crowd.In that final moment, Li Junxian saw his master’s eternally compassionate and benevolent smile. He shook his head one last time, his hand still stretched out and ordering him to stop before it finally vanished.Tears streaked down his cheeks, and Li Junxian once more felt incredibly helpless.A booming voice resounded over the world. “Li Junxian, you can’t even save your master and your fellow disciples. How can you save the people of the world?”Li Junxian said nothing. His body trembled, his breathing turning ragged, and the stabbing pain in his heart intensified.“You failed! Give up! Look at the starving people around you. Even if you gave them your everything, they would still not be satisfied.“Your senior brothers, junior brothers, j
unior sisters… now that you’ve lost everything for the sake of the Harmonious World, are you still willing?”Li Junxian placed his hands on his chest, his body trembling even more fiercely.Countless thoughts were running through his mind.“I am willing,” Li Junxian heard himself say.“But can you do it? Your master, your fellow disciples… all of them died right in front of you, and you can’t even save these starving people. How can you save all the people of the world?” the voice pressed.Li Junxian immediately felt like a mountain had been placed on his shoulders. His breathing grew heavier and heavier, almost stopping.It was true. What could he save? How?It was a question he had asked himself countless times before. He had never felt energetic and confident. He only felt like he was walking on a thorn-covered path, every step a frightening one.One person’s strength was triflingly insignificant compared to the vast sea of the people of the world. Often, it would just be a mantis trying to stop a carriage.But after sacrificing so much, how could he just give up?His master was dead, his senior brother was dead… Could he allow their deaths to be in vain?!“There’s a way, there must be a way…” Li Junxian muttered to himself. He was meek and helpless, but deep in his heart, an idea was gradually forming.Just like his master had said, if he wasn’t prepared to die, how could he possibly realize the Confucian Sect’s desire, realize his own desires?No matter what, he needed to obtain the Crown of Confucius! To obtain the power to realize the ideals of the Confucian Sect!Li Junxian’s eyes were suddenly brimming with resolve.Rumble!As if in response to Li Junxian’s thoughts, the earth suddenly began to shake. A moment later, a massive mountain protruded out of the earth, thrusting straight into the gloomy sky.That massive mountain was as black as ink and appeared to rise tens of thousands of meters into the air. Not even Li Junxian’s eyes could see its end.At some point, the surrounding flames had been extinguished, and the starving and moaning people appeared to have never existed. Li Junxian was left alone with that massive mountain.Suddenly, Li Junxian appeared to realize something, and he began to stride toward the peak.The path to the peak seemed endless and arduous, but Li Junxian felt no more hesitation.……Whoosh!After some time, Li Junxian opened his eyes, finding himself drenched in cold sweat and completely exhausted.Only a few seconds might have passed, but Li Junxian felt like he had gone through an entire reincarnation cycle. Looking around, he saw that the passage remained quiet and that nothing had changed. But upon looking down, he saw that a large character had protruded from the ground at his feet, ‘’ (Benevolence).“This is the Punishment of the Seven Admonitions?”Li Junxian suddenly understood.The essence of the Confucian path was benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, integrity, and finally a heart that possessed filial and fraternal piety. There was no doubt that he had just experienced the ‘benevolence’ trial.He suddenly understood why generations of Confucian Sect leaders, many of them possessing astonishing talent, had failed to obtain the Crown of Confucius.Defeating another was easy, but defeating oneself was excruciatingly difficult.The Punishment of the Seven Admonitions tested each person’s soul and heart. Many people in the world possessed powerful cultivations and formidable strength, but how many of them were completely compatible with the seven traits of the Confucian path?The first trial was already this difficult, and Li Junxian found it impossible to imagine how difficult the others would be. Passing the trial of the Path of the First Sage was difficult beyond belief, and it was not something that could be resolved with just martial strength. But at this point, he had no other option.Clap!Li Junxian strode forward, his eyes hardened with resolve.Time slowly passed. Around six hours later, a flash of light came from the depths of the hall. The pale-faced Li Junxian finally emerged from the other end.As he emerged from the passage, Li Junxian’s legs went soft, and he staggered and almost fell. His breathing was ragged, and he appeared drained of energy, with not even ten percent of his usual power. He was weak and feeble, hardly able to stand.The path was less than fifty meters long, but Li Junxian felt like he had lived through seven entire epochs.But in the end, he had succeeded!Drip!A bead of sweat dropping down shook Li Junxian from his stupor, and he finally took stock of his surroundings.Unlike the rather opulent exterior, at the end of the Path of the First Sage was a quaint Confucian temple built in the dignified style of the Spring and Autumn Era.The Great Tang imperial household had built a grandiose palace, surrounded it with numerous Golden Guards, and even erected a stele of warning, all to protect this ancient temple.Li Junxian quickly walked over the threshold and immediately spotted the giant idol venerated within.This idol was more than ten feet tall. It wore a Confucian robe, and held in one hand a book and the other a sword. He had a face that was solemn and dignified, but also suffused with compassion.The most striking feature was his eyes. Although they were sculpted from wood, they seemed to be alive. They shone with intelligence and wisdom, seeming to contain the entire world. The entire cycle of reincarnation and all the emotions enjoyed in those infinite lives were within.The Supreme Sage, Confucius!Li Junxian felt a flash of insight. Only the founder of the Confucian path could possess this compassionate bearing.This was the founder of the Confucian path and the one whose ideals the generations of the Confucian Sect had sacrificed their lives to realize.The book in his hand represented the Confucian school and the sword represented the Confucian Sect. Both factions regarded this idol with utmost reverence.As he moved his gaze down, Li Junxian spotted that object he desired on an old wooden table, a Confucian crown from the Spring and Autumn era.The Crown of Confucius!It was a rather plain and unremarkable crown, but it exuded noble and powerful ripples of Psychic Energy. This Psychic Energy far surpassed that of all martial artists in the world. If one looked carefully, one would notice a faint white halo around the crown. Even the Psychic Energy of a Subtle realm expert would appear like an ant before this crown.The Crown of Confucius was a crown of baptism, a crown of resolve, a crown of divine judgment!All corrupt, filthy, ruthless, murderous, and dark thoughts had no place in front of this crown. This was Li Junxian’s most powerful treasure against Wang Chong.“Disciple Li Junxian pays respects to the Supreme Sage. Sage Teacher, please take note of this disciple’s sincerity and bestow the Crown of Confucius upon me so that I might bring peace to the world!”Li Junxian quickly came forward, got down on his knees in front of the idol, and bowed.Standing up, Li Junxian finally walked over to the Crown of Confucius.……Time slowly passed, and the appointed day drew closer and closer.“Your Highness, we’ve just received a report from Academic Lu.”Wang Chong was seated cross-legged on the floor and silently cultivating when Zhang Que suddenly rushed in.“We finally found a clue regarding the Confucian Sect!”“Oh?”Wang Chong raised an eyebrow and looked up.Eight days ago, in front of Taiji Palace, Wang Chong had sensed something strange about Li Junxian and asked Zhang Que to investigate the matter, though he had not expected any news to come out of it.“Li Junxian is too confident, so we made sure to gather all the information we could, particularly regarding the Confucian Sect’s conflicts with the militarists. Finally, we’ve made some progress. Our investigation has found that the Confucian Sect has had major conflicts with the militarists three times, but with regards to two of them, only bits and pieces of text remain, and the details are ambiguous.

  “But there was one incident in the era of the Great Han for which clear records exist. They mention that the Confucian Sect apparently has an incredibly formidable object called the Crown of Confucius,” Zhang Que sternly said.

  Chapter 1810 - Attention from All Sides!

  Chapter 1810: Attention from All Sides!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “The Crown of Confucius?”

  Wang Chong frowned at these words, his body sitting up straight in attention.

  Zhang Que bowed and sternly said, “Yes! The records indicate that this is a paramount treasure that the Confucian Sect has specifically to deal with the militarists. And the man who used that crown is someone Your Highness might have heard
of. His name is Master Dong!”

  Buzz!

  The mention of Master Dong caused Wang Chong’s eyes to twitch. The mention of this name alone would not mean much to many people, but Wang Chong immediately knew of this man’s actual name: Dong Zhongshu!

  ‘Dismiss the one hundred schools and revere only Confucianism!’

  Wang Chong took in a deep breath. Everyone in the Central Plains knew about that major event during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. When the one hundred schools of the Central Plains had been vying for supremacy, it was this incident that had established the Confucian school’s revered status in the Central Plains.

  But not even Wang Chong had imagined that the illustrious architect behind this incident, Master Dong, had been a member of the Confucian Sect.

  “I was also shocked when I first saw the report, but Academic Lu Ting also mentioned that the militarists had been in a dominant position from the Spring and Autumn Era all the way to the Great Han. Moreover, as the Great Han was engaged in numerous wars and needed to deploy soldiers in the north, the militarists had an even greater status, far above that of the other schools of thought. At the time, Master Dong relied on that Crown of Confucius to persuade Emperor Wu of Han into placing the Confucian school above all the other schools.

  “In addition, Academic Lu mentioned that he paid a special visit to the Yan Clan and looked through all their records from the reign of Emperor Jing of Han. From what Academic Lu said, there were apparently many famous and powerful Great Generals during Emperor Jing’s reign, as well as in the early years of Emperor Wu’s reign. All of them possessed influential status. But after Master Dong appeared, all of them faded into the background, and even Emperor Wu did not use them as much any longer. The primary reason for this was that they had lost to the Confucian Sect.