Rise of Humanity

by <unknown>

  Zhong Yue finally eased his thumping heart, once they passed through the land-ocean border fortress, he would be a dragon in the sea; a man of his own free will!

  The last step before success….

  The three of them walked into the fortress at a steady pace toward the Eastern Sea. All of a sudden, Zhong Yue's hairs all bristled up, and his heart twitched with alertness. His head was instantly raised up, and he gazed over at the top of the city wall on which a man was standing.

  He was wearing snow-white colored clothes and was holding a white umbrella – Feng Wuji was standing quietly on the top of the city wall.

  Zhong Yue raised his brows, and Feng Wuji slowly walked toward them. He stood in their path and obstructed their exit. He then smiled and said, "Junior Martial Brother Zhong is really brave, so daring to have come out of the shadows and walk openly in the light with your true self."

  “Junior Martial Brother Zhong? True self?”

  Bai Zhenbei and Bai Canghai were dumbfounded; Feng Wuji's words were like two hammers that struck right on their heads. Their ears were buzzing, and Bai Canghai asked with a quivering voice, "Xiao Mang high priest, what Junior Martial Brother Zhong are you talking about?"

  "Of course, I'm referring to the Zhong Yue of the Zhong Shan Clan."

  Feng Wuji smiled and said, "Have you ever seen a Long Yue without his blade on his back? Furthermore, even the true Long Yue is nothing more than Junior Martial Brother Zhong's cultivated incarnation."

  Bai Zhenbei was bewildered, and he then suddenly punched Bai Canghai's head while shouting in anger, "I knew you were the Comet Innate Spirit Body, only that can explain why I'm so plagued with such bad luck!"

  Chapter 398: Like A Venomous Snake |

  Bai Canghai covered his head with his arms as began to think in doubt, Am I really a harbinger of bad luck? It must be hard for my teacher when I’m around….

  Zhong Yue then said, “Senior martial brother Feng, I suppose there’s no need for you to come yourself?”

  "There is no need for that, to be honest."

  Feng Wuji nodded and said, "You may have foiled my plans, but it is the Zhong Li Celestial Race that lost quite a great deal, not me. Thus, I'm not as mad as you thought. If I really want to kill you through the hands of others, I could have notified Clan Master Xia and the others."

  Zhong Yue nodded and deep down, he knew that the only reason Feng Wuji decided to help him keep his secrets was that Feng Wuji had his own considerations as well.

  The【Mystic Duplication Technique】was, an ultimate art from the Xiao Mang Celestial Race that was not taught to outsiders; only the ancestors of the race could get their hands on its entirety. The art would only be taught to the disciples of Xiao Mang Celestial Race that contributed to the clan, and even so, what they were taught was only a fragmentary piece of the art.

  Feng Wuji however, had received the entire art. And after mastering this art, his first victim was the Swords Gate. He created Elder Pu, who acted as a spy, while he sent another one of his incarnations to the monster race in order to deal with Shi Buyi and Lang Qingyun!

  If Feng Wuji told the Zhong Li Celestial Race that Zhong Yue had also mastered this art, then Feng Wuji would also be implicated.

  And if he told Shi Buyi about this, then all his plans and everything he did would be in vain!

  Thus, for the same reason, instead of exposing each other’s secrets, both Zhong Yue and Feng Wuji tacitly cooperated to ensure that their secrets were kept. This may not have been explicitly clarified with one another, but the two of them still knew that they were on the same boat together.

  Bai Zhenbei and Bai Canghai both let out a breath of relief but were still very confused at the same time. As someone who knew nothing, they were unable to understand why a traitor to Swords Gate would even show up by himself, let alone not expose Zhong Yue's secrets.

  "Senior Martial Brother Feng is not here to deal with me by yourself. And by yourself, you will not be able to take my life anyway. After all, elder Bai Zhenbei is here."

  Zhong Yue then asked curiously, "If so, what is your purpose for coming here, Senior Martial Brother Feng?"

  Bai Zhenbei's face darkened immediately upon hearing Zhong Yue's words, and he thought, This brat is trying to drag me down into his matters! But I have already been dragged into this after rescuing Shui Zian with Old Man Ying."

  After he thought of this, Bai Zhenbei made up his mind, and as he stood up straight, he unleashed his aura to indicated that he would stand with Zhong Yue firmly.

  Right now, Bai Zhenbei had no other choice left. Thus, if Feng Wuji decided to attack Zhong Yue, Bai Zhenbei would have to protect him!

  Feng Wuji was a very young magnate Qi Practitioner, and he might have only entered the True Spirit level before the war in Swords Gate. But he was still the elder priest of Xiao Mang Celestial Race who commanded great power with his position. With that, even someone like Bai Zhenbei could not guarantee that he would be able to win against Feng Wuji.

  Feng Wuji ignored Bai Zhenbei's gaze and said, "To be honest, I can actually be considered as your teacher. Why are you still calling me senior martial brother?"

  Zhong Yue then replied, "You may have taught me before this, but I'll address you as my senior martial brother just like how I address your father."

  “My father?”

  Feng Wuji's eyes brightened up as he said, "My father is now in demon territory. You were there not long ago. You must have met him there, right? I assume that your success in opening the sixth wheel must be related to his teachings. How did you manage to get him to teach you? That's right, you must have used the Demon God Contracted Puppet to trade with him. That can only mean that the puppet is no longer with you."

  Zhong Yue was shocked at how he was able to glean so many things from pure deduction!

  Previously, the reasons why Feng Wuji didn't dare to touch him were Bai Zhenbei and the puppet. But now, killing intent seemed to rise within Feng Wuji as he learned that the Demon Contracted Puppet was no longer with Zhong Yue!

  Bai Zhenbei let out a cold humph as his aura grew stronger and stronger, indicating that if Feng Wuji wanted to kill Zhong Yue, then he would have to get past him!

  "Senior martial brother Feng, I still have the Divine Wing Saber," said Zhong Yue softly.

  Feng Wuji nodded with remorse and lamented, "That's right, with Senior Martial Brother Bai and the sword, it will be almost impossible for me to kill you. All I can do now is watch you slip past me just like that. Junior Martial Brother Zhong, you have grown up so much. You used to be such a young and reckless boy … I am quite proud of you, and it hurts me very much that I have to kill you. Oh well, I came here today not because of you, but because of Senior Martial Brother Bai. It would be much easier to deal with you after I deal with him first."

  He then looked at Bai Zhenbei and said, "Mr. Bai has gone against the rules of the Bai Zhe Clan, but are you trying to drag your entire clan down with you as well? I suppose Senior Martial Brother Bai knows what to do after breaking your clan's rules?"

  “Are you threatening me?” asked Bai Zhenbei.

  "The only reason why the Bai Zhe Clan can stay in the North Barren is the neutrality they maintained amidst the other clans' affairs," said Feng Wuji. "If the Bai Zhe Clan decides to interfere with the matters of the other clans, that situation may change. Thus, is Senior Martial Brother Bai preparing to drag the entire clan with you to the grave?"

  Bai Zhenbei's expression froze, and he did not say anything for a while.

  Feng Wuji then said, "This time, I will not dwell on this particular incident, but if there's a next time, then I won't be so lenient...."

  He clasped his hands at his back and said, "Stand outside and watch, do not meddle with our business."

  Bai Zhenbei's emotions were like on a roller coaster, rapidly undulating up and down while Feng Wuji laughed and said, "There will be conflicts soon. Junior Martial Brother Zhong, do you think Senior Martial Brother Bai will
protect you if I want to kill you now?"

  Just when Zhong Yue's expression changed rapidly, Bai Zhenbei took a deep breath, walked forward, and stood in front of Zhong Yue before looking at Feng Wuji and saying, "Elder priest, you will not harm him today as long as I am here! After today, however, you may do what you want with him. Our Bai Zhe Clan will not interfere!"

  Feng Wuji frowned slightly, and he stared at Bai Zhenbei as he never thought that Bai Zhenbei would still stand by Zhong Yue's side even after his threats.

  Facing Feng Wuji's stare, Bai Zhenbei remained stalwart as his white hair robe fluttered with the wind.

  "Do you mind giving me an explanation?" Feng Wuji asked curiously.

  "I have a student that is suffering from the side effects of excessive Yin Qi in his body and only Zhong Yue's Pure Yang Qi can counteract it. Please let him treat my student, elder priest! I will repay your generosity someday in the future!" Bai Zhenbei pleaded with an earnest yet powerful voice.

  Bai Canghai was shocked, and tears built up in his eyes as he was incredibly moved; because of him, his teacher was willing to go against Feng Wuji and even break the rules set by the ancestors of Bai Zhe Clan five million years ago!

  Feng Wuji let out a cold humph as he held his umbrella when he walked past Bai Zhenbei and said, "Alright, I will let you have your way today, but there will be no next time!"

  Without saying anything else, Feng Wuji then left while Bai Zhenbei let out a relieved breath and said, “Let’s go to Eastern Sea now!”

  When they were about to enter the Eastern Sea, Bai Canghai said suddenly, “When this Feng Wuji stood at my side, I felt like he’s, he’s like a….”

  "Like a venomous snake with three heads. Is this what you felt?" Zhong Yue added suddenly.

  Bai Canghai quickly nodded and said, “Yes! That’s it! When he looked at me, I felt that his other two heads were also staring at me!”

  "They are staring at us actually," sighed Bai Zhenbei. He then continued saying, "This is a very incredible man, a man far superior to the previous elder priest. In the future, we old dogs will not be able to compete with the younger generation. There are also the resurrected ancestors of the demons, and they will definitely cause tons of trouble…."

  "Thank you for your help just now. I am very sorry that you had to break the rules of your clan because of me, Senior Bai," apologized Zhong Yue.

  With a slightly twisted expression, Bai Zhenbei said coldly, "Don't thank me. I did this for my student, not for you! If it were not for his future, do you think I will give a damn about you?"

  Zhong Yue laughed and replied, "You may have your reasons, but I have my own reasons to thank you as well."

  Without replying Zhong Yue, Bai Zhenbei then sighed and thought to himself, This Zhong Yue is very incredible as well, he will definitely become a huge figure in the future … I hope that Canghai could thrive as someone that can compete with them after his problem is solved or our Bai Zhe Clan will….

  Bai Canghai on the other hand, measured Zhong Yue and asked, "Senior Martial Brother Zhong, is Senior Martial Brother Long Yue really you as well? How did you do that? There is no such art in our Bai Zhe Clan's records."

  Zhong Yue laughed and said, “Ever heard of the【Three Inner Cores】?”

  "【Three Inner Cores】once appeared within the Xiao Mang Celestial Race. This art appeared for only a glimpse of time, it was said that it could freeze the dimension, body, and Yuan Shen, and that it was only available to people with three heads like the Xiao Mang Celestial Race," replied Bai Zhenbei as he took out paper and pen.

  "【Three Inner Cores】is just the basic, once you reached a higher level, you would be able to create two more of yourself and obtain two more Yuan Shen," answered Zhong Yue without hiding anything back.

  As Zhong Yue spoke, Bai Zhenbei recorded everything down and said, "Now, our Bai Zhe Clan's records are another step closer to perfection."

  Zhong Yue then stomped at the sea surface before a huge sea creature surfaced and asked loudly, "Identify yourselves… It is Master Long Yue! Greetings, Master Long Yue!"

  Zhong Yue then took out the token that was given to him by Ao Fenglou and said, "Take me to the city, and let me contact Senior Martial Brother Fenglou with the totem pillars."

  The sea creature immediately said, "Master Long Yue and the two guests, please follow me!"

  Not long later, they arrived at the city under the sea where dragon soldiers were garrisoned everywhere.

  A dragon soldier quickly took the three of them into the city lord hall and activated the totem pillar. Moments later, Ao Fenglou's face emerged from the totem pillar, "Junior Martial Brother Long Yue, I've heard of your battle with Zhong Yue. It was very eager to watch it, but what a shame, I could not make it because of the matters at hand. I heard that Zhong Yue had caused quite some trouble in the South Barren. I am very curious about his Divine Wing Saber…."

  Chapter 399: Sea King Pursuit |

  Zhong Yue ordered the dragons and sea races around him to leave them alone, and he quickly said, "Brother Fenglou, I need to borrow the Pan Dragon Sword for a moment!"

  Ao Fenglou then shouted in shock, "The Pan Dragon Sword? The sword is the saint weapon of the dragon race. I can't make a decision like that without going through the proper channels…."

  Zhong Yue then took out the token given to him by Ao Fenglou and said, "I will return this token to you right now. The Zhong Li Celestial Race has already activated the Eight Dragon Heaven Suppression Cauldron. They will definitely head towards the Great Wilderness to exterminate the Swords Gate. This was brought upon us because we destroyed the portal that the Zhong Li Celestial Race created for the Kun Peng Celestial Race! If they descended at the Ancestral Star, the dragons will not be able to stay outside of the chaos! Now, I need your help, Brother Fenglou. I need you to head towards the Great Wilderness with the Pan Long Sword."

  "Is that so…," said Ao Fenglou as he started thinking about what Zhong Yue said. Long ago, the dragons and the Kun Peng were already on bad terms; the entire Kun Peng Celestial Race was exiled to the Wood Celestial Star by the dragons, and after destroying the portal, the Swords Gate was now targeted by the Zhong Li Celestial Race. Thus, it was only reasonable for the dragons must provide aid to the Swords Gate.

  However, deep down, Ao Fenglou knew that the dragons would not assist Swords Gate at all.

  The five dragons were all prideful beings; they considered humans as an inferior species to them, and even after knowing that the humans destroyed the portal, they certainly wouldn't bother to show any gratitude.

  On top of that, the dragon elder would definitely not approve or even listen to a request that came from Zhong Yue.

  And when Zhong Yue split apart the entire Fiery Capital with the Divine Wing Saber, the dragon elder even got angry as in their minds, Zhong Yue had stolen the sword from them.

  After a moment of consideration, Ao Fenglou suddenly said, "Alright! Give me back my token, and I will be there with the Pan Long Sword! The elders of my clans are all short-sighted people, and they would probably disapprove, but I have my own ways of taking the sword away without drawing any attention! Also, could you please explain to me why the Divine Wing Saber is in your hands? We dragons are investigating this matter right now."

  "I robbed it from the Kun Peng Celestial Race."

  Zhong Yue was relieved at Ao Fenglou's cooperation, and he continued, "When the magnate Qi Practitioner from the Kun Peng Celestial Race was injured by the Pan Long Sword, I coincidentally had a Golden Peng Sword. Through the sword, I managed to locate the Divine Wing Saber, and when I got there, the sword was already split in two. I had one half of it while the Kun Peng Celestial Race had the other half."

  With a nod, Ao Fenglou said, "I am not interested in the Divine Wing Saber, but you must be careful of the other dragons. They would probably demand you to give them the sword and when that happens…."

  He hesitated and said, "I hope that you will still remember our
friendship and not go too hard on them."

  “Alright. Brother Fenglou, please depart to the Great Wilderness as soon as possible!”

  Then, Ao Fenglou’s face on the totem pillar faded.

  Zhong Yue then left the place and said to a dragon soldier, "Senior martial brother, I am going to head towards the Great Wilderness with these two from Bai Zhe Clan. Are there any spare ships that we can borrow?"

  “A moment please.”

  Not long later, an enormous sea creature emerged with a ship attached to its back – the ship was built directly on its back.

  When the three of them boarded this peculiar ship, the sea creature immediately started slithering in the sea while a huge air bubble surrounded the ship so that the water would not leak into it. Instead of feeling suffocated, they felt extremely comfortable and warm in the ship as they headed towards their destination at high speed.

  "This is the Whale Emperor Ship, a type of ship that was only provided to the nobles of the dragon race."

  "I've never thought that you'd be treated as a noble by them. It seems like you have quite a high position among the dragons," praised Bai Canghai.

  Bai Zhenbei, however, smirked and said, "But to have this type of treatment, you first have the requisite strength. With no strength, no one will bother to pay attention to you. Canghai, I've never boarded a ship like this when I followed you to the Eastern Sea last time, you have to be more hardworking so that in one day, I will be able to get a ship like this as easily as Brother Yue can."

  The now puzzled Bai Canghai then asked, "Teacher, it was me that was following you to the Eastern Sea. And it was also because you were not strong enough to board the Whale Emperor Ship that we are piggybacking off of Brother Zhong Yue. Why are you blaming this on me?"

  Enraged, Bai Zhenbei smacked Bai Canghai again.

  Meanwhile, Clan Master Xia and Zhurong Yanqin continued looking for Zhong Yue in the South Barren. However, in spite of the mighty Zhong Li Celestial Race and the thoroughness with which they locked down their territory, they still were not able to locate Zhong Yue.