The Human Emperor

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

“How could this be?”

The Wushang Village Chief’s eyes went wide. He had put all his strength into this attack, but it had been blocked by one small cauldron.

The Demonic Emperor Old Man was even more shocked than the Wushang Village Chief.

“Ritual… ritual tools!”

Unlike the Wushang Village Chief, who had been isolated in his village for many years, the Demonic Emperor Old Man possessed abundant experience, but this experience only made him more shocked.

He recognized those two objects that had suddenly flown out of Bagushidu’s body.

Those were two authentic ritual tools!

In the martial arts world, precious and rare swords were countless, as were treasures with special abilities. For example, the metal box that could recognize the men in black and the Nine Dragon Blood War Banner that had appeared at the Battle of Talas were treasures, with the Nine Dragon Blood War Banner in particular possessing astonishing power.

But those treasures that could be called ritual tools were incredibly rare in the martial arts world.

All rituals tools were constructed from unique materials that made them extremely sturdy, and these treasures all possessed unique powers. Unlike ordinary treasures, these ritual tools could fuse with the martial artist to boost their power and block external attacks.

But what attracted the Demonic Emperor Old Man’s attention the most was that the surfaces of these ritual tools had dark red streaks like blood vessels across them. This was not some sort of decoration, but rather Bagushidu’s blood flowing from his body into the cauldrons.

A ritual tool was connected to a martial artist’s life. A martial artist would only ever be able to use one ritual tool for their entire life, and they could never give it up nor have it taken away. Only death through old age or battle could cut off their connection to the ritual tool. Once this occurred, the last bits of vitality, consciousness, and memories would be absorbed into the ritual tool, upon which the ritual tool would begin to look for its next master.

The most unique aspect of ritual tools was this formidable ability to pass on an energy that grew stronger and stronger through the generations. If an ordinary person got their hands on a ritual tool, they could immediately become an elite expert.

The forging of a ritual tool required one generation of people after another to give up their lives. This was precisely why they were so rare in the martial arts world.

The Demonic Emperor Old Man had not imagined that a Hu expert would possess something so rare.

“The Earthblood Cauldrons!”

No one was more stunned than the Lone Silence Ancestor.

Unlike the Demonic Emperor Old Man and Wushang Village Chief, the Lone Silence Ancestor, being also a resident of the northeast, had long ago heard that Bagushidu had some sort of powerful weapon. But not even he had imagined that this weapon would be a ritual tool.

And it was even the ritual tool that had the Eastern Turkic Khaganate was said to have lost more than two hundred years ago, the Earthblood Cauldrons!

The dark red veins on the cauldrons’ surfaces and the mysterious ancient Turkic words were the best indication of the Earthblood Cauldrons’ identity.

To those Han in the northeast who knew the language of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, the ancient Turkic words on the cauldrons were an extremely solemn prayer to the earth.

As long as the Earthblood Cauldrons remained, it would be basically impossible to ambush Bagushidu.

Everyone instantly scowled.

Wang Chong’s heart also sank.

“Heh, King of Foreign Lands, you’re truly someone that I can’t let my guard down around,” Bagushidu suddenly said.

Ignoring the Demonic Emperor Old Man and the white-haired Wushang Village Chief, Bagushidu turned his thin and sharp eyes on Wang Chong and smirked.

The attacks of the Demonic Emperor Old Man and Wushang Village Chief were secondary, as they were simply incapable of breaking through his ritual tool. What had truly almost cast Bagushidu into the abyss was Wang Chong’s Psychic Energy attack.

Even his Earthblood Cauldrons had been affected at that moment. If he had been just a little slower, if the Earthblood Cauldrons had appeared just a moment later, the sneak attack might have succeeded.

What had seemed the least threatening had actually been the most threatening. Not even Bagushidu had predicted this.

“King of Foreign Lands, if you would forgive me for asking, when did you manage to notify them?”

Bagushidu bluntly accused Wang Chong with these words. It was clear that Wang Chong had been the planner and commander behind this attack.

Wang Chong said nothing, his heart sinking even more.

Their greatest mistake had been underestimating Bagushidu. This Eastern Turkic King was far more terrifying than they had imagined.

“The winner is king while the loser is scorned. Since I have lost, I have nothing more to say. You can do whatever you want to me!” Wang Chong calmly said, and slowly closed his eyes. Bagushidu was simply too powerful, and no one present was a match for him.

“Heh, relax. You’re the Great Tang’s King of Foreign Lands, the new War God that both the eastern and western worlds fear. There are even some people that say that your grasp of war has already surpassed Su Zhengchen from one hundred years ago. This king has always held great respect for you and would never treat you so roughly. After all, this king still has something he needs from you.”

Bagushidu remained graceful and refined. Even though he had almost fallen to the machinations of Wang Chong’s group, he was not at all enraged.

Wang Chong cared little for Bagushidu’s meaningless chatter. If he were truly so kindhearted, he would have never ambushed him in the first place. What Wang Chong was truly concerned about was Bagushidu’s last sentence.

“Bagushidu, whether you kill me or torture me, it’s up to you! What sort of trick are you trying to play?!”

Wang Chong suddenly opened his eyes and stared at Bagushidu.

“Heh, relax. You’ll understand soon.”

Bagushidu faintly smiled as he grabbed Wang Chong and rose into the air. Rising and falling like a dragonfly skimming the surface of a lake, he swiftly reached the stone bridge.

“Demonic Emperor, this king doesn’t have that much patience. If you continue to follow, do not blame this king for being merciless and killing the King of Foreign Lands and then killing you. In any case, this king will still obtain the Origin Immortal Art.”

The Demonic Emperor Old Man and Wushang Village Chief had just begun to follow when Bagushidu’s words made them freeze.

……

Wang Chong had never expected the pursuit of the Origin Immortal Art to turn out like this.

He had avoided the Dragonbeasts and the Stellar-Piercing Beetles, defeated the Nightmare Beast and the Darkshadow Spider, and escaped the men in black and the walking corpses, but in the end, at this place so close to the heart of the Origin Immortal Treasury, he had lost to the stalking oriole, Bagushidu.

This man possessed an absurd level of strength, and though he was extremely low-key, Wang Chong could sense that he was far stronger than all four of them together. And with his ritual tool of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, no one was a match for him.

The only thing that would have made this man apprehensive was being attacked by all four of them and the third-generation successor.

“Was it Ozmish Khagan who sent you?” Wang Chong suddenly asked. Now that things had reached this stage, he had calmed back down.

“Heheh, he can’t order me around.”

Bagushidu chuckled.

“Oh?”

Wang Chong’s eyebrow rose and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

“Ozmish just made an offer that I couldn’t refuse,” Bagushidu nonchalantly said, his expression brimming with pride.

Wang Chong was immediately flabbergasted.

Now that his life was in someone else’s hands, Wang Chong had grown indifferent. But he was rather surprised to learn that the rumors somewhat differed from reality.

He had learned from the Lone Silence Ancestor that Bagushidu possessed an extraordinary status, but he hadn’t imagined that it was to the level where he could simply ignore the orders of the Eastern Turkic Khagan!

Bagushidu’s status was apparently far greater than anyone could imagine.

“What offer?” Wang Chong couldn’t help but ask.

Bagushidu said nothing, only glanced at Wang Chong in surprise. A normal person would have gone deathly pale and broken out in a cold sweat in this sort of situation, perhaps even begun to plead for their life.

Wang Chong’s composure was rather unexpected, and he was even in the mood to ask about his deal with Ozmish Khagan.

“Ha, this is no secret. Before you die, this king will fulfill your desire. If there’s something you want to know, this king will tell you.”

Bagushidu had unexpectedly agreed to answer Wang Chong’s questions.

But a moment later, Wang Chong’s heart sank. The more generous Bagushidu was, the more obvious it became that he wouldn’t let Wang Chong go.

“Ozmish didn’t really say much. He only told this king that if I was able to kill you, he would allow the Earth Sect of the Solar Mountain to become the state religion, and I will become the state teacher!”

Bagushidu concisely divulged his deal with Ozmish Khagan.

As he spoke, he carried Wang Chong along the stone bridge. The seething black Stellar Energy flowing in Wang Chong’s body made him move whether he wanted to or not.

Tap! Tap! The sounds of footsteps echoed on the bridge, and their figures were blurry and indistinct in the haze.

Wang Chong felt an icy sensation underfoot, and as he looked around, all he saw to his left and right was a bottomless pit. There were no guard rails of any sort, only a pair of lanterns every five steps. Falling from here meant certain death.

Wang Chong sensed that while the pit to get here was already more than sixteen thousand meters deep, this abyss was even more terrifying.

This place must go tens of thousands of meters deep! Wang Chong quietly said to himself.