Rise of Humanity

by <unknown>

  "Lord Bai's seal will not be able to seal the Luminant Sun Gold. Those guys from the Bai Zhe Clan had no sun spirit so they could not stimulate the fire energy within the Luminant Sun Gold but you can."

  Xin Huo then said again, “Just activate your sun spirit and stimulate the power within the gold to melt the black ice!”

  Zhong Yue then immediately summoned his Great Sun Golden Crow Yuan Shen and stimulated the power within the divine gold. A sudden explosion occurred from within the black ice that sealed the godly gold as a mini sun appeared!

  Instantly, the black ice melted and the miniature sun rose up into the skies before stopping right behind Zhong Yue's Yuan Shen.

  Bai Shuyue who was standing on the other side jumped with surprise. She thought the object was just something the previous people of Bai Zhe Clan used to light a fire for warmth. She never thought that something so dull was capable of producing such power!

  As soon as Zhong Yue kept the Luminant Sun Gold in his secret realm, he immediately felt that his Golden Crow Yuan Shen became bathed in a nourishing and warm ocean.

  What an amazing item!

  Overwhelming happiness struck Zhong Yue. With the Moon Core Mystic Gold he obtained by salvaging Xiao Yuan's mirror, and with the addition of the Luminant Sun Gold, his sun and moon spirit will be able to improve rapidly together!

  Besides, with this Luminant Sun Gold, I might be able to retrieve the frozen items all over the ice field!

  Without hesitation, he turned back and melted the ice and retrieved the divine gold handing them over to Bai Shuyue, "Senior Martial Sister Shuyue, the divine gold just now is very important to me so I will not give it to you. These, however, I can give you."

  Out of his expectation, the young lady shook her head and rejected, "This may have once belonged of the Bai Zhe Clan, but if no one was able to retrieve them, then whoever manages to take them away will be their new owner. These are all yours, don't worry about me."

  Zhong Yue shook his head and said, "If it were not for you who brought me here, I would not be able to gain such a huge number of precious items. You have to accept it."

  Bai Shuyue then nodded in acquiescence and accepted Zhong Yue's offer. They then both returned to the Bloody Saint Orchid Tree in excitement. When Zhong Yue did the same thing to melt the ice and retrieve the tree, the godly herb incinerated and turned to ash abruptly!

  Chapter 407: Shao Hao Bell |

  “This….”

  Zhong Yue and Bai Shuyue were stunned. They stared vacantly at the godly herb's remains. They felt like crying and said, "Isn't the Luminant Sun Gold much stronger than we thought it should be?"

  “BRAT!!”

  Xin Huo raged in Zhong Yue's psyche ocean, "A godly herb, do you even know what it means!? And you've just burned it, burned it!"

  All of a sudden, Bai Shuyue then smiled and said, "It was never ours in the first place. There is really no need to dwell on it. Senior Martial Brother Zhong, shall we continue?"

  Zhong Yue then let it the issue go in his mind and replied with a smile, "Senior martial sister is really tolerant. I am really in awe. Let's go then!"

  "Brat Yue, this little girl from the Bai Zhe Clan is also an extravagant lady. Thankfully, you didn't marry her, else, prepare to have everything you have lost in days!"

  Xin Huo was vigilant as he said, "She needs to be left a distance away from your treasures, only those you give to her can she use at will. Just that it'll be a headache if she starts rolling on the floor for more treasures…."

  Zhong Yue then tried to melt another clump of ice in which another magnate's soul weapon was frozen. But, in line with their expectations, the Luminant Sun Gold burned the soul weapon into ash as it did with the godly herb.

  The fire of Luminant Sun Gold was the sunfire from the sun's core. Not even the demon sunfire could compete against it, being able to burn a magnate's soul weapon into ash easily!

  Zhong Yue and Bai Shuyue looked at one another and laughed, "So, seems like only the godly treasures can withstand the godly fire's power. Fine, fine, let's leave these treasures behind for the other Qi Practitioners that can reach here."

  The two of them then gave up and continued walking forward. For the next hundreds of miles, they encountered fewer magnate ice sculptures before they finally traversed past the ice sea.

  Zhong Yue turned back, and the ice sea then disappeared. There was only an ice mirror hovering in mid-air, one which they seemingly just walked out of.

  "This ice mirror is also Lord Xia's soul weapon, what a pity that we can't take it away."

  This ice mirror and that picture scroll were both incredible divine weapons, only a fine line away from the saint weapons. However, these two weapons were part of Lord Xia's seals, and they were embedded in the array formation. To take them away would require extraordinary power, something that neither Zhong Yue nor Bai Shuyue currently had.

  The two then continued along their path. Suddenly, Bai Shuyue's beautiful countenance turned pallid, and she mumbled, "The late clan master…."

  Zhong Yue's body shuddered as he became at a loss for words.

  In front of them was a world filled with icy fire. In the midst of the fire was an ice sculpture that was a ten thousand feet tall Bai Zhe beast. Behind it were also many other similarly sized Bai Zhe beasts!

  The Imminent Deity Bai Zhe beasts were also frozen in this sea of blue fire.

  "It seems like all the previous clan master were here for Lord Bai's heritage."

  Bai Shuyue mumbled, "But the flame is too strong, even they couldn't withstand it. Senior Martial Brother Zhong, can you really get past this?"

  Zhong Yue then activated his divine third eye - the totem patterns in the ice flame were incredibly abstruse, allowing these ice flames to change into a multitude of forms that ranged from swords to boats to buildings and many more.

  "Xin Huo, do you think we can do it?" Zhong Yue asked.

  Xin Huo was also looking at the ice flames through Zhong Yue's eyes, and he said, "It's possible, but it'll be incredibly dangerous. I can bring you alone, but with that little girl along, you may not be able to ensure your own safety. Furthermore, Lord Bai's arrangements don't really felt like he is testing the Bai Zhe descendants so that they can obtain his heritage. This looks more like a sealing array that is for the sole purpose of locking something away. It may not be entirely wise to proceed any further."

  Zhong Yue pondered, and he said, "We've got to this stage already, I think we deserve to know what is in there!"

  Xin Huo then stopped, he mulled for a few seconds and said, "With your defensive skills at the moment, it is impossible for you to withstand the totem patterns that form the ice flames. These totem patterns can bring the ice flames into different forms, and with each form, comes different powers. Those attacks most probably killed these Bai Zhe Clan clan masters. In order for you to get past this, you need a stronger defensive skill! Do you still remember the bell I used against Sha Qishan and the Xia Clan Martial Heavenly Masters?"

  Xin Huo formed a translucent bell with the totem patterns during the battle, and it was strong enough to fend off the attacks of two Martial Heavenly Masters and one Imminent Deity Qi Practitioners and come out of it unscathed!

  "That bell has a name, and it's called the Shao Hao Bell. And it was the soul weapon of the sixth Fuxi Earthly Sovereign, Shao Hao."

  "The totem patterns on the Shao Hao Bell resemble a skill in and of themselves. Master them, and you can then form the 【Shao Hao Bell】 yourself to form the same all-encompassing defense around yourself. However, it is still not enough. You need to establish a link with the real Shao Hao Bell and borrow its power to get past through the ice flames."

  “Shao Hao Bell, the sixth Earthly Sovereign’s soul weapon?”

  Zhong Yue was shouted in shock, "Fuxi Shao Hao's soul weapon is still here in this world!? But … can I even use an ounce of its power?"

  “Of course, you can.”

  Xin Huo smiled and said, "S
hao Hao's tomb is in Ancestral Star. The Shao Hao Bell will surely be with him, guarding the imperial tomb. And … you are also a Fuxi, of course, you can establish a link with Shao Hao Bell and request for some of its power. Even if you can't, there's still me."

  The little flame boasted proudly, "That bell will surely lend me it's power if all else fails!"

  Zhong Yue's heart shuddered, and he suddenly asked curiously, "Xin Huo, there are so many generations of inheritors you taught. Have they left behind any sort of treasures behind for their successor? Why is it that you've never taken any of it out? Those treasures they have left behind must all be extraordinary, no?"

  Xin Huo replied diffidently, "Nope, definitely no such thing, at least, not that I know of. Don't simply just make things up yourself…"

  Zhong Yue then laughed and said, "It's fine, you can tell me. After all, I'm not a Xin Huo inheritor."

  The little flame then heaved a breath of relief and answered, "There are some. Of course, an inheritor will have left at least one treasure behind for the next one. However, these treasures are not that many also. When I find a pureblood Fuxi, I can show them to you…"

  “So there really are! Stingy!”

  The little flame then stiffened his heart while Zhong Yue suddenly smiled, "When you find your inheritor in the future, you can give him all the treasures you have. By then, I will be there for him. I will personally find out the real difference between a true inheritor and someone like myself!"

  Zhong Yue was unconvinced; the pureblood Fuxi was still nowhere to be found and even so, he was still regarded as at most half an inheritor whose purpose was just to find the pureblood Fuxi. Zhong Yue couldn't help but have a surging desire to compete against this so-called true inheritor!

  Xin Huo then taught him the 【Shao Hao Bell】. However, to be exact, this wasn't really a skill but more of a visualization art. In order to use the bell, he would have to use his psyche to visualize it and his arcane energy to manifest the 【Shao Hao Bell】.

  If it were cultivated to a certain stage, he could really establish a link to the real Shao Hao Bell in the imperial tomb.

  Zhong Yue then started looking into the art, only beginning to visualize it after some time of contemplation. However, despite not being able to visualize it perfectly on his first attempt, Zhong Yue could still feel the bell's immense power. It was far stronger than any other defensive skills he knew.

  Bai Shuyue stood on the side. She watched as Zhong Yue sat on the ground and started cultivating, and she thought in speechlessness, This Senior Martial Brother Zhong ... is he really cultivating right now? It seems like even someone like him doesn't have much confidence in going through the ice fire. If he makes even one mistake, then both he and I will die here…

  She began to feel hesitant about continuing to follow Zhong Yue in reaching Lord Bai's heritage.

  All our ancestors have died here, they never gave in and so I shouldn’t too!

  She resolved herself and poured all of her trust and confidence toward Zhong Yue, I believe he can do it!

  She then sat down on the ground beside Zhong Yue and began to refine her Bai Zhe inner core. She was preparing herself for a breakthrough in cultivation. This ice palace was really a good location for the Bai Zhe Clan to cultivate. The Ice Qi that filled the whole place could be absorbed to strengthen the Bai Zhe inner cores.

  The two youngsters then started cultivating outside of the ice flame sea with the two divine weapons hovering behind them. As days went by, Bai Shuyue awoke from her cultivation a few times, but Zhong Yue was still cultivating. She couldn't help but be curious, What is Senior Martial Brother Zhong cultivating? The Bai Zhe Clan's Flowers of Snow only took him 15 minutes. But now, he's already been cultivating for so many days?

  Zhong Yue was unmoving like an ice sculpture. If it weren't for the fact that he was still breathing, Bai Shuyue would have thought that he was already dead.

  A month's time passed, and suddenly, a translucent bell with marvelous totem patterns around it emerged, enclosing Zhong Yue in the middle inside of it.

  Dang——

  The bell let out a loud and clear ring, and Bai Shuyue opened her eyes and stared at the bell. All of a sudden, she was overcome by a wave of dizziness as she tried to decipher the totem patterns on the bell. These totem patterns were so abstruse that they could even instigate chaos in her mind!

  This bell, is this what the clan master was referring to? The bell that blocked two Martial Heavenly Masters and an Imminent Deity Qi Practitioner?

  She was puzzled, Hasn't Senior Martial Brother Zhong used it before? Why did he need to cultivate it for so long again? Is he really like what clan master said, that there are two personalities in him, and it was the other one that knew the bell instead of this one?

  She was worried and thought, Feng Xiaozhong had cultivated the sixth wheel, and Senior Martial Brother Zhong had also cultivated the sixth wheel. It seemed like cultivating the sixth wheel would cause one to go crazy....

  Right at this moment, Zhong Yue's body shuddered, and he felt the same aura coming from a secluded dimension somewhere on this Ancestral Star. Then, the ring of a bell could be heard, and it felt as if it had come from ancient times.

  Then, everything in his visions became consumed in darkness, and suddenly, he was standing in front of a golden palace that emanated auric rays. A colossal bell was also placed in front of the palace door.

  “Young man of the Fuxi Clan, are you the one who called me?”

  The bell rang, and a surge of psyche charged into his mind to become a voice that only Zhong Yue could hear.

  "What a shame, has the bloodline become so weak now?"

  The bell continued ringing as the voice resumed in saying, "You've called for me, what do you ask of?"

  Zhong Yue calmed himself down and said respectfully, "Senior, I ask for some of your power to get past the sea of icy fire…"

  "Sure." The bell answered, leaving Zhong Yue stunned.

  He didn't expect the Shao Hao Bell to grant his request so easily. He thought that he would still have to ask for Xin Huo's help to be able to secure a slight morsel of the bell's power.

  “I like you, but I hate that little flame.”

  The bell then said, "The last time, he used my power without even asking, and the time before that, and also the time before that one. You are very good, at least you know how to ask before you take, unlike that little piece of shit flame and his other ungrateful inheritors. You can go now. I will lend you my power! Remember, do not look up to that little flame bastard and never learn from his bad habits!"

  Chapter 408: Gods of the Bai Zhe Clan |

  Zhong Yue's vision then changed again, and the palace and Shao Hao Bell disappeared. He returned to the sea of icy fire, and the Bai Zhe Clan clan masters that were frozen in ice reappeared in his sights.

  Dang——

  Suddenly, a vast and powerful energy seeped through the dimensions and surged into the Shao Hao Bell that Zhong Yue visualized.

  The visualized Shao Hao Bell was a replica of the Shao Hao Bell itself, and thus, it was just like part of the Shao Hao Bell's body. The legendary divine weapon used Zhong Yue as a conduit to transfer its power into the Shao Hao Bell that Zhong Yue visualized.

  It was all because the visualized art was based on the Shao Hao Bell, or else, even such a strong divine weapon like it wouldn't be able to transfer any of its power over.

  The energy was vast and mighty, tens of thousands of time stronger than Zhong Yue's own visualized Shao Hao Bell. Sensing the incoming energy, Zhong Yue heaved a breath of relief. He now had the confidence to traverse through this sea of ice flame!

  “Have you seen that little fatty?”

  In Zhong Yue's psyche ocean, Xin Huo asked, "How is it, did the little fatty say anything? Did he mention my name to you?"

  Zhong Yue nodded, and an ambiguous expression crossed his face. He said, "Your name really helped me a lot. Oh, Xin Huo, have you borrowed Shao Hao Be
ll's powers before?"

  Xin Huo then laughingly, "Of course I have, more times than I can count! Remember the last time I helped you fight against Sha Qishan and the Xia Clans? I borrowed its power back then. However, he and I are life-long friends, so I don't have to notify him whenever I need his powers!"

  "Well, about that … I think it's better to ask first before you do it the next time." Zhong Yue winked his eyes and advised.

  “No need for that, doing so will only pull our friendship further apart!” The little flame, however, did not listen at all.

  Zhong Yue turned speechless and ignored the proud little flame. He cast the skill and cover Bai Shuyue with the Shao Hao Bell as well. The two then walked into the sea of ice flame. Immediately as they stepped foot in the sea of ice flame, the many totem patterns pulled the ice flame together and rained attacks down on the two intruders.

  The translucent bell was taking hundreds of attacks every second. It slowly revolved while fending off the incoming attacks.

  The bell itself was over 60 feet tall, and its unassuming and translucent appearance made it seem like it was unable to block anything at all. But that wasn't true at all, every single strike from the ice flames would just be blocked right outside of the Shao Hao Bell, Zhong Yue and Bai Shuyue did not even feel a single breeze inside of the Shao Hao Bell at all.

  However, Bai Shuyue's heart was thumping, even though they were left unscathed inside of the visualized bell, what if the bell were to suddenly be crushed by the attacks somewhere in the middle of the sea of ice flame?

  Out there, those frozen Bai Zhe beasts could only reach this stage because they were the strongest Bai Zhe of their time, they were the clan masters, and their strengths were beyond doubt.

  But Zhong Yue and Bai Shuyue were merely two Inner Core Qi Practitioners. Although they were on the brink of breaking through to Heavenly Dharma, they still weren't able to survive the ice flames!