The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Whoosh!

  The crashing of waves could be heard.

  This place was located deep within a dark ocean, and lurking beneath these black waters was a massive creature. It had an appearance similar to a jellyfish, but it also had a hard outer shell, countless tentacles, sharp horns, and a most savage and horrifying face. This was an ancient sea monster.

  The mysterious dimension in which Genesis Supreme was resting lay within this ancient sea monster.

  Chapter 2114 - : A Divine Land Cauldron Emerges!

  Chapter 2114: A Divine Land Cauldron Emerges!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  If Wang Chong had been present, he would have undoubtedly been stunned.

  Wang Chong’s gaze had always been focused on the land, and he had never imagined that the power of the Celestial God Organization had penetrated deep into the sea.

  This was a place that not even Wang Chong could reach!

  Kyuuu!

  A whale called out as it swam past, appearing as small as an ant in contrast to this ancient sea monster.

  The whale spotted the sea monster, cried out in alarm, and began to swim away.

  But before it could flee very far, an invisible energy penetrated through its body, and it erupted with blue light. Soon, the whale’s massive body rapidly dissolved into a clump of blood, leaving its white skeleton to sink to the ocean floor.

  As for the blue light, it carried the clump of blood and all of the whale’s life energy into the sea monster’s body.

  After absorbing the ball of blue energy, the sea monster waved its tentacles and moved even deeper into the ocean, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

  ……

  While Genesis Supreme’s soul was recovering deep in the ocean, far to the north, past Lake Baikal, in the arctic forests…

  The weather here was frigid, and the entire region had been sealed in ice. Trees, huts, savages, deer, bears, horsemen… all of them maintained their posture in the moment before their deaths. The ice made it seem as if time had stopped, everything been put on pause.

  It felt as if these scenes would persist until the end of time.

  From how the snowflakes were gently drifting down, it was clear that this situation had gone on for a very long time.

  Long before this, this region had become a region forbidden to life.

  The only lucky thing was that this cold wave, though frightening, was not showing signs of expansion, giving all living creatures on the continent a chance to breathe.

  Whoosh!

  A light breeze blew past, causing those frozen trees of the extreme north to rustle, their branches shedding snow. There was so much accumulated snow that it briefly caused a large-scale snow mist.

  This gentle breeze seemed to be a herald, and it soon increased in power, turning from an insignificant air stream into a terrifying gale that swept across the world, moving from north to south.

  Clackcrack! The sound of snapping trees could be heard within the forest as countless trees were pushed over by the gale, and this was not all that was taking place.

  Farther into the north, a white snowstorm engulfed the world, surging out from behind the arctic forest with a frightening momentum.

  Rumble!

  The earth rumbled as if an army of hundreds of thousands was charging out of the north, and then the white mantle of snow began to shudder.

  “Not good!”

  At the same time, extremely far away, a Tang horseman who had been left behind to keep watch on the cold wave turned around in shock and rode toward the south.

  “The cold wave is expanding! I have to report back to the general at once!”

  Behind him, the snowstorm closely pursued, moving faster and faster.

  ……

  Putting aside developments in the north…

  At this moment, on a precipitous peak in the northwest of the Great Tang, an operation that had been in motion for some time finally found some progress.

  Roooar!

  An inhuman roar resounded over the earth, and then countless rocks and chunks of dirt were thrown into the air. From the sky, one would have been able to see that a giant pit had appeared amongst these uninhabited mountains.

  This pit was tens of thousands of feet in diameter, and inside the pit was a hairy ape one thousand feet tall. It was waving around a long iron cudgel that it was using to dig.

  Though the rock was tough, it was incapable of resisting the King Ape’s savage strength, constantly being shattered, excavated, and thrown out of the pit.

  A large number of rocks had piled up around the pit, each one as tall as an adult human.

  Clang!

  After some time, an explosion of sparks came from deep underground, together with the ringing of metal.

  “Found it!”

  Delighted, Wang Chong had the King Ape swing its cudgel down.

  Bang!

  With an enormous boom, a massive handled cauldron appeared, its surface carrying a bronze luster.

  Roooar!

  With another massive roar, the King Ape grabbed one of the handles with both of its hairy arms and pulled. Crack! Amidst the sound of grinding and groaning rock, the giant cauldron was pulled out of the earth.

  As the cauldron emerged, an ancient seal within the cauldron was triggered, and an enormous, five-colored energy erupted with a howl.

  This energy was so powerful that it almost broke the King Ape’s arms. Even though the King Ape managed to resist this pressure with its innate strength, the repulsive force from the cauldron still sent it staggering backward, almost causing it to fall.

  Not only that, as the bronze cauldron unleashed this repulsive force, the rainbow energy around it also began to take the form of a giant dragon. The dragon circled around the cauldron, let out a heaven-shaking roar, and then transformed into a pillar of light that pierced the heavens.

  Rumble!

  All the clouds in the sky were swept away, and all the mountains for several hundred li trembled. The dazzling pillar of light was entrancing to behold.

  One of the Nine Cauldrons of the Divine Land!

  Upon seeing the phenomena produced and sensing the abnormal weight of the cauldron, Wang Chong rejoiced.

  After a long time, using the King Ape’s immense strength and his memories, Wang Chong had finally found this precious cauldron.

  Buzz!

  After some time, the dazzling light on the surface of the cauldron faded and the rampant energy calmed down. ‘Wang Chong’ was finally able to see the true appearance of the Divine Cauldron.

  What Wang Chong saw first were the ancient, wave-like carvings on its surface, from a long-ago era.

  By the era of the Great Tang, the Central Plains had long ago ceased the practice of forging these large cauldrons, and the style of these patterns was completely different from the current style.

  As Wang Chong continued to look, he saw a coiling dragon carved along the entirety of the cauldron, all of its features displayed in vivid detail.

  Wang Chong softly read out the ancient script on the cauldron. “Uphold the sun and moon; forever preside over the Nine Provinces!”

  It was said that the Divine Cauldrons had been forged by an ancient Emperor, and these words had been carved into the cauldron during the smelting process through use of his prodigious strength. These words were infused with his profound understanding.

  Not only that, Wang Chong could sense powerful ripples of energy from the words. It was clear that the cauldron had a powerful seal upon it.

  It’s said that the place in which each of the Nine Cauldrons was buried was carefully selected. All of them are nexuses of laws, spiritual energy, and Dragon Qi. Moreover, after thousands of years of nourishment, they’ve long ago evolved to transcend the level at which they were forged!

  I hope that it will work against the otherworldly invaders! Wang Chong said to himself.

  Rumble!

  Suddenly
, the ground beneath the King Ape swayed and shuddered, a great groaning and cracking coming from deep underground.

  In front of ‘Wang Chong’, a massive fissure opened and began to rapidly move in his direction.

  Earthquake!

  Wang Chong quickly realized what was going on, and his face instantly turned solemn.

  It was said that digging out any of the Nine Cauldrons, regardless of which one, would cause a massive shift in the earth.

  Wang Chong hadn’t expected the rumor to be true.

  Bang!

  The King Ape lifted the giant cauldron on its shoulder and jumped away.

  Behind it, the groaning and rumbling grew louder and louder. A few seconds later, countless fissures began to radiate outward with terrifying speed, seeming to have lives of their own.

  At this moment, all of the northwest was shaking.

  But Wang Chong no longer cared. Controlling the King Ape, he swiftly fled into the distance with the cauldron.

  ……

  Buzz!

  At the same time, far away in the capital, within the King of Foreign Lands Residence, Wang Chong shivered. Now that the King Ape had successfully taken the Divine Cauldron, he opened his eyes and drew back his mind from the King Ape.

  Whew!

  Now that he had the cauldron, Wang Chong sighed in relief, his entire body relaxing.

  With the cauldron in hand, he now had something he could use to deal with the otherworldly invaders.

  Wang Chong turned his eyes outside and loudly asked, “Has Eunuch Li arrived yet?”

  A respectful voice came from outside. “Your Highness, Eunuch Li is already waiting in the secret basement chamber!”

  Wang Chong nodded, and a moment later, ripples appeared under his feet, and his entire body sank into the ground.

  Under Wang Chong’s orders, a basement floor had been constructed underneath his estate, even larger than the estate above it, and the Formation Elder had also applied many powerful formations. Thus, a secret base was created beneath the estate.

  Wang Chong soon appeared in the secret basement chamber.

  In front of a door curtain was a thin and tall figure wearing a silk robe, seemingly waiting for someone. Upon sensing the activity in the basement, the figure shivered and turned their head.

  Chapter 2115 - The Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art Division! Shadow Dragons!

  Chapter 2115: The Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art Division! Shadow Dragons!

  “Your Highness!”

  Upon spotting Wang Chong, Li Jingzhong relaxed his wary expression and respectfully bowed.

  “How are His Majesty’s injuries?” Wang Chong calmly said.

  Li Jingzhong lowered his head and reported, “Your Highness, His Majesty has already taken medicine, and the servitors of the palace have been constantly attending him. He no longer has any significant problems.”

  In the imperial prison revolt, Li Heng had been captured by the former Crown Prince, Li Xuantu. And while Li Xuantu had done his best to keep Li Heng safe, the clash of two Grotto Heaven experts had still managed to jolt Li Heng’s organs.

  Although the injuries weren’t serious, nothing was minor when it came to the Son of Heaven. Thus, the palace had been very nervous as of late.

  “Mm.”

  Wang Chong nodded and said no more.

  In this incident, many problems had been exposed in the defenses of the palace. The one hundred thousand soldiers of the Imperial Army and the Dragon Guards were sufficient to deal with ordinary experts, but when true powerhouses like Genesis Supreme appeared, they were wholly insufficient for protecting Li Heng.

  To protect Li Heng, Wang Chong had dispatched Divine Embryo 2 to Li Heng’s side. This together with the Miniature Nine Provinces Domain and the various formations and seals in the capital would be enough to fend off any expert beneath the Grotto Heaven realm.

  Moreover, Wang Chong’s original body was nearby in the King of Foreign Lands Residence. His current arrangements would ensure that there were no problems for at least a short while.

  “Is everyone here?” Wang Chong said.

  “As previously discussed with Your Highness and His Majesty, the first batch of seventy-some people are all present.

  “Although it’s not many people, all of them are loyal and trustworthy.”

  Li Jingzhong bowed.

  Wang Chong nodded, raised the curtain, and entered.

  In this large chamber, figures garbed in black clothes stood in neat rows.

  Although these people had removed all objects that could identify them, their erect postures, calloused hands, and determined gazes exposed them.

  They were either soldiers of the Imperial Army, servitors of the imperial household, or directly selected from Li Heng’s personal guards or Imperial Guard.

  “Paying respects to His Highness!”

  Everyone bowed upon seeing Wang Chong, filling the chamber with a solemn air.

  Wang Chong was calm and unperturbed.

  “All of you should know what we are doing. I will repeat that it will be extremely dangerous, and there is an extremely high chance that you will lose your life. If someone wants to back out, there’s still time!”

  Wang Chong’s eyes were stern as his voice echoed through the underground chamber.

  He slowly scanned the assembled group.

  Silence!

  Absolute silence!

  All of them straightened their backs, but they seemed like statues, none of them moving or saying a word.

  “Your Highness, there’s no need to ask.” Li Jingzhong’s faint voice came from behind Wang Chong as he came inside. “They all know what they’re doing and what they will face. None of them will withdraw!”

  But Wang Chong appeared to not hear him.

  He continued to scan the warriors, inspecting their resolved and confident faces.

  “Understood. Starting from now, your identities are no more, and no one will be able to find anything about you. You no longer exist, and other than the comrades at your side, me, and His Majesty, no one will know of you.

  “Starting from today, you will only have one name: Shadow Dragons!”

  Wang Chong’s eyes erupted with a sharp and cold light.

  Bang!

  Wang Chong stepped forward, and a gale howled through the chamber. Wang Chong’s body turned into a source of blazing light, erupting with golden and red energies.

  The Stellar Energy of the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art roared out, splitting into several dozen streams of blazing energy that surged into the black-robed figures in front of him.

  Under Wang Chong’s direction, this Stellar Energy modified the meridians and Stellar Energies of these former Imperial Army soldiers, servitors, and personal guards. At the same time, he planted the seeds of the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art in their bodies, balls of light that sank into their dantians.

  The Shadow Dragons were, to be more precise, a ‘Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art’ division!

  After discussion between Wang Chong and Li Heng, it had been decided to set up this special force specifically to deal with the men in black.

  The men in black could freely control the world, posed a major threat to the Tang imperial household, and had been a major hindrance throughout the Sage Emperor’s life. Besides peak experts like the Tianfu Divine Lord, True Lord Yellow Dragon, and Genesis Supreme, they also had many lower-class experts, the so-called men in black.

  There were many of them, and they did not fear death. They could use the Fire of Lu Wu or the Fire of Mara, could transform into half–Lu Wus and Black Flame Asuras. They posed a lethal threat to ordinary soldiers.

  The capital had a garrison of one hundred thousand soldiers of the Imperial Army, and the inner court was crawling with experts. But these were meant for dealing with soldiers of enemy countries and wandering experts of the martial arts world.

  The men in black were far more powerful than all of these.

  In the Reb
ellion of the Three Princes, the appearance of numerous men in black had caused immense damage to the Imperial Army, and not even the Saint Martial Barracks had been able to hold against them.

  And the men in black could always produce many more such experts.

  No matter what the time was, these people would always be a major threat to the Great Tang.

  The only solution was to establish a special force to specifically deal with the men in black.

  Thus, the Shadow Dragons came into being.

  But time was short, and the men in black wouldn’t give Wang Chong much time to train. Thus, he needed to resort to special methods to rapidly bring them up to speed.

  Amongst all the arts Wang Chong had learned, only the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art met these requirements, allowing him to train up a powerful force in a short amount of time.

  The Imperial Palace had many soldiers of the Imperial Army, and when cultivating the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art, one did not have to go through the trouble of hard and difficult training. One simply needed to absorb energy from the other Imperial Army soldiers to swiftly produce a large number of experts.

  If each soldier of the Imperial Army offered up a small portion of their energy, one could produce thousands of Shadow Dragon experts.

  But the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art was also the supreme evil art. While it fit Wang Chong’s requirements for training the Shadow Dragons, it was also extremely powerful. If the art fell into the hands of those who harbored ill intentions and began to spread, it would create a calamity for the realm. Thus, the requirements for Shadow Dragons were extremely strict, with loyalty being far more important than talent.

  This was something Wang Chong had emphasized to Li Heng again and again!

  Out of the hundred-thousand-strong Imperial Army, Wang Chong had only selected seventy-some people for the first batch.

  Whew!

  After a long while, Wang Chong drew back his energy, exhaled, and turned to Li Jingzhong.

  “Everything is done. Once they’ve digested the energy, take them back and hand them to General Li!”

  No one understood more about Li Jingzhong than Wang Chong. Although Li Jingzhong had yet to expose his ambitions and Li Heng trusted him deeply, Wang Chong was always wary of him. Thus, control of the Shadow Dragons was not his, but General Li’s.