Rise of Humanity

by <unknown>

  In a incredibly short period of time, this news spread to all corners and various factions from the Wilderness and Barrens sent envoy as representatives of their factions to attend the funeral.

  Due to the fact that Shui Zian’s body was not found, without his body and soul, Swords Gate could only use his clothes as a replacement and they placed his grave in the Grand Spirit Palace so that it could be paid its respects.

  The Grand Spirit Palace was designated for heroes and heroines who sacrificed their lives for Swords Gate, it was a place for the descendants of Swords Gate to worship and pray for these fallen heroes and heroines. In this palace, most of the graves were just empty graves with clothes and no spirits. This was because these heroes and heroines often died fighting for the Swords Gate in the battlefield and many of their spirits shattered in the battles.

  Those who were placed in the Grand Spirit Palace had left behind their own legends which words couldn’t begin to describe!

  During the funeral, as someone who was saved by Shui Zian, tears flowed freely from Zhong Yue’s eyes that he fainted quite a few times while the headmaster of Swords Gate coughed out blood from sorrow. Fortunately, the Elder Councils managed to calm him down and helped him treat this wounds.

  However, those who paid attention to the Swords Gate knew that the death of Shui Zian had struck the headmaster particularly hard. There was very little time left for the headmaster and after Shui Zian’s death, the headmaster had even less time as he was greatly impacted by the tragic news, which weakened him even more.

  After the envoys from other races met with this old man, they could all see that this old man was nearing his death very soon – his body reeked of frailty and his pale face caused many to think that he was going to drop dead at any moment.

  Then, after reporting back to their own leaders, the various factions once again diverted their attentions to Swords Gate.

  With that, the situation of Swords Gate became even worse.

  At the same time, Zhong Yue also drew quite a considerable amount of heat to himself. Information regarding the battle of Xiao Mang Celestial Temple and the battle of Lian Yun Mountain Ridges had leaked out and shook the various factions greatly!

  Now, everyone knew that Zhong Yue was the one who managed to open the five great secret realms in reverse and through these two fierce battles, everyone was now aware of the ungodly pace at which his strength continued to grow. With this, it was hard for him to remain unnoticed.

  As time passed, the ruckus caused by Shui Zian’s death eventually calmed down and under the order of the headmaster, Zhong Yue was sent to reflect on his mistake in the Heart Questioning Palace, not being able to step of there for two years. It was clear to see that the headmaster had channeled his anger on Zhong Yue for Shui Zian’s death and thus.

  The nine elders of Elder Councils were worried as they felt that the punishment was too heavy. It felt like the headmaster had became foolish after Shui Zian’s death and they tried to appeal to him but to no avail.

  The Heart Questioning Palace where Zhong Yue was locked in was the place where Swords Gate punished its disciples. Those who were locked in here were usually disciples that had committed serious offenses. By placing a seal on the door of the palace, no one would be able to get out from there.

  Then, after the order was given and before Zhong Yue was locked in the Heart Questioning Palace, Jun Sixie, Feng Wuji, Lei Hong and the others came to the palace to comfort Zhong Yue. Other than that, Qiu Jin’er, Ting Lanyue, Yu Feiyan, Li Xiuniang and the others too came to comfort him. Not long later, the Elder Councils’ leader, Elder Yu also came to calm Zhong Yue down along with the other elders.

  Zhong Yue thanked the visitors and then, he walked into the palace while Elder Pu closed the doors and took out a paper seal given by the headmaster and stuck it to the door, thus, locking Zhong Yue in the Heart Questioning Palace.

  Then, Swords Gate returned to its usual self. The Lawless Battle between the upper hall disciples was organized as usual and in fact, it was much more lively than the previous years. After all, everyone in the Swords Gate understood the dire situation of Swords Gate and they had been trying their best to cultivate as geniuses continued to emerge from the outer disciples.

  However, there never appeared anyone as talented as Zhong Yue and ‘Shui Qingyan’, something that was expected. The two of them were now legendary figures that were on par with the other legendary figures like Zuo Xiangsheng and the like.

  The headmaster announced that I am to be locked in the palace but he secretly let me out. What a cunning old fox he is.

  Somewhere in the Savanna Wasteland, Zhong Yue was walking on a plain towards Gu Xia City. Now, he had transformed back into Long Yue and as he traveled back to Gu Xia City, he cultivated his Fang Blade and the god’s phalanx bone at the same time, trying his best to merge them together to become his own soul weapon. He then thought, But headmaster doesn't know that Elder Shui might be alive. Judging from how much he was grieving during the funeral, he seems to be unaware. But why do I feel that something is wrong? If Elder Shui lied to him as well, then Elder Shui must be plotting something sinister but if he was plotting something with the headmaster, the both of them are probably digging a huge grave, just waiting for someone to fall in….

  As the saying goes, “Older gingers are spicier*”, Zhong Yue couldn't help but admire the elder generation for their cunning and slyness after his trip to Western Barren.

  Zhong Yue sneakily returned to his territory in the monster land and he summoned the four girls, Chun, Xia, Qiu, Dong. After quite some time of cultivation, these four girls had become much stronger and they now had the confidence to advance into Qi Practitioners, something that made Zhong Yue quite satisfied.

  “Master, nothing of note had happened during your absence, it's just that there was this girl that the dragon race sent here to be the lord of the territory you had relinquished to the dragon race.”

  Said Xia’er quickly when Zhong Yue asked the four girls about the situation of the territory. Then, Xia’er said again, “This dragon girl requested to meet you quite a few times already but Master had not come out from your cultivation so we turned her down for you. Now, she is extremely discontent with you.”

  Zhong Yue was speechless and he said with a laugh, “Chun’er, bring her to me. After seeing her, I will take the four of you out and look for a high-quality spirit so that you could all become Qi Practitioners.”

  As Chun’er walked out, Xia’er wanted to follow but Zhong Yue stopped her and said, “Xia’er, stay here. It is better if you stay back because of your straightforward behaviour.”

  Xia’er then murmured, “That’s not right! I’m just following her style of talking.”

  Chapter 203: Yulin Dragon Girl |

  Zhong Yue opened the scroll presented by the four young girls. The scroll recorded every little detail about his territory: the production of ores, numbers of livestock, golds, medicinal pellets, and the others; even the human populations were included under the category of personal wealth, the number of newborns, the deaths of the elderly, the available manpower, and the number of women. Everything was as detailed as he could ever ask for.

  Also, there was a list of items exchanged between the nearby territories, and the offerings tributed to the City Lord of Gu Xia City, Gu Hong Zi.

  Under the governing of these four young ladies, the management of his territory had continued smoothly. Every fine detail was precisely recorded, even matters like sending wedding gifts to congratulate the nearby monster lords were perfectly handled by the four ladies. It was clear that he would not need to worry too much about this aspect.

  As the saying goes, a lady in the home is a treasure, while I have four ladies. Zhong Yue was filled with content as he thought to himself.

  Soon, a cold and frigid voice came into his ears, “Master Long, your face is indeed big like a plate and your manner is huge like a mountain. It’s so difficult to even ask for a meeting
with you!”

  Zhong Yue laughed in ridicule, he said, “Xia’er, you are right, this senior martial sister from the dragon race is indeed quite a sharp tongue.”

  Chun’er led a young lady who carried herself like a valiant heroine over, being about the same height as Zhong Yue, her tall stature towered over ordinary girls. However, unlike the normal dragons, there were no dragon horns on her forehead, rather, she looked like an ordinary human girl.

  Her elegant jet black hair streamed down to her waist with a hair band at the end; when she moved, her hair would gracefully billow like the ocean waves, dazzling the eyes of anyone who saw it.

  An armored waistband wrapped across her waistline, glimmering with metallic luster. It was a soft armor made of dragon scales, made to perfectly compliment the shape of hourglass body.

  There was a saber sheathed on her waist; every move she made carried a sharp and shrill air that was incredibly stunning, clearly, she was unlike those girls that were like beautiful but vacuous vases. Instead, she was a deadly rose.

  “Long Yue of the Eastern Sea, how should I address senior martial sister?” Zhong Yue stood up and greeted the newcomer with a smile.

  The dragon girl returned the formality and answered, “Yuchi Li of the Yuchi Clan, greets the East Barren Lord.”

  Yuchi Clan? So they should be the descendants of the fish dragon and Chi Dragon, that’s why they are called the Yuchi Clan? No wonder she is so pretty, both Chi Dragon and Fish dragon doesn’t have dragon horns, they are more aesthetically pleasing to the humans. Zhong Yue thought to himself.

  The Yuchi Clan adopted the Yuchi surname, but it was not one of the surnames that denoted nobility in the dragon race.Hence, they would be a clan of mixed blood, probably a vassal clan to the Ao dragon clan. Zhong Yue lifted his hand and said, “Please, sit. It is still too heavy for me to be addressed with the appellation of East Barren Lord.”

  Yuchi Li raised her brows, “To us in the Eastern Sea, you are the East Barren Lord. After all, the Eastern Sea has been spending years finding a place to stand in the East Barren; and you are to first to be able to do it. It’s not excessive at all to address you as the East Barren Lord. With the our help from the Eastern Sea, it wouldn’t be a problem for you to become an overlord that rules over East Barren in the near future.”

  Zhong Yue frowned, he knew that the dragon race had their eyes on the land for a very long time, however, he did not expect that Yuchi Li would say it out so bluntly in public.

  If he were to become the overlord of the East Barren, then with the forty percent of East Barren under the jurisdiction of the dragon race, they could easily chase him out with their strong and powerful armies.

  And when they have their hands on the East Barren, they attention would then be directed towards the Great Wilderness.

  The only reason he cooperated with the dragon race was to fight fire with fire against the monster race; however, the last thing he would like to see was the encroachment of the dragon race onto land to become a new threat to the Great Wilderness.

  Rays flashed in Yuchi Li’s eyes, she said, “I hear that the lord’s prowess is incredibly strong — the bloody street of Xian Kong City, the death of Heavenly Monster Li Jun, the million miles narrow escape — all these incidents have served to build your considerable reputation.

  However, what the lord probably didn’t expect was that there was another man that had overtaken you during your days spent in the closed-door training. A human from the Swords Gate, a man that goes by the name of Zhong Yue. This human appeared out of nowhere, and fought a notable battle in the Xiao Mang celestial temple. His skills are impressive, and that was when he stood on par with you, so you should make sure that you don’t idly rest on your laurels or you would be left far behind by that human!”

  Zhong Yue was between laughter and tears. Lately, he had always been hearing people comparing the two Yue’s, it had reached a point where he was starting to get irked by it.

  “Lord, the two of you were once named as the Twin Yue’s, but that was history. Ever since that human has reverse opened the five Yuan Shen Realms into the level of Awakening, his reputation and fame has surely overshadowed your own.”

  Yuchi Li smiled warmly, and she continued, “This human Zhong Yue is already an Awakening Qi Practitioner who has opened the five wheels. The celestials of the West Barren hunted for him and fought countless bone-rattling battles in the Lian Yun Mountain Ridges. Over dozens of Awakening celestials were killed by him, none of two could survived a single blow from him, and he had also escaped from the pursuits of Atman Body cultivator experts! What’s more, one of the top three Awakening Qi Practitioner of the West Barren, Zhu Jushan, also lost against him, running away like a coward.”

  Zhong Yue listened as the dragon girl unknowingly praised him in front of himself. He did not know how to react, whether if he should laugh or to remain stoic.

  Rays flashed in her eyes as Yuchi Li continued on, “All these days that you’ve been in a closed-door training has resulted in your name starting to fade to obscurity. I, as your subordinate, am very concerned of your prowess and whether if it is worthy of your status as a ruler of a territory.”

  Her words were quite blunt as she had no intentions of hiding her thoughts, so how could Zhong Yue not know what she was talking about.

  The young lady’s pride made her unwilling to be a subordinate of someone weaker than her. Hence, she had questioned his ability to lead and challenged his superiority; forcing Zhong Yue to duel with her so that she could usurp his position!

  If Yuchi Li defeated Zhong Yue, she would undoubtedly not deign to listen to his commands anymore in the future. Even more, she would threaten him to hand over the power of his territory into her hands, making him nothing more than just a figurehead!

  Even though she was not officially addressed, but she would in fact, be the true lord of Zhong Yue’s territory!

  Only by possessing an overbearing and domineering strength could one command the proud and arrogant subordinates, and be the lord of a land!

  Zhong Yue smiled in reply, “Zhong Yue of the human race? Hehe … merely just a human Qi Practitioner, how could he be of my match? This Zhong Yue, we’ll meet one day, and by then, he will know that he is simply just a frog in a well. However, since you are doubting my qualification to be your lord, then I shall make you willingly bend. You are also an Awakening Qi Practitioner right? What a coincidence, after the closed-door training, I’ve also opened the five Yuan Shen secret realms and advanced into the level of Awakening.”

  Yuchi Li was exactly waiting for him to accept her challenge, as soon as she heard him, her will to battle erupted and her imposing aura suffused the air. She placed her palm on the hilt of the saber on her waist, waiting for the right time to strike.

  She was a dragon, when she releases her aura, the imposing manner of the dragon race suffused the whole mountain and the four young ladies, Chun, Xia, Qiu and Dong were nearly rendered unconscious from the pressure. Their beautiful and rosy countenances blanched as they gasped heavily for breath.

  Zhong Yue released his aura, in stark contrast, his was like a warm and gentle breeze that bathed the young ladies in an inexplicable comfort, shielding them like an isolated island amidst a raging tempest. The four young ladies were then feeling much better, their hearts were still thumping in fear as they hid themselves behind Zhong Yue.

  “Yuchi, there is no need for so much troubles.”

  Zhong Yue smiled, “You and I, we are after all from the same race, there is no need for us to fight in a life and death situation. It’ll be better if we can settle this in a more peaceful and calm way. Let’s settle this in one strike, by then it should be clear to the both of us who should really be in command here.”

  Yuchi Li eased her hand that was clenching on the saber and answered smilingly, “Your subordinate will be gentle, just so that my lord’s face isn’t too badly hurt.”

  “We shall see, we shall see.”


  Zhong Yue raised and placed his hand up in front of him, he smiled and said, “You can give me your best shot. If you can still stand still after striking at my palm, then I’ll concede defeat, you can be the uncrowned lord and I’ll be yours to command.”

  “Hmph, I’ll send you flying in one strike, and let’s see how can you still be this cocky by then!”

  Rays flashed in Yuchi Li’s eyes, her aura was increasingly getting stronger —Zheng Zheng Zheng— she cast her Yuan Shen secret realm and readied to go all out!

  Sounds of dragon whistling screamed through the air as she launched out her palm. Dragon totem patterns covered her whole palm and creeped up her arm to her shoulder and neck; it was as if there were little multicolored dragons soaring beneath her skins!

  The strength imbued in her palm was incredibly terrifying, the strength of the dragon race was exploited to its maximum potential. The howling wind that she instigated at the moment she launched her strike immediately blew Zhong Yue’s monastery into the air and tore it into bits and pieces!

  The dragon race was naturally predisposed to aspects of strengths and their arcane energy was also abundant. Yuchi Li’s palm strike was powered from her immense mortal body strength and the skill casted by her abundant arcane energy – it’s terrifying might could be imagined!

  Even so, Zhong Yue remained steadfast, not moving an inch at all; the next second, Yuchi Li’s palm struck onto his palm.

  When their palms collided, Yuchi Li’s beautiful countenance changed drastically, she could feel the incredibly strong strength in Zhong Yue’s palm, even though his palm remained unmoved, there were five surges of strengths bursting out — the Wu Xing Secret Realm!

  Not only that, she also felt the almighty strength of myriads from the Wan Xiang Wheel and the strength of tne Jiao Dragon!

  Krong——

  The young lady was sent flying like a meteor, her figure that flew like a broken kite looked like an indistinguishable blur that the naked eye wouldn’t be able to see at all!