Rise of Humanity

by <unknown>

  “Swords Gate’s Fang Jiange?”

  The Xiang Mang Celestial Race’s Qi Practitioner’s face turned serious and he looked around as he asked, “How did you get here? Where is the Xiao Guzhen, our race’s senior?”

  “Are you talking about him?”

  Three heads were then thrown onto the ground as he said smilingly, “I’ve killed this whatever Xiao Guzhen you are talking about.”

  The three heads belonged to Xiao Guzhen, a Heavenly Dharma level Qi Practitioner of the Xiang Mang Celestial Race and also the Qi Practitioner that was guarding the final exit out of the West Barren!

  “Senior Xiao Guzhen!”

  The Xiang Mang Celestial Race’s Qi Practitioner’s face changed rapidly and another man could be seen walking towards them in the heavy storm. He appeared to be tall and muscular, just like a bear and there was a huge thunder dragon formed with a type of thunder totem carvings that wound all over his body.

  This man’s face was covered with a beard and he stood up high and straight. The Shan Shen and Zhu Jian Celestial Race’s members were all little giants that appeared to be big and muscular. But this bearded man was no smaller than them, even being slightly larger than them!

  “You are Lei Hong, one of the four young aces of Swords Gate?”

  The Xiang Mang Celestial Race’s Qi Practitioner turned pale while Zhong Yue felt relieved immediately. Originally, he thought that it was the Swords Gate’s celestial messenger and thus, he suspected Fang Jiange as the traitor hidden of the Swords Gate. But he did not expect Lei Hong would be following behind Fang Jiange and he even killed the Heavenly Dharma Qi Practitioner from the Xiao Mang Celestial Race.

  “Junior Martial Brother Zhong, come here.” said Fang Jiange camly.

  Lei Hong laughed and said in a thunderous voice, “In order to search for you, Young Master Feng, Elder Sister Jun and the two of us searched in all directions. Young Master Feng went to the North while Elder Sister Jun went to the South and the two of us went to the East and West. Just now, I felt that there was someone fighting in this direction and so I planned on taking a look here after I killed the old hag. But unexpectedly, that Brat Fang managed to reach here faster than me.”

  Zhong Yue felt relieved and he started walking towards Fang Jiange and Lei Hong while the eyes of the Xiang Mang Celestial Race’s Qi Practitioner twitched as he was internally debating whether or not he should act to capture Zhong Yue. Just as he was still considering his next course of action, Fang Jiange suddenly turned back and a Sword Qi in the size of a hair shot towards the Xiang Mang Celestial Race’s Qi Practitioner.

  Zhe——

  The Xiang Mang Celestial Race’s Qi Practitioner then got sliced in half by this hair-like Sword Qi!

  “Get up and let’s go.” said Fang Jiange.

  Zhong Yue then jumped up the back of the old turtle along with Lei Hong while Lei Hong measured Zhong Yue curiously and asked suddenly, “Where is Elder Shui?”

  Zhong Yue’s face turned dark and he relied, “Elder Shui was ambushed by Xiao Yin, Xiao Yuan and Xiao Qing, he’s already….”

  Lei Hong and Fang Jiange both then remained silent for quite a while.

  Then, after a moment, Lei Hong exhaled a long breath and he sighed as he said, “Along with Tian Yanzong and the others, Elder Feng has returned to Swords Gate but they all suffered heavy injuries. As soon as Elder Feng touched down at Swords Gate, he immediately ordered us to move at once to escort you guys in the Lian Yun Ridges. Who would have thought that we would not be able to arrive in time. Junior Martial Brother Zhong, is Elder Shui really dead?”

  Zhong Yue put up a sad expression and he nodded silently before he said in a sore voice, “I single handedly buried him in the Divine Battlefield and I’m afraid that we will not even be able to see the burial site anymore.”

  Fang Jiange and Lei Hong remained silent and after a moment, Lei Hong forcefully laughed and said, “It’s ok as long as you are fine.”

  Fang Jiange then said, “Elder Shui possessed a huge number of tokens and they are all very important. Are they with you now, Junior Martial Brother Zhong?”

  Lei Hong’s face turned serious and he too, said, “Those tokens are very important and nothing must happen to them. He definitely would have passed the tokens down to another before he died and you were the only one present at the time of his death and also the one who buried him. These tokens….”

  Before Lei Hong could finish talking, Zhong Yue shook his head and said, “These tokens are not with me. When I saw Elder Shui, he no longer had any energy and stamina. He probably had destroyed the tokens before he died to prevent them falling onto the hands of the Xiang Mang Celestial Race.”

  Fang Jiange and Lei Hong looked at each other and they both shook their heads.

  “Among the many tokens owned by Elder Shui, there was one that was given to him by me.”

  Lei Hong sighed and said, “And this old man died just like that. He once saved my life and asked for a token from me, saying that he would need me to do something for him in the future. He is a man with great foresight. Each and every person acknowledged by him would always grow into an incredible person someday….”

  Fu Shan, the old turtle continued to move and although it moved its legs slowly, their speed of advance was not slow at all. In no time, they had passed one huge ice mountain after another. The snow stopped snowing as they got over the Lian Yun Mountain Ridges and entered the Great Wilderness.

  The old turtle continued to move for a few hundred miles before Fang Jiange raised up his hand and the shiny sword ray on the back of the huge turtle flew into his hand. Fang Jiange then raised his fingers and pointed to the sky, launching that shining sword ray into the skies to light up the surroundings.

  Lei Hong flipped his palms as he pointed his palms towards the sky, calling upon thunder that cracked open the sky.

  Then, they both stopped their actions and waited quietly.

  “Brat Yue, you do not believe them, do you?”

  In Zhong Yue’s psyche ocean, Xin Huo asked quietly, “That’s why you told them Elder Shui is dead and you did not obtain the tokens belonged to him.”

  “Yeah, I don't believe them.”

  Zhong Yue replied, “The fact that Jun Sixie was ambushed suggests that the spy of the Xiao Mang Celestial Race is among the four of them. Since I have no idea which one of them is the spy and there would also have to be a reason for Elder Shui to play dead. Therefore, I fed them fake information and as long as I insist that the tokens were destroyed by Elder Shui before his death, no one would be able to find out his location.”

  Xin Huo nodded and said, “Now, the Swords Gate and Xiao Mang Celestial Race is at the cusp of war. At the very beginning, Swords Gate did not have a high winning chance against the Xiao Mang Celestial Race and if these tokens were to fall into the hands of the celestial race, the Swords Gate can only accept its doom.”

  After a few moments, a fragrant scent could be smelled and when Zhong Yue looked up, he saw Jun Sixie walking towards them while she carried a guqin behind her back. She appeared to be as elegant and as graceful as ever. Upon seeing Zhong Yue, the girl immediately smiled happily and said, “I’m relieved to see that you are well.”

  Zhong Yue bowed towards her and she immediately reciprocated. Then, the two looked at each other as they both recalled the events back in the Savanna Wasteland.

  Jun Sixie was good at keeping secrets and she knew deeply that the incident where Zhong Yue saved her was greatly tied to his identity in the monsters. Thus, she did not mention anything about this at all.

  “The Swords Gate has Zhong Yue and the monsters have Long Yue but now, the “Yue” of our Swords Gate has surpassed the “Yue” of the monsters.”

  Said Jun Sixie jokingly as she was aware of Zhong Yue’s alter ego. After all, Zhong Yue had left behind many traces and even used many of the unique techniques that supposedly belonged to “Long Yue”. She was a clever lady; how could she not realize that Zhong Yue an
d Long Yue were the same person through these clues?

  Whereas for Fang Jiange and Lei Hong, she seemed to be slightly unwilling to talk to them at all as she obviously suspected that the one who sold her out was among the other three other aces – she was understandably very upset at this fact.

  “Now that you are so famous and even more famous than that Long Yue, you make our Swords Gate proud!” said Jun Sixie with a smile.

  Zhong Yue quickly replied, “Please don't make fun of me, senior martial sister. I managed to cultivate into Awakening level through luck and I dare not say that I am better than Long Yue. After all, Long Yue would not be slacking while I’m painstakingly cultivating. His strength must have improved greatly to be on the same level as I am on right now.”

  Jun Sixie laughed and said, “Next time, the both of you should have a fight to decide who the superior one truly is.”

  Zhong Yue replied with strong battle intent, “That is a matter of course provided we have the time and the opportunity!”

  A few moments later, a voice could be heard saying, “So you have saved Junior Martial Brother Zhong? Such good luck, I have been walking on the wrong path and you guys robbed me my work.”

  Zhong Yue looked towards that direction and he saw a young and handsome man walking towards them. He appeared to be very graceful and he gave off a very unique aura.

  He was Feng Wuji of the Swords Gate, one of the four young aces and also the heir of the Feng Clan.

  Zhong Yue greeted him and Feng Wuji quickly returned the gesture as he smiled and said, “I am glad to hear that you are safe. I’ve traveled for three thousands miles to the north and fought with the many Xiao Mang Celestial Race’s Qi Practitioners along my journey. But I failed to locate Junior Martial Brother Zhong. Who would have thought that you had been rescued by Junior Martial Brother Fang and Junior Martial Brother Lei. Elder Feng told us when he got back to Swords Gate with heavy injuries and he said that you and Elder Shui might be the target of our enemies. With that, he asked us to quickly come to help. Where’s Elder Shui?”

  Zhong Yue immediately feigned a morose expression while Lei Hong shook his head and said, “Elder Shui has passed away….”

  Feng Wuji was stunned and his expression stiffened up while Jun Sixue couldn't control herself and she shouted, “That old man is dead? How is that possible? How could someone as wise and cunning as him die just like that….”

  Zhong Yue looked at the four aces and observed the changes in their expressions as he said calmly, “Elder Shui was ambushed in the Divine Battlefield when we were walking on the safe passage in the Divine Battlefield. Only the Swords Gate has the safe passage out of the Divine Battlefield but on that day, the Xiao Mang Celestial Race somehow obtained the map as well. Someone in the Swords Gate had sold us out and is directly responsible for Elder Shui’s death.”

  This news must be able to cause the celestial spy to expose something I guess? Zhong Yue thought this quietly within his heart.

  Chapter 202: Self Reflection |

  Zhong Yue paid close attention at their expressions and although they were shocked by the news, the little details in their expressions were very different. Jun Sixie’s expression clearly showed that she knew that someone had betrayed the Swords Gate and that someone was among the other three aces.

  Lei Hong’s expression was the most normal, in line with how one would expect him to react at this new information. He was greatly shocked immediately erupted in a rage before asking who the spy was and for any possible suspects.

  Feng Wuji seemed to be thinking of something else and his face faltered slightly as the information shook him greatly in his heart as well. However, he managed to promptly regain his calm, his tranquil frame of mind allowed him to finely control his emotions.

  Fang Jiange was also the same before quickly returning to his usual state, remaining silent as well after.

  Zhong Yue retracted his gaze thought to himself, I can’t see anything, not even a single thing. Judging from their expressions, the chances of Fang Jiange being the spy are very high. He was the one who arrived at the scene first during Tian Myriad Mother’s revival and had failed to kill her, instead allowing her to escape from the Demon Ruins to devour Shui Qingyan’s soul and possess her body. Therefore, he is the most suspicious one. However, Fang Jiange has been like that for a very long time, he did not show any extreme shock during the revival of Tian Myriad Mother and he went to fight her alone. Besides, there was someone else that revived Tian Myriad Mother and that someone even fought with Fang Jiange, with that, they are clearly not on the same side….

  Senior Martial Sister Jun is fine as well. After all, she was the one who got ambushed and almost died. But then, there’s a possibility that she tried to play victim and accused someone else of setting her up so that she could cover up her identity as a spy even better. She also knows that I am Long Yue and because of Tian Myriad Mother, that spy hiding in the Swords Gate also knows that I am Long Yue. Thus, she could also be that spy. But then again, she could have figured out my identity as Long Yue through the traces I left behind back then….

  I know little about Feng Wuji and since he is from the Feng Clan, the headmaster and Elder Shouzhu must have some understanding about him. Considering that, if he was a traitor or someone from the Xiao Mang Celestial Race, he would not be able to hide it from the headmaster and Elder Feng. With that being said, he is the least suspicious one.

  Whereas for Lei Hong, his reactions appeared to be very normal – he seems to be the most unlikely to be the spy or the member of Xiao Mang Celestial Race. But….

  Then, Zhong Yue thought of that time when he was set up by that Crocodile Dragon and fell into the Devil Soul Forbidden Land. After setting him up, the Crocodile Dragon was then immediately killed by the person pulling the strings. The Crocodile Dragon was the mount of Lei Hong and it said that it was trying to repay its debt to someone by setting up the trap for Zhong Yue.

  With that, Lei Hong had become a suspect in Zhong Yue’s eyes and this suspicion could not be washed away simply by judging from the reactions he observed.

  And he reacted way too normally, just like an average person, which is very odd. After all, we are Qi Practitioners, not some average humans. Our minds and wills are strong and especially for Qi Practitioners of Swords Gate, our hearts are forged like swords. When we encounter any difficulties, our hearts like swords would bestow us with wills as sharp as swords, allowing us to cut down our enemies and overcome our difficulties. Senior Martial Sister Jun, Feng Wuji and Fang Jiange have displayed their strong sword hearts and they managed to regain their calm quickly. But Senior Martial Brother Lei Hong was uncharacteristically agitated.

  But … there’s another question, who killed the Crocodile dragon and how did this person kill it? After all, Senior Martial Brother Feng, Lei, Fang and Senior Martial Sister Jun was not around in Swords Gate when that incident occurred as they were busy hunting down the lord of Sulphur Island and Jinxiu Island.

  Zhong Yue frowned frustratedly as there were just too many suspicious events going on and the clues were all entangled together, making it hard to discern the truth of the matter.

  Fu Shan the old turtle continued walking just like a moving mountain towards the Swords Gate. Although the old turtle moved very slowly, their advancement speed was very fast as with that huge body of the old turtle, each step it moved would require ordinary Qi Practitioners to travel for quite some time.

  Fang Jiange suddenly said, “Senior Martial Brother Feng and Junior Martial Brother Lei, the two of you are too heavy, please get down.”

  Lei Hong pretended to be angry and he said, “Why are you so stingy, I am not that fat and I would not be able to crush your mount at all.”

  Fu Shan then said with a loud voice, “Master Lei and Master Feng, you both are not heavy but your soul weapons are very heavy, which is causing some difficulties for me. With just Master Fang’s soul weapon, I am already struggling to walk, not to mention the a
ddition of your soul weapons.”

  Feng Wuji and Lei Hong were both speechless and they flew away from the back of the old turtle. With that, the old turtle’s speed increased slightly but he said again, “Still too heavy for me, one more has to get down from my back.”

  Jun Sixie’s guqin was not that heavy but then she flew down regardless and the old turtle immediately said, “Not Sister Jun.”

  Fang Jiange looked at Zhong Yue and Zhong Yue immediately got down from the old turtle and the old turtle felt much more easier immediately. It let out a relieved breath and said, “Now it's much more easier. Little Brother Zhong, there’s something about the weight of two thousand pounds on you. Usually, such weight would be trivial for me but with the sword of Master Fang, I am unable to carry them together for long. I was crawling out of the Lian Yun Ridges with my life back then.”

  The other four felt confused and they looked at Zhong Yue immediately.

  Zhong Yue then recalled that god’s phalanx bone he hid in his own secret realm and he thought, It must be because of this phalanx bone. But it was not the weight of this phalanx bone that was intolerable, it was the weight of Fang Jiange’s sword. Just how heavy is his sword?

  The other four felt surprised but they did not ask Zhong Yue anything as to people like them, everyone had their very own fortuitous encounters. Thus, it was natural that Zhong Yue would have his own lucky chance as well.

  However, unlike Zhong Yue’s encounter that was not surprising at all, Shui Zian’s death caused a huge earthquake throughout all the Wilderness and Barrens.

  When the five of them along with the old turtle returned to the Swords Gate and informed the Elder Councils about the death of Shui Zian, it incited an uproar among the elders. Then, the entire Swords Gate held a grand funeral for Shui Zian. White banners were hung down every mountain of Swords Gate and the golden ray on the Golden Summit was also dimmed.