Chapter 111: Chapter 89 Hostility between the Human Tribe and the Demon Tribe
Emperor Jun realized the serious danger in the Human Tribe's Spiritual Inheritance of Martial Arts. The Human Tribe was just born thousands of years ago, but they had already trained lots of Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Martial Artists. Such potential was really terrifying. Even though the Wu-killing Sword had been cast and Emperor Jun had promised Goddess Nvywa Wa and Laozi not to exterminate the Human Tribe, only when the Spiritual Inheritance of Martial Arts was exterminated would Emperor Jun have felt at ease.
If the Human Tribe continued to develop for thousands of years, there would be more Martial Artists at the Realm of Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal. Since the Demon Tribe had slaughtered billions of people in the Human Tribe, Human and Demon Tribes were absolutely irreconcilable. With the war between the two tribes drawing near, Emperor Jun did not want to see any unexpected accidents on the battlefield.
As for the Way of Celestial Immortality, Emperor Jun paid no attention to it. Billions of people in the Human Tribe were killed by millions of the Demon Tribe armies with blood flowing like streams. After the war, the Way of Celestial Immortality inflicted heavy losses. It was unknown how long that it would take to restore it to its previous scale. So, the Way of Celestial Immortality did not need to be kept in mind.
Emperor Jun and Taiyi went to Untainted Land to join the armies of the Demon Tribe that were sent before. Although they lost millions of the Demon Tribe soldiers, there were still more than 400 million soldiers left. What was more, it might not be a problem to conquer the Holy Land of the Human Tribe with the help of Emperor Jun and Taiyi.
With the leadership of Emperor Jun and Taiyi, 400 million Demon Tribe soldiers marched to the Coast of the East Sea. Such big movement naturally caught the attention of people in Untainted Land. In their opinions, Emperor Jun and Taiyi resolved to extinguish the Human Tribe. Perhaps this boded ill rather than well for the Human Tribe at this time.
On the Coast of the East Sea, Musen stared coldly at the slowly approaching armies of the Demon Tribe in the distance with enduring killing intent surrounding by them. The Demon Tribe exterminated billions of people of the Human Tribe in the war. No more than a billion people fled to the Coast of the East Sea even with the aid of Martial Artists. Combined with those saved by Zhenyuanzi and those that used to live on the Coast of the East Sea, the Human Tribe, which once had a population of almost 100 billion, had only no more than two billion people remaining.
Several billion people live on earth. By comparison, Untainted Land was so large that merely the Coast of the East Sea was bigger than the whole earth. A population of several billion sounds like a lot, but it is just a drop in the bucket compared to the endless Untainted Land.
Revenge should definitely be had for so many tribesmen's deaths. Musen looked at the millions of Demon tribesmen coming slowly with undisguised killing intent in his eyes. "Don't make yourself a mouse, or the cat will eat you. Emperor Jun, you're signing for your own death. The Wu-killing Sword has been cast and you still want to exterminate our Human Tribe. How can I let you off?"
It would not surprise Musen if the Sages did not appear to end this coming disaster. It was not the time for the Human Tribe to come to the brink of ruin. The Sages would not benefit much if they ended the disaster now. Nowadays in the Human Tribe, only the Way of Celestial Immortality suffered losses.The Martial Arts received no harm. Since it was unfavorable for the Sages' preaching, how would the Sages end the disaster of the Human Tribe so soon?
In Mount Shouyang, Laozi looked at everything in Untainted Land without emotion. The amazing debut of Martial Artists was beyond his expectations, as well as others in Untainted Land. The Human Tribe was defeated easily by the armies of the Demon Tribe while Martial Arts could make the armies of the Demon Tribe suffer heavy losses, especially Wuchen, Wu Yi, Zhangmeng, and some other Martial Artists at the Heaven Clashing Level. It especially surprised people in Untainted Land.
The Human Tribe, which was just born thousands of years ago, could train Martial Artist at the Heaven Clashing Level which was the same as Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal. What was more, these Martial Artists at the Heaven Clashing Level were extraordinary masters in Zenith Heaven. One of them alone could fight against many. Merely Wuchen could be called invincible in Zenith Heaven. That was really terrifying.
For that reason, Laozi could only look at everything without taking any actions. Although the Human Tribe had suffered a lot, the foundation was still there and especially Martial Arts was integrated. After the war, perhaps many people in the Human Tribe would regain Martial Arts. At that time, it might be difficult to preach in the Human Tribe. Laozi had presumed the purpose of Emperor Jun's movement. Maybe Emperor Jun had already known the capability of Martial Artists. Though Emperor Jun would not exterminate the Human Tribe, he would not let Martial Arts continue to develop. He must cut the weeds and dig up the roots. Otherwise, it would be a serious problem for the Demon Tribe in the coming future.
Laozi wanted to eliminate Martial Arts and the Four Ancestors of Humanity by the hands of Emperor Jun, particularly Musen in the Wu Tribe, who established Martial Arts. With Musen's existence, Martial Arts would not die out and the Human Tribe would not belong to him, the Lord of the Tribe of Humanity.
Laozi kept the potential of the Human Tribe in mind. The Wu Tribe and the Demon Tribe were the main tribes in the Cultivation Tribulation, and maybe they would end up like the Three Tribes of Dragon, Phoenix, and Kylin. Which tribe would spring up and become the main character after the Cultivation Tribulation? Laozi naturally took the Human Tribe into consideration.
Before becoming Sages, Laozi and Goddess Nvywa were both Human Tribe people. The Four Ancestors of Humanity got Merits of Heaven with the great contribution they made to the development of the Human Tribe then. Thus, it could be seen that the Human Tribe had tremendous potential through the marvelous speed of the Human Tribe's development. So it was not impossible that such a tribe, highly estimated by the Way of Heaven, would become the ruler of Heaven and Earth.
If the Human Tribe became the ruler of Heaven and Earth, Sages would naturally fight for its Luck. As the Lord of the Tribe of Humanity, Laozi himself had already occupied 30 percent of the Human Tribe's Luck. Though he followed the Way of Non- action, however, no Sage could really act in the Way of Non- action. Although they had become Sages, they were still people with desires.
Laozi did not long for power, but he longed for supreme strength. Sage as he was, he was only at the Secondary Stage of the Sage, a little better than Creation and Tongtian. What he needed was absolute strength. In order to promote his strength, Luck of Untainted Land was a necessity. If the Human Tribe became the ruler in Untainted Land, that would take the main part of Luck in Untainted Land. If he could control the Human Tribe, he would naturally occupy most of it.
As for other Sages, Goddess Nvywa was sympathetic but did nothing. After all, she was a Sage of the Demon Tribe. What was more, she had made the decision at first. If she intervened, it would be bad for Emperor Jun and the whole Demon Tribe. However, Emperor Jun was going to conquer the Holy Land of the Human Tribe, which left her in an awkward position.
As to the Primeval Lord, Tongtian, Jieyin, and Zhunti, they chose to stand aloof. They had established sects, but they had not preached among the Human Tribe. So it was none of their business whether the Human Tribe was dead or alive. What was more, how would they be concerned about it since Laozi, the Lord of Tribe of Humanity, paid no attention to it?
Numerous armies of the Demon Tribe got close to the Coast of the East Sea. Of course, the Human Tribe took action. Musen and Suiren-Shi led the armies of Martial Artist to the border of the Coast of the East Sea, ready to fight with the Demon Tribe again. With more than one billion Human Tribe people behind them, it could be called the fight to win or die.
It never occurred to Emperor Jun that the Human Tribe would gather billions of Martial Artists and actively meet them head-on. It actually surprised him. Looking at the four people in front, he understood. They must be the Four Ancestors of Humanity. What astonished him was that they were all Sage-to- be Martial Artists. Was Martial Arts really so mighty? Seeing the armies of the Demon Tribe coming, Suiren-Shi yelled at the leader, Emperor Jun, "Emperor Jun, we Human Tribe have lived together peacefully with the Heavenly Court. Why did you kill our tribesmen?" As the saying goes, meeting enemies tears old wounds. Suiren-Shi was always straightforward. How could he be not angry?
Emperor Jun laughed and said, "Haha... Why? Your Human Tribe was made by the Sage of the Demon Tribe. But you've been against us in Untainted Land the entire time. Worse still, you're friendly to our mortal enemy, the Wu Tribe, and even have intermarriage with them. As the Demon Emperor, I should absolutely inflict a little punishment onto you."
"A little punishment?" After hearing that, Suiren-Shi became more angry. What Emperor Jun called a little punishment was killing billions of the Human Tribe. How could he not be furious? "Great! Great! Great!" He gnashed his teeth in anger as he said every "Great".
Seeing Suiren-Shi was in a fury, Emperor Jun became happier. He continued to say, "In addition, strength comes first in Untainted Land. You're so weak that you will be naturally humiliated by us. We'll kill you whenever we want. Why does it need any reason?" In Untainted Land, the strong preyed on the weak. Why did killing need reasons?
Hearing that, Suiren-Shi became mad and shouted, "The strong prey on the weak. Good! Sons of the Human Tribe, listen to me! The Demon Tribe is so inhuman that they killed our Human Tribe. In this way, I, Suiren-Shi, make a vow on behalf of the Human Tribe, so long as there is a person alive in the Human Tribe, we'll eliminate the Demon Tribe. The Heaven and Earth is our witness."
Just then, a cracking shock of thunder shook the world. It turned out to be that the Way of Heaven ratified the vow made by Suiren-Shi. The Human Tribe and the Demon Tribe became enemies forever. A flash of cold light was in Emperor Jun's eyes after he heard what Suiren-Shi had said. The Human Tribe unexpectedly made such a vow that there would be inevitable conflict between the Demon and Human Tribes in the future. Emperor Jun made up his mind that he would eliminate the Human Tribe even though it would cause offense to Laozi and Goddess Nvywa.
Chapter 112: The Self-Reliant Human Tribe
Taiyi erupted in rage when he heard Suiren-Shi's oath. He vented everything at the Human Tribe, including the frustrations he felt regarding Zhenyuanzi earlier. He said, "Suiren-Shi, you're really asking for death! Since you dared to make such a pledge, I'll exterminate the Human Tribe today and make them thoroughly disappear!"
Musen interrupted at this moment and said, "Taiyi, aren't you afraid of Goddess Nvywa and Sage Grand Pure blaming you for exterminating our Tribe?" The Human Tribe was Goddess Nvywa's creation and the reason she ascended to be a Sage. Meanwhile, Laozi also became a Sage after he establishing the Tribe of Humanity. These two Sages were the obstacles Taiyi had to pass if he wanted to exterminate their Tribe.
Taiyi felt a bit happier when he saw Musen, the Martial Ancestor of the Human Tribe, looking somewhat frightened. He could not help feeling smug as he said, "Haha! So you're the Martial Ancestor of the Human Tribe? You don't seem all that to be asking such an idiotic question. My Demon Tribe has been slaughtering your tribesmen for a century, but have you ever seen the Sages interfere? If not for consent from Goddess Nvywa and Sage Grand Pure, do you think we'll do so?" Hearing Taiyi's words, both Goddess Nvywa at Wahuang Heaven and Laozi at Mount Shouyang had drastic changes of expressions. On the other hand, a slight and undetectable smile appeared on Musen's face. The Human Tribe runaways heading to the Coast of the East Sea all wore grief on their faces when they heard what Taiyi said and they fell over, weeping and wailing.
Emperor Jun knew it was a mistake once he heard Taiyi's words. Though what the latter said was a fact, it was still not a good idea to say it so frankly. Now that he straightforwardly said it out, did this not mean he was directly offending the two Sages? Furthermore, one of the two was the Sage of their Demon Tribe.
But it was only a fleeting thought before Emperor Jun felt nothing of it. After all, the Human Tribe had pledged that their Tribes would not coexist. Though the Human Tribe was now very weak, their Spiritual Inheritance of Martial Arts was too extraordinary. If they did not take the chance to eliminate the Human Tribe now, perhaps it would not be as easy in the future.
The 10,000-year deadline Ancestor Hongjun had set was near and war would soon break out between the Wu and Demon Tribes. Though Emperor Jun was confident, who knew what would happen when the time came? Their Tribe would only stop worrying about additional attacks if they took the chance to exterminate the Human Tribe now. Taiyi may have said things that would offend the Sages, but if they were going to kill the Human Tribe, the end result would still be the same. Therefore, Emperor Jun decided not to worry about it.
That was his thoughts, but the two Sages begged to differ. After what Taiyi said, Goddess Nvywa and Laozi's share of the Human Tribe's Luck continued to diminish. Goddess Nvywa now only had 10 percent of the existing 20 percent share. She could be said as having suffered an enormous loss.
In Wahuang Heaven, Goddess Nvywa may be angry but her eyes indicated more complex feelings inside. Now that the Human Tribe had made their oath, both Tribes would not be able to coexist. There was now an irreconcilable enmity between the two Tribes. She may be the Sacred Lady of Human Tribe, but beyond that, a member of the Demon Tribe. This was an unchangeable fact.
Meanwhile, there was a rare trace of anger on Laozi's typically indifferent face. His Human Tribe's Luck had plunged from 30 to 20 percent and was still decreasing. But he did not plan on acting now.
The strong emergence of the Human Tribe's Martial Arts had astonished the entire Untainted Land. If their Martial Arts was not eradicated, the remaining tribesmen would likely turn to that instead. As time passed, how would the Tribe of Humanity preach? The Human Tribe would gradually get away from the Sages' control. This was the one thing Laozi did not want to see the most.
Laozi was waiting. He was waiting for an opportunity, at least until Emperor Jun and Taiyi annihilate the Four Ancestors of Humanity and inflict serious damages on Martial Arts. That would signal his time to act. He needed to take care of Musen, the Ancestor of Martial Arts, especially. As long as he was alive, Laozi would remain anxious. As long as Musen was alive, the chance for the Human Tribe's Martial Arts to rise again would always exist. How could Laozi allow this to happen?
Grief was etched on the faces of Suiren-Shi, Youchao-Shi, and Ziyi-Shi after hearing Taiyi's words. Though they had heard about it from Musen, they still inevitably felt miserable after hearing Taiyi confirm it. One was the Sacred Lady of their Tribe while the other was the founder of the Tribe of Humanity, yet none cared about the life and death of their tribesmen. How could they not feel miserable?
Though Musen had predicted this outcome, he was still disappointed. Their Tribe was still sincere and naïve now. All Goddess Nvywa had done for creating them and their tribesmen had worshipped her for millenniums. Simply by preaching to their tribesmen and establishing the Tribe of Humanity, Laozi enjoyed 30 percent of the Human Tribe's Luck. But now that their Tribe was facing difficulties, both simply watched without lending a hand. How could this not make them feel disappointed?
Musen's anger rushed straight into his heart. Hearing the sorrowful cries of his tribesmen who had been fleeing behind him, he cried loudly, "The heartless Sages used the Human Tribe as sacrificial straw dogs! Fine! As heaven's movement is ever vigorous so must a gentleman ceaselessly strive along. From this day onwards, our Tribe will no longer rely on anyone else! We'll be self-reliant!"
Once Musen finished his remark, the weather changed and the world shook. All his tribesmen and living things on Untainted Land were dumbfounded. Was he accusing Goddess Nvywa and Laozi as being heartless? He had even cursed the other Sages altogether. Had this Martial Ancestor of Human Tribe lost his mind?
"The Human Tribe will be self-reliant… The Human Tribe will be self-reliant…" The Human tribesmen who were weeping with sorrow, those still under Zhenyuanzi's protection, as well as those Martial Artists waiting inside the Formation started shouting in unison. Their voices shook the universe and startled the whole world. The Tribe's previously weak Luck started to soar. Compared to the Tribe that relied on the Sages, the Tribe that relied on themselves had a more intense desire to be strong.
Hearing the humans' cheers, Musen and the other ancestors were all soothed. Calamity would sharpen their hearts. To be a genuinely strong Tribe, except force and strength, their Tribe also needed to have a staunch and unshakable belief.
Musen was satisfied with his Tribe's performance now. But it was simply the first step to reinstate his tribesmen's belief in self-reliance. The next would be to act against the Sages. Though he knew it would enrage the Sages, he would not regret planning for his Tribe even if it meant his death. After all, he was human.
Musen sighed and said firmly, "The Sacred Lady has been enjoying the worship of my Human Tribe for generations for creating humans. However, Sacred Lady will no longer need to worry about our matters." Musen's words once again sent a shockwave across Untainted Land. What was he trying to do?
Though Goddess Nvywa's face showed anger when she heard Musen's words, she was rendered utterly speechless. She had personally created the Human Tribe, yet she had never taken care of them. The Tribe had relied completely on themselves to come this far. It was already good fortune for her that she was able to enjoy the Tribe's eternal worship. Now that Musen was cutting off her right to interfere with the Tribe, she had no room to refute. After all, it was she who had wronged the Tribe in the first place.
Musen was not done yet as he continued, "As for the Tribe of Humanity?" A hint of disdain appeared on his face as he brought it up. "The Tribe of Humanity originally would be the Teaching of the Human Tribe, but it seemed we could not afford it. From now on, the Tribe of Humanity will only be one of my Human Tribe's Teachings. That's all."
An uproar swept across Untainted Land. Musen had just denied Goddess Nvywa the right to interfere with the Human Tribe and now, he diminished the status of Laozi's Tribe of Humanity in the Tribe. What was he trying to achieve? There were only a couple of differences between 'Human Tribe's Teaching' and 'one of the Human Tribe's Teaching', the status was very much different. There would no longer be any difference between Laozi's Tribe of Humanity and the Tribe of Enlightenments and the Tribe of Severity among the Tribe.
A tremendous momentum carrying fury inside Mount Shouyang surged straight towards the horizon. All living things in Untainted Land felt Laozi's rage. But it came as no surprise. Musen's remark had directly caused Laozi to lose another 10 percent of his Human Tribe's Luck. Now he had the same amount of Luck as Goddess Nvywa, only 10 percent. What was more exasperating was the fact that the Tribe of Humanity now existed only in name.
Laozi's eyes were burning with fury as he stared at Musen. If not for his identity as Martial Ancestor of Human tribe, Laozi would have already slapped him to death with that remark. But Musen was the Martial Ancestor of the Human Tribe. If he personally killed Musen, that meant alienating himself from the Tribe. What he looked forward to now was for Emperor Jun and Taiyi to kill Musen as soon as possible. Simply seeing him for another second made Laozi feel uncomfortable inside. Laozi may be stewing in anger but there were those who rejoiced in his misfortune, such as Jieyin and Zhunti of the West. Though Laozi was their senior, he was nevertheless the Sage of the East. They were naturally happy to see him suffer losses. Zhunti, in particular, was beaming like he had found some priceless treasure.
Inside Mount Kunlun, the Origin's face was also full of anger. Though Musen's words were targeted at Laozi, he was actually shaming Three Pure Ones. How could he be not angry? When Musen cursed the Sages as heartless as a whole, he was also under fire. If not for Musen's identity as the Martial Ancestor of the Human Tribe, the Origin would have already killed him.
In Jadeite Palace, Tongtian's face was full of smiles. The heartless Sages? Though he was also included in that curse, he completely did not mind it. On the contrary, he particularly admired Musen's fearlessness of the Sages. But how would he survive the great tribulation of the Human Tribe after offending Goddess Nvywa and Laozi? Even if he was not acquainted with Musen in any way, he had always felt that Musen was not an impulsive person. Since he dared to do such a thing, he would definitely have a way to survive the tribulation. Tongtian would be disappointed if that was not the case. In Blood Sea, Minghe was gazing at Coast of the East Sea with a shadow of a smile on his face. The matters of Human Tribe had always gone according to Musen's scheme while he would assist at most. Now that Musen was using the Cultivation Tribulation of the Human Tribe as a chance to weaken the authority of the Sages among the Human Tribe. With this, he had found an opportunity that may not appear again in the future.
Chapter 113: The Power of Real Martial Arts
Hearing that, Emperor Jun unexpectedly burst out laughing and said, "Hahaha… Musen, you're really pretentious. You're using the Cultivation Tribulation of the Human Tribe to weaken the Sages' authority over the Human Tribe. However," Emperor Jun's expression abruptly went cold and he continued to say, "you've extremely underestimated my Demon Tribe. Do you really think I will let you Human Tribe survive?"
Emperor Jun was furious and the fury blazed in Emperor Jun's mind. He had asked to see those Sages before, yet every time he was turned down without even catching a glimpse of them. Laozi even merely assigned a Taoist child to turn him away. As they were all Sages, Emperor Jun had to bear it without complaint. Now, he was still scorned even though he had all the advantages. Furthermore, it was by someone from the Human Tribe which he had never considered important.
As the Emperor of the Demon Tribe, Emperor Jun was naturally extraordinarily arrogant. He had to curb his arrogance when he faced the Sages. But facing others, he would naturally be completely domineering. However, Musen's act seemed to be done without regards to others. He completely did not put him into consideration. How would it be possible for him not to be furious?
Musen calmly answered, "You won't, the Human Tribe has pledged. Even if the Human Tribe can't yet form any danger towards the Demon Tribe, you definitely wouldn't spare us, the Human Tribe. The Human Tribe's Martial Arts have let you sense the existence of crises. Even though you would have to offend the Sages, you would still choose to annihilate the Human Tribe."
Emperor Jun stared coldly at Musen. Musen's attitude made him angry. In Untainted Land, the strong would be revered. In front of the strong, the weak should at least be modest, like the way they were when confronting Sages. However, in Emperor Jun's eyes, Musen acted completely different. Even when speaking against Sages, he showed no fear.
"So he is the Ancestor of the Human Tribe and the founder of its Martial Arts?" thought Emperor Jun, with his fear of Martial Arts intensifying. Even if today he would not be able to annihilate the Human Tribe, he definitely had to thoroughly destroy the Spiritual Inheritance of Martial Arts. No matter to
which clan Martial Arts were to be passed on to, it might pose a huge threat in the future. That was also the case if it was to be passed on to the Demon Tribe. Martial Artists were unyielding. Could he still sit steadily in his emperor's seat if Martial Arts were to thrive among the Demon Tribe?
Seeing Emperor Jun's expression, a hint of a smile appeared on Musen's face. He said, "What? Are you afraid? That a majestic Demon Emperor can actually be afraid really surprises me. It seems your whole life achievement is just like this! Never to achieve the Origin! Hahaha!!!"
Emperor Jun became even more furious after he heard Musen's words. He said, "Afraid? I would be afraid of you? Of you, the Human Tribe? After this day, the Human Tribe will no longer exist in Untainted Land. You guys are the ones who should be afraid!" Musen had correctly guessed his mind, how could Emperor Jun not be angry?
Musen smiled and said, "Do you think today you can annihilate us, the Human Tribe? Emperor Jun, you're being too arrogant. Relying just on you, Taiyi, and hundreds of millions of Demon Tribe soldiers, you already want to annihilate the Human Tribe. Really wishful thinking! Moreover..." Musen spoke until this part. And then, although he still had a smile on his face, his whole body was completely covered with killing intent. He continued to say, "You can continue with this big talk if you can survive. Lay the formation!" Along with Musen's shout, the entire hundreds of millions of Martial Artists of the Human Tribe started to move. The three Ancestors of the Human Tribe were also included among them. A huge formation slowly took shape. Although it was not yet complete, its momentum was already very earthshaking. It was as if Martial Arts was the only thing left in this world.
Seeing this, Emperor Jun felt extremely terrified. Although the Human Tribe's formation was not yet complete, it was already very astonishing. Even though it still could not be compared with their Demon Tribe's Cosmic Stars Formation, the distance between them was probably not too far-off. If the Human tribesmen who laid the formation were to be a bit greater in number, a bit stronger, then…
Thinking about this, Emperor Jun instantly shouted, "Taiyi, quickly stop it! We definitely can't let this formation succeed." Since this formation might be comparable with the Cosmic Stars Formation, then its power absolutely could not be underestimated. At that moment, he only brought Taiyi and hundreds of millions of Demon Tribe soldiers. Because Ji Meng and Fuxi were guiding the elites of Demon Tribe soldiers in formation training, he had left the Cosmic Stars Banner in the Heavenly Court. Thus, at that moment, he completely had no way to lay the Cosmic Stars Formation out. Taiyi naturally understood this point. He abruptly swung the Primal Bell of Chaos in his hand straight at the incomplete formation, for he had to take advantage of the incomplete formation to break it. Otherwise, once the formation was completed, they basically would have no certainty of success if they were to rely just on him, Emperor Jun as well as hundreds of millions of Demon Tribe soldiers. At that moment, he finally understood why Musen had no fear as if he had something to rely on, and why he said they should continue with the big talk if they could survive. It turned out it was because he had an odd formation in his hand.
How could Musen sit back and watch Taiyi break the formation? The Kongtong Seal appeared in his hand. With the sound of an explosion, it became huge in an instant, meeting the Primal Bell of Chaos' attack. The Kongtong Seal's level could not be compared to the Primal Bell of Chaos, but it had absorbed Musen's Way of Martial Arts as well as the Human Tribe's Luck. In addition, Musen had inserted all the useful gain from establishing the Martial Arts back then into it. Nowadays, its power had increased greatly.
"Bang…!" A loud sound resonated between the Heaven and Earth. Under the enormous impact, disasters broke out all over the world. Countless small demons from the Demon Tribe at the front line were turned into scattered dust because they could not withstand such an impact. And at that moment, the Human Tribe's formation was finally complete. The enormous impact had only caused the formation to have several slight sways.
There was a huge change in Emperor Jun's expression when he saw the formation was completed. In particular, he was even more shocked to see that Musen actually managed to block Taiyi's full-strength hit. Taiyi was already a Late Stage, there was rarely someone who could be his opponent in Untainted Land. He did not expect that he would actually meet one among the Human Tribe. Furthermore, he was only a Human tribesmen who was born several millenniums ago. How would it be possible for him not to be shocked?
From inside the Veridical Martial Origin Formation, Suiren- Shi shouted, "Fourth brother, don't tangle with them! Quickly enter the formation and control it! Today my Human Clan is going to collect this blood debt." He spoke while controlling the formation with Youchao-Shi and Ziyi-Shi, starting the attack.
Once the Veridical Martial Origin Formation moved, the Way of Martial Arts from countless Martial Artists converged into a Current of Martial Arts which rushed straight at the Demon Tribe's side. The first one to bear the brunt would naturally be Taiyi. Witnessing this, Taiyi promptly withdrew the Primal Bell of Chaos and fled while Musen dodged and escaped into the formation.
Once Musen went into the Eye of the Formation, the entire momentum of the Veridical Martial Origin Formation suddenly soared a bit higher, operating the formation also became easier. Emperor Jun cared more about the attack before his eyes than about the change of the Veridical Martial Origin Formation. The tremendous Current of Martial Arts that came attacking straight at the Demon Tribe had really made people feel horrified.
Seeing Taiyi retreat to his side, Emperor Jun threw the River Chart and the Inscription of the Luo that were in his hand to the sky. A huge formation was formed in an instant. It was the He Luo Origin Formation which was a formation Emperor Jun had obtained from comprehending the River Chart and the Inscription of the Luo. The entire formation's layout was established after the mountains and rivers of ancient Untainted Land. The inside was filled with a myriad of things. If one was to say the Full Star Formation was the sun, the moon, and the stars; then the River Chart and the Inscription of the Luo would be the mountain, the river, and the landscape. It was the embodiment of great rivers and creeks of the epochal Untainted Land; the sea and the sky; the birds, the beasts, and the sea creatures; the changes in the evolution of ancient Untainted World.
After the formation was complete, Emperor Jun shouted, "Quickly come into the formation! We'll resist the attack together." Seeing this, the armies of the Demon Tribe made their way one after another into the He Luo Origin Formation. The formation expanded rapidly, wrapping around the turbulence that happened under the Current of Martial Arts's impact. However, it was not destroyed. On the contrary, the Tactical Formation became more and more stable after the Demon Tribe went inside it.
Although they had managed to block the Current of Martial Arts, Emperor Jun did not feel happy in the slightest. The chill air on his face was already enough to solidify into frost. This time, those who were sent to annihilate the Human Tribe were the Demon soldiers he specifically took from among those in charge of the Cosmic Stars Formation. At first, there were only 400 million remaining, but under the Current of Martial Arts, only 100 million actually went into the He Luo Formation. In other words, a full 300 million Demon soldiers died under one hit.
Even though for the Demon Tribe this loss could not be considered very serious, the Human Tribe, in fact, had hit Emperor Jun's face. Emperor Jun had come to annihilate the Human Tribe, but now, he had already lost 300 million Demon soldiers even though the Human Tribe had not had any damage yet. It could be said that he was being extremely humiliated in front of every creature of Untainted Land.
Bai Ze beside him was also dumbfounded. He was the one in charge of this task to massacre the Human Tribe. Fortunately, Emperor Jun came personally, or else he would have probably ended up in a disaster if he was to face such an attack like the Current of Martial Arts without Emperor Jun's He Luo Formation. However, one hit had caused Bai Ze to have the intention to retreat.
He could only grit his teeth and step forward, saying, "Your Majesty, now the situation is detrimental to us. It would be better for us to first retreat to the Heavenly Court, gather the army, and then come again to annihilate the Human Tribe." Based on this situation now, they would undoubtedly lose if they were to rely on the few of them that remained and face the Human Tribe's formation. Only retreating was the best policy.
Hearing Bai Ze's words, Emperor Jun's expression became even colder. In normal times, he would definitely have been furious. But what Bai Ze said was not wrong, the situation was indeed detrimental to them. The Current of Martial Arts' range of attack was vast and its power could not be centralized, for it to break the He Luo Formation was impossible. However, they also did not have the strength to fight back. Continuing this deadlock also would not do, since it would definitely be a huge crisis if the Wu Tribe was to strike them at this moment.
However, an endless feeling of being humiliated grew in Emperor Jun's heart as he thought about retreating. As the Emperor of the Demon Tribe, he was actually being forced to retreat when he was facing the Human Tribe, which was born only several millenniums ago. How humiliating was this? Perhaps after this event, Emperor Jun would be reduced to be the laughingstock of every creature in Untainted Land. A majestic Emperor of the Demon Tribe was forced by the Human Tribe to withdraw his soldiers. This was simply an extraordinary humiliation. Even if he could annihilate the Human Tribe in the future, perhaps this matter would forever be branded on him and the Demon Tribe, eternally unerasable.
Chapter 114: The End of the Cultivation Tribulation (No.3)
But now they had no choice unless the army was transferred from the Heavenly Court to form the Cosmic Stars Formation in order to break the formation of the Human Tribe. But the Wu Tribe would not let that happen. After all, he broke the rule of "Heaven belongs to the Demon Tribe, Earth belongs to the Wu Tribe" set by Honourable Ancestor by sending the Demon troops into Untainted Land. Despite the reason why the Wu Tribe remained silent, once he formed the Cosmic Stars Formation in Untainted Land, the Wu Tribe would definitely react.
It was a hard choice for Emperor Jun, but when he saw millions of Demon soldiers behind him, he braced himself and said, "Retreat!" This word seemed to take all of his strength. Needless to say, that the emperor of the Demon Tribe commanded troops to retreat in front of the weak Human Tribe was a shameful act.
Looking at the slightly pale face of Emperor Jun, Taiyi felt bad. Once upon a time, the Demon Tribe was one of the rulers of the world along with the Wu Tribe, but now they had to retreat to preserve their power while confronting the Human Tribe. What a shame it was. Taiyi had never seen that look on Emperor Jun's face before, he did not know how to console him since no words could change the fact that they had failed.
After Emperor Jun gave his order, the army of the Demon Tribe, who feared Humans with Martial Arts, became excited. They were relieved that they entered the He Luo Formation one step earlier, or else they would be devoured too.
The He Luo Formation slowly retreated by the order of Emperor Jun, and others in Untainted Land went mute because it was one of those few lost battles that the Demon Tribe had. Last time they were up against the Wu Tribe, and if not for Honourable Ancestor, the Demon Tribe would not still be existing. But this time they were faced with the Human Tribe, so no matter what would happen to the Human Tribe's future, the Human Tribe made an example for others in this world.
The Demon Tribe retreated and those who fled to the Coast of the East Sea Tribe burst into tears—tears of joy and sorrow. They were shed to celebrate the end of the Great Calamity for the Human Tribe but also to grieve for those who had died. The sound of sorrow pierced Untainted Land and rendered everything in the mood of sorrow.
Even the Sages felt the same. However, there was an exception, which was Laozi in Mount Shouyang. The retreat of Emperor Jun made Laozi angrier. He wanted to eliminate the Spiritual Inheritance of Martial Arts of the Four Ancestors of Humanity by the hand of the Demon Tribe. Nevertheless, the Demon Tribe had lost and retreated.
Observing the Veridical Martial Origin Formation made by Martial Artists of the Human Tribe, Laozi pondered with glints of coldness in his eyes. According to his knowledge, it was not a perfect formation and the ones who formed it were not strong enough, otherwise, the effect would be much stronger. In fact, this could be placed on a par with the Cosmic Stars Formation. That such a formation was owned by the Human Tribe worried him.
The one whom Laozi feared was Musen, the Martial Ancestor of the Human Tribe, who created the Spiritual Inheritance of Martial Arts that equaled the Way of Celestial Immortality and invented the formation that equaled the Cosmic Stars Formation. It would be hard for a Sage to sway the Human Tribe with such a leader in charge.
Besides, Musen just had thousands of years of cultivation, now he could be on par with Taiyi who had a Primordial Supreme Treasure, the Bell of Chaos. What would happen if he had more time? Would he become a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal of Origin like Minghe had? It would be completely insane to control the Human Tribe if there was someone in the Human Tribe who reached the Origin.
But the problem was Laozi could not lay a finger on Musen since Musen was a Martial Ancestor of the Human Tribe who had both Luck and Merit. Whoever attacked him would become the enemy of the whole Human Tribe, therefore this dilemma troubled Laozi the most. However, if he could not sort it out, it would be difficult for his preaching.
···
At the Coast of the East Sea, the armies of the Demon Tribe fell back one step at a time holding the He Luo Formation, while the Human Tribe celebrated. Inside the formation of the Human Tribe, Suiren-Shi was relieved on seeing the retreating soldiers of the Demon Tribe. "Phew! Finally, we made it."
Musen shook his head when he heard that, and he said, "It's not like that. Emperor Jun didn't bring all his troops, if he came with billions of soldiers adding to the Cosmic Stars Formation, today would be the end of the Human Tribe. Now they fell back, but one day, they will return."
Those words made Youchao-Shi worried. He said, "Brother, what should we do? We can't always cower here. We need to restore our power and stage a comeback." His worry was totally correct, if they just cowered in the Coast of the East Sea, there would be no future for them. But if they left the coast, there might be another attack by the Demon Tribe, and they could not afford that loss.
Musen laughed grimly and said, "Hmph! Let's teach them an unforgettable lesson, and make an example out of them. We need to tell others in Untainted Land that we are not someone they can mess with." With that being said, he released the Veridical Martial Origin Formation again.
Everyone in Untainted Land was shocked by the Human Tribe's formation. What were they doing? The Demon Tribe had retreated already, the crisis had been resolved, and they wanted to stop Emperor Jun, Taiyi, and rest of the army? It was insane!
Emperor Jun was astonished by the change of the Human Tribe's formation, therefore he immediately ordered his troops to hold the defense position. Just now, the Current of Martial Arts did not penetrate the He Luo Formation. Did they have something stronger? Emperor Jun was scared by this thought, and the thought that the Wu Tribe had something to do with it.
With the change in the Veridical Martial Origin Formation, countless rays from the Way of Martial Arts concentrated above it, just like what happened before the Current of Martial Arts. Unless those Ways of Martial Arts merged, they could not break through the defense of the He Luo Formation.
Meanwhile, Musen walked out of the formation and looked at the He Luo Formation, and yelled coldly, "Emperor Jun, you won't get away with this. I will make you pay for the blood shed by our people, you will die here today!"
Right after saying that, Musen flew to the overhead of the Veridical Martial Origin Formation, and shouted, "Hegemonic Body of Martial Arts, go!" A vast momentum came out from his body as his body was enlarged several times, but it was not over. "Current of Martial Arts, come into my body. The Martial dominates all Martial Arts. Hegemonic Body of Martial Arts, rise!" Accompanied by Musen's shouting, the Current of Martial Arts from the Veridical Martial Origin Formation flowed into Musen's body madly, Musen took it all like a lion devouring a sheep. At the same time, his Hegemonic Body of Martial Arts rose rapidly, and his momentum became stronger.
"He!" With Musen's yell, his Hegemonic Body of Martial Arts absorbed all the Current of Martial Arts. The Veridical Martial Origin Formation vanished, while Musen became a giant. Seeing Musen's giant form, everyone in Untainted Land was reminded naturally of the Real Entity of Pangu.
At present, Musen was only half the height as the Wu Tribe's Real Entity of Pangu was back then. Even so, it stunned everyone, especially Emperor Jun. Fear crept into Emperor Jun's mind when he saw the giant form of Musen. It gave him a sense that he was confronted with the Real Entity of Pangu.
Musen did not have a care what others thought because he could not hold this form for long. He held out his hands, and a huge seal came into being in no time, then he smashed it down onto the He Luo Formation. "One seal guards Heaven and Earth!" After saying that, his body shrank rapidly, and he became his ordinary size in a second, but his body was heavily wounded. Even the Hegemonic Body of Martial Arts could not take in so much Way of Martial Arts. He was lucky to be still alive.
"Boom!" The He Luo Formation collapsed in a blast. A vast mist of blood pervaded between Heaven and Earth, and only three people escaped and hit the ground. They were the only survivors from Musen's strike, which were Emperor Jun, Taiyi, and Bai Ze.
Seeing that the three had been heavily wounded, Musen's Killing Intent surged even though he was also badly wounded. Obviously, he wanted to kill them for good. The emperor of the Demon Tribe or the general trend of the universe, he just did not care anymore. All he wanted now was revenge for his people, an eye for an eye.
Suddenly, countless star lights came down from Heaven which enveloped Emperor Jun, Taiyi, and Bai Ze. Then a voice spoke, "Infinite light, orbiting stars, launch!" Then Emperor Jun and his fellows vanished into thin air. Apparently, it was the Demon Tribe in the Heavenly Court who used the Cosmic Stars Formation to rescue them.
Musen took a glance at the direction of the Heavenly Court with hatred, and went back to the Holy Land of the Human Tribe with his army. Looking at the receding figure of the Human Tribe, everyone in Untainted Land was shocked. Who would have thought that the Great Calamity of the Human Tribe ended this way? But one thing they knew was that after this battle, no one would underestimate the Human Tribe anymore.
Chapter 115: Post-Calamity (No.4)
In the Holy Land of the Human Tribe, everyone was watching Musen step into the palace where the Ancestors lived. They were full of adoration for him, since Musen, the Ancestor of Martial Arts, actually saved the day all by himself. Martial Arts of the Human Tribe, the Sacred Land of Spiritual Inheritance, and the Veridical Martial Origin Formation were all made by Musen.
With Musen's figure receding into the distance, the whole Human Tribe began another great upsurge of Martial Arts. Many people who used to cultivate the Way of Celestial Immortality now took part in the cultivation of Martial Arts, and those who stuck to the Way of Celestial Immortality began to steel themselves much harder. Because they understood that the basic reason for this calamity was their weakness.
After settling down other affairs of the Human Tribe and making the plan of restoration, Suiren-Shi and two other Ancestors went back to the palace and found Musen just standing still. Suiren-Shi stepped forward with a smile on his face and said, "Brother, this time, you really made a reputation for the Human Tribe." Then he clapped Musen on the shoulder and, unexpectedly, Musen passed out. ···
In the Blood Sea, Minghe looked at the direction of the Coast of the East Sea and could not help but shake his head. This time, Martial Arts of the Human Tribe made its own name, especially Musen, his last strike had reached the Realm of the Origin. Now, not only other powers were frightened, but also the Sages felt a little scared.
Musen especially offended Goddess Nvywa and Laozi this time. The Sacred Lady of the Human Tribe as she was, Goddess Nvywa might not fight with Musen even if she was angry. But Laozi was a different case. They said Laozi was someone who went with the flow, but it was totally bullshit. If it was true, how could he get angry over the loss of Luck?
Fortunately, Musen always stayed in the Human Tribe, so that Laozi did not have the chance to attack him. But if he went outside of the Human Tribe, Laozi would not hold back his desire. Even if Laozi could not kill Musen, he would seal Musen, which was a good way to defeat a Sage.
It was not what Minghe worried most about, because even if Laozi started his move, Minghe would not stand by and let his own Self-centric One be sealed. What Minghe worried most about was the injuries of Musen, despite that he showed great power and prestige this time, the price that he paid was not a small one.
Back then, the Twelve Ancestors of Sorcery summoned the Real Entity of Pan Gu and bore the Boomerang of the tactical formation, which was not easy to bear. Now Musen launched the Hegemonic Body of Martial Arts by concentrating the Current of Martial Arts. Although the power of it was not as strong as one-tenth of the Real Entity of Pangu, he might be in a coma because of the serious injury caused by bearing the whole Boomerang of the tactical formation.
The good thing was that the Hegemonic Body of Martial Arts was not something ordinary, which had no less resilience than the body of Ancestors of Sorcery. Furthermore, with the Martial protected Musen's source of Martial Arts, Musen's recovery was only a matter of time, and there were possibilities for his cultivation to go further.
Compared with the pain, the gain of Musen was also remarkable. Now Goddess Nvywa and Laozi only respectively occupied 10 percent of the Human Tribe's Luck, which made Laozi lose his best advantage. Even for the coronation of the Three Royals and Five Emperors in the future, Laozi would not have any position to take charge.
As to the 30 percent of Luck returned to the Human Tribe, 10 percent of Luck went back to Musen, so he had 30 percent of the Human Tribe's Luck again. Another five percent went to Martial Artists of the Human Tribe who fought. Although it would be scratched after the division, it could help their cultivation anyway. The last 15 percent was shared among the Three Ancestors of the Human Tribe, so each of them occupied 10 percent of Luck.
···
Just as Minghe expected, the Veridical Martial Origin Formation actually impressed everyone in Untainted Land, even the Sages, which became one of the Four Mysterious Formations in Untainted Land together with the God-killing Sword Formation, the Twelve Divine Beings Killing Formation, and the Cosmic Stars Formation. Especially Musen's Hegemonic Body of Martial Arts, by concentrating the Current of Martial Arts that was similar to the Real Entity of Pangu, made others awe for its power. Although there still were Twelve Ancestors of Sorcery now, the Twelve Divine Beings was short of one Ancestor of Sorcery since Houtu was trapped in the Nether World. Without the entire Twelve Divine Beings, the Wu Tribe could not summon the Real Entity of Pangu (they did not know that the Wu Tribe was creating another Ancestor of Sorcery). Therefore, even Musen's Hegemonic Body of Martial Arts could not compare with the Real Entity of Pangu, but he posed an extraordinary threat to others.
In Mount Shouyang, Laozi seemed so gloomy, since the changes of the Veridical Martial Origin Formation were absolutely beyond his calculation. Though he did not take it as a threat, such a formation owned by the Human Tribe was just like a pain in the ass.
He used to have a plan, that after Emperor Jun had terminated Martial Arts of the Human Tribe, he would save the rest of the Human Tribe to expand his influence in the Human Tribe, which would help him occupy more Luck. But now, everything was ruined by Musen, therefore Laozi was anxious to kill Musen as soon as possible.
Compared with Laozi, other Sages were in a much better mood. But they were a bit worried about the Human Tribe. Because the power of the Wu Tribe was accumulated through more than 100,000 years, but the power increase that the Human Tribe had was just in thousands of years. No one could tell how powerful they could be if they were granted the same time that the Wu Tribe had. Besides, maybe Musen would have acquired the Fruit of Origin before that.
A Tribe, which owned one of the Four Mysterious Formations and whose powerhouse reached the Origin, was not able to be controlled by any Sage at will. On the contrary, the Human Tribe was just like the Wu and Demon Tribes, in which no Sage could interfere with their business no matter how strong they were.
In Goddess Nvywa's World, Goddess Nvywa was relieved upon seeing the end of the calamity. She was so happy for the survival of the Human Tribe, particularly when she saw the power of their formation and the Ancestor of Martial Arts. After all, there was a special bond between them.
On the other hand, she was very worried that the confrontation between the Humans and Demons would make them sworn enemies of each other, and their blood would be shed, one generation after another, like a fast knot which could not be untied, unless one of them became entirely part of history.
However, Goddess Nvywa understood it was impossible, since the Demon Tribe would not go extinct as long as she was still standing, while the relations between the Human Tribe and the Four Ancestors of Humanity was the same. Especially Musen, the Ancestor of Martial Arts, who was most likely to achieve the Fruit of Origin as Minghe had in Untainted Land. The Human Tribe would certainly survive if Musen became a Sage.
In this case, though the bloodbath between the Humans and Demons would continue, according to their speed of reproduction, neither of them would go extinct. This kind of co- existent situation was good enough for Goddess Nvywa, as both sides were her own flesh and blood that she could not leave behind.
···
Back in the Heavenly Court, after Emperor Jun, Taiyi, and Bai Ze were saved, regardless of his injuries, Emperor Jun gathered Fuxi, Kunpeng, and other Sacred Demons and said, "What a powerful formation the Human Tribe have! I didn't see it coming. The Spiritual Inheritance of Martial Arts was astonishing, so I want to mass more troops to sweep them away. How do you feel about it?"
Emperor Jun only mentioned the threat of the Human Tribe, but he never said a word about his failure, and others kept their acquiescent silence. As for Kunpeng, he was gloating over this failure. He never forgot what he had suffered, so he only did some casual work, even though he had a high position in the Heavenly Court and Emperor Jun treated him well.
On hearing Emperor Jun's words, Ji Meng said, "Your Majesty, I don't agree with that. The only way to eliminate the Human Tribe is the Cosmic Stars Formation, which requires a huge amount of soldiers. Let alone whether we can destroy them, if they fight back with all they have, with their formation and the Ancestor of Martial Arts, Musen's Hegemonic Body of Martial Arts, they will definitely do great damage to the Cosmic Stars Formation. In that scenario, how can we fight against the Wu Tribe even if we eliminate the Human Tribe?"
Emperor Jun calmed down a little bit after hearing that, so Ji Meng seized the opportunity and said, "Now our major threat is still the Wu Tribe, besides, the Cosmic Stars Formation needs to be improved. We have only 4,000 years before the final war. No matter how strong the Human Tribe becomes, they can't exceed us. Then they will be just a piece of cake after we eliminate the Wu Tribe."
On hearing that, Emperor Jun nodded. The Human Tribe could not stand a chance at all if the Demon Tribe sent out all they had. Additionally, even if in 4,000 years the Human Tribe were restored to their previous scale before the Great Calamity, they could not match the Demon Tribe. But what he worried about now was that the Human Tribe would help the Wu Tribe during the final war, and that was not something that he could ignore.
And Emperor Jun asked, "Everyone, what I'm concerned about is that if the Human Tribe lends a hand to the Wu Tribe in our battle with them, what should we do then? All of you have seen the power of the Human Tribe's formation, and I'm afraid it'll be big trouble." Indeed, Musen's last strike had reached the Sage level, and if the Human Tribe would sneak- attack the Demon Tribe in the final battle between the Wu and Demon Tribes, it would be almost impossible that they could survive from that converging attack.
Ji Meng smiled and answered, "Your Majesty, don't worry about that. Though we've become their sworn enemy, whether they'll help the Wu Tribe or not is still uncertain. The Human Tribe may not have a good feeling about the Wu Tribe, since they just sat by when we massacred the Human Tribe. In addition, it won't be something nice if they help the Wu Tribe win, and surely they'll not lift a finger, because the Four Ancestors of Humanity are not dumbasses at all."
Chapter 116: The New Ancestor of Sorcery
What Ji Meng said was truly reasonable. Even if the Human Tribe recovered from the Great Calamity, they would still suffer unbearable damage in the war between the Sorcerer and Demon Tribes. Besides, even if the Wu Tribe defeated the Demon Tribe with their help, they could not benefit from it at all. It was much better to stand aside and observe.
Having a dread of the Human Tribe, Emperor Jun itched to cut their throats at once. However, he hesitated to take action because the Wu Tribe had been detecting aside. The Demon Tribe would never have the chance to wipe the Human Tribe out unless Emperor Jun successfully persuaded the Wu Tribe to ally with them or perfectly remain neutral. But could the Wu Tribe agree with that? Absolutely impossible.
Thinking of the Wu Tribe, Emperor Jun involuntarily touched the Wu-killing Sword beside him. The sword was cast out of innumerable Blood of Essence, souls, resentments, and other materials of the Human Tribe. Although it was merely a highest grade Post Celestial Spiritual Treasure, its power exceeded the overwhelming majority of Primordial Spiritual Treasures. The Wu-killing Sword was especially a nemesis to the Wu Tribe. The Wu Tribe had no Twelve Divine Beings Killing Formation and if the Demon Tribe killed the other 11 Ancestors of Sorcery with the Wu-killing Sword, they would obtain victory in the decisive battle with the least cost. Emperor Jun felt excited about the idea. The Lord of Heaven and Earth was at his fingertips. At that time, he would wipe the Human Tribe out as easy as picking his own pocket. Emperor Jun instantly cheered up at that thought.
What a wonderful name the Lord of Heaven and Earth was! Although Emperor Jun was the Lord of the Heavenly Court and held the Luck of the Demon Tribe, his Luck would boom when he became the Lord of Heaven and Earth. He could depend on the Luck and achieve Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal of Origin. On the occasion, he was on equal footing with a Sage and would never be insulted anymore.
Unfortunately, while Emperor Jun was imagining a bright future, a blast of great Evil Spirit surged to the sky above Untainted Land. What was this... The fond dream of Emperor Jun was immediately interrupted and he concentrated his attention to detect the origin of the Evil Spirit. However, he was shocked by what he saw: That Evil Spirit originated from the Wu Tribe. ...
Outside the Hall of Pangu of the Wu Tribe, Emperor Jiang and the other 11 Ancestors of Sorcery were looking at the person who made them feel helpless. The person was the Great Sorcerer, Chiyou. Correctly speaking, he was named an Ancestor of Sorcery now. Chiyou absorbed two drops of Houtu's Blood of Essence. Besides, in order to help Chiyou complete the metamorphosis to an Ancestor of Sorcery, Emperor Jiang and the other 11 Ancestors of Sorcery paid great efforts to gather the Killing Intent of Heaven and Earth together for him. It finally took a long time for Chiyou to rank as an Ancestor of Sorcery successfully.
In the original plan of the Ancestors of Sorcery, Chiyou would rank as an Ancestor of Sorcery on the quiet and unexpected appearance in the final battle between the Sorcerer and Demon Tribes, thus making a surprise attack on the Demon Tribe. But it cost both Bloods of Essence of the Ancestors of Sorcery and a huge amount of Killing Intent of Heaven and Earth to supply the metamorphosis from a Great Sorcerer to an Ancestor of Sorcery.
Emperor Jiang intended to settle Chiyou in the Hall of Pangu. It was rather a treasure than a hall. The Hall of Pangu was inherited from Pangu, and it was regarded as the Sacred Land and the most important treasure of the Wu Tribe. If Chiyou succeeded in upgrading the Ancestors of Sorcery in the Hall of Pangu, he could certainly suppress the Mysterious Sign now.
But something went wrong with the Killing Intent of Heaven and Earth, no matter how the Ancestors of Sorcery aroused them, the Killing Intent of Heaven and Earth had no way to enter the Hall of Pangu. It looked like that Killing Intent of Heaven and Earth resisted entering, or perhaps the Hall of Pangu refused to let it in. The Ancestors of Sorcery had nothing to do but complete the metamorphosis, which should have been done on the sly, outside of the Hall of Pangu now.
The result was obvious. Chi You succeeded in the metamorphosis of an Ancestor of Sorcery but he also caused the riot of the Killing Intent of Heaven and Earth due to the metamorphosis and resulted in the Mysterious Sign, which was shooting up to the sky. The news that one more Ancestor of Sorcery was born in the Wu Tribe was widespread in Untainted Land. All living creatures were terrified by the news and as a matter of course, the Demon Tribe were most terrified.
They originally thought that Ancestor of Sorcery Houtu was trapped in The Nether World and would fail to participate in the final battle between the Sorcerer and Demon Tribes. Since the Twelve Divine Beings of the Wu Tribe were incomplete, the Demon Tribe could lay aside all anxiety and rest content. However, it was unexpected to everyone that the Wu Tribe reformed another Ancestor of Sorcery. Although he was absolutely incomparable with Ancestor of Sorcery Houtu, the Twelve Divine Beings of the Wu Tribe were completed now and the great Formation could be arranged again. More importantly, the Real Entity of Pangu would reappear in Untainted Land. That was the most terrible thing.
Chiyou succeeded in the metamorphosis to an Ancestor of Sorcery and the whole Wu Tribe was a scene of jubilation. They cheered loudly. "Wu! Wu! Wu!" With the yell of the Wu Tribe, the Evil Spirit was swarming between Heaven and Earth. The Wu Tribe's great will of war suffused the entire Untainted Land. All living creatures in Untainted Land were terrified by it. How horrible the Wu Tribe were!
On second thought, all living creatures in Untainted Land involuntarily took pleasure in others' misfortunes. Although the stronger Wu Tribe would influence them, the most distressed ones must have been the Demon Tribe. In the last war between the Sorcerer and Demon Tribes, the Demon Tribe suffered great damages from the Real Entity of Pangu. Now the Real Entity of Pangu had the chance to reappear in Untainted Land, the Demon Tribe could not help being concerned.
The Evil Spirit in coacervation around Chiyou dispersed very soon and the Evil Spirit shooting up to the sky disappeared too. The whole Wu Tribe was quiet again. Chi You stood up and clenched his fist, his face was covered with excitement. Strong, too strong, there was a difference of only a single word between a Great Sorcerer and an Ancestor of Sorcery, but it was a difference that could not be described in language.
After achieving the Real Entity of the Ancestors of Sorcery, Chiyou jumped from Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal to the Secondary Stage of Sage-to-be. The promotion was so great that Chiyou could not control his power well now. But he would constantly adapt it and finally control the power. At that time, his cultivation might progress further.
Seeing Chiyou's excitement about the power, Emperor Jiang and others were not surprised. They also were excited by great power when they made the breakthrough from Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal to Sage-to-be. Even if for ordinary cultivators, there was a far cry between Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal and Sage-to-be, not to mention that the Entity of the Ancestors of Sorcery was counted as one of the very best superstrong physiques in Untainted Land. When the excitement calmed down, Chiyou found that the Ancestors of Sorcery were looking at him and smiling, so he immediately made a courtesy call on them and said, "Your Excellencies, I deeply appreciate your help and I'll try my best to live up to the expectations of Ancestor of Sorcery Houtu. I'll fight for the Wu Tribe until the last moment and I promise to foster and enhance the Wu Tribe by defeating the Demon Tribe."
Emperor Jiang laughed aloud and said, "Good! Good! Good! But I have something else to tell you, Chiyou. Now you are the 13th Ancestor of Sorcery and you need not use honorific appellations anymore. From now on, you are the 13th younger brother of us Twelve Ancestors of Sorcery. Do you agree?"
Chiyou listened and hesitated. "Eh... " No doubt Chiyou wavered, the Twelve Ancestors of Sorcery were earliest born and regarded as symbols of the Wu Tribe, all the other people of the Wu Tribe were born to respect them. Either because of their strength or their blood rank, the people of the Wu Tribe had no way to resist them and did not mean to resist them at all.
Chiyou had been respectfully calling them Your Excellencies Ancestors of Sorcery for tens of thousands years, and it was very difficult for him to change all of a sudden. At this time, the hot- tempered Zhurong went forward and gave a blow to the chest of Chiyou. He said, "What's so hard for you? You're so womanishly fussy. Don't forget you're a man of the Wu Tribe, and you're already an Ancestor of Sorcery, is it really so hard to become a brother with us?"
Bearing the blow of Zhurong on his chest, Chiyou was dumbfounded. He had been hit by Zhurong before but today was quite different. He unexpectedly felt nothing at all instead of feeling pain or injury. Chiyou subconsciously touched his chest and felt a great power that circled in his body. He finally recognized that he was no longer the Great Sorcerer Chiyou, but the 13th Ancestor of Sorcery of the Wu Tribe, the Ancestor of Sorcery Chiyou.
Convinced at this point, Chiyou laughed aloud and said, "Fine, let me pay a formal visit to my brothers and sisters, and Xuan Ming is also my elder sister now." Chiyou now completely accepted his new status of Ancestor of Sorcery and all the other Ancestors of Sorcery laughed together after seeing this.
Now that the Twelve Ancestors of Sorcery were complete, they should immediately practice the Twelve Divine Beings Killing Formation. Chi You was unfamiliar with this formation, but luckily he had become an Ancestor of Sorcery, so it would not take long to familiarize himself with this formation. The Twelve Divine Beings Killing Formation last time was not mature enough and the Twelve Ancestors of Sorcery at that time were all insufficient in cultivation. As a result, the formation could not be sustained for a long time.
However, the Twelve Ancestors of Sorcery now completely surpassed their former strength. If they could control the formation more proficiently, they would be able to preserve the Real Entity of Pangu for a longer time, and the Wu Tribe would have a greater chance to win.
Houtu was far away from there and trapped in the Nether World, she looked into the distance of the Hall of Pangu with a smile on her face. Chiyou succeeded in the metamorphosis to an Ancestor of Sorcery and she could finally breathe easier now. If the Twelve Ancestors of Sorcery failed to lineup the Twelve Divine Beings Killing Formation together, the Wu Tribe would have no way to defeat the Demon Tribe against the Cosmic Stars Formation.
And the cause of the Great Calamity of the Human Tribe this time was that the Demon Tribe thought of a method to cope with the Ancestors of Sorcery, they refined the Wu-killing Sword with Blood of Essence and souls of the Human Tribe. The sword could break open the Real Entity Defense of the Ancestors of Sorcery with one blow. At that time, once the Ancestors of Sorcery died, the morale of the Wu Tribe would be badly damaged, which would be quite terrible.
Chapter 117: Houtu's Concern
The Twelve Ancestors of Sorcery had gathered together. As long as they paid more attention to the Wu-killing Sword and arranged the Formation to call the Real Entity of Pangu at the right time, the Demon Tribe would definitely lose this battle. What Houtu was really concerned about was that Goddess Nyuwa might get involved to save the Demon Tribe. Defending against both Goddess Nvywa and the Cosmic Stars Formation, the Real Entity of Pangu might not be able to resist until the last second. However, she couldn't lend them a hand, which made her extremely worried.
In this situation, she needed to ask Minghe for help. Houtu couldn't get out of the Nether World, so she could only look for the Taoist of Heaven and Earth, Minghe's Good Separation. The Taoist of Heaven and Earth had originally been a part of Minghe, asking him was tantamount to asking Minghe. Therefore, she set off for the City of Feng Du, where the Taoist of Heaven and Earth lived.
Nowadays, the Nether World had ghost messengers inside it. It was already different from the very beginning of its construction when it had needed Minghe's Clones of the Blood God to support everything. These ghost messengers were all carefully selected. They couldn't be those who had made big mistakes and had to have a good aptitude for cultivation. Although the Nether World could be called Minghe's territory, it couldn't always rely on him. It needed to develop by itself and cultivate its force. Then, it could become an additional powerful strength for Minghe.
Naturally, the Taoist of Heaven and Earth knew about Houtu's arrival and came to welcome her. He said, "It's an honor to have the Ancestor of Sorcery, Houtu here. Please forgive me for not greeting you sooner. This way, please." After greeting each other, the Taoist of Heaven and Earth led Houtu to his temple.
They lived next to each other, so they were familiar with each other. After entering the palace, Houtu found a seat and asked directly, "Taoist of Heaven and Earth, I'm sorry to interrupt you without permission. Actually, I need Fellow Taoist Minghe to do me a favor."
"She needs Minghe's help?" The Taoist of Heaven and Earth thought for a moment and realized what Houtu really wanted immediately. He smiled and asked, "Do you want Minghe to help to hold back Goddess Nvywa of the Demon Tribe on the Wu Tribe's behalf during the last war between the Wu and Demon Tribes?" Aside from this issue, the Taoist of Heaven and Earth couldn't imagine what else Houtu would want to ask of Minghe.
Houtu said, "That's actually what I wanted to ask for. If Fellow Taoist Minghe could help our Wu Tribe to stop the Sage, Goddess Nvywa, we would never forget your kindness. If our Tribe comes to dominate Untainted Land, we will share a large part of it with Fellow Taoist Minghe. What do you think?"
The Taoist of Heaven and Earth shook his head with a faint smile, saying, "This Cultivation Tribulation of Untainted Land, involves the Wu and Demon Tribes. At the end of this Tribulation, what kind of ending do you think the Wu and Demon Tribes will have?"
Hearing this, Houtu's expression changed. She had only thought about the threat of Goddess Nvywa. She had forgotten that the Wu and Demon Tribes had the leading roles in this Cultivation Tribulation. As a Sage, how could she not have predicted the Wu Tribe's Luck at all?
During the Cultivation Tribulation of the Human Tribe, the Demon Tribe's Luck had decreased significantly because they had disrupted the harmony of heaven by killing too many people when refining the Wu-killing Sword. Meanwhile, the Wu Tribe's Luck seemed to become more and more influential, especially when Chiyou became the new Ancestor of Sorcery. However, as an old saying went, things would develop in the opposite direction when they reached the extreme. And Houtu also understood this principle.
Long before, the Ancestor of Sorcery Torch Dragon had spied upon the River of Time to find out the Wu Tribe's future fate. They had been shocked to see the decline of their Wu Tribe, despite being such a powerful force. They had all felt puzzled.
If the so-called crisis for the Wu Tribe were to occur, it must be because of the war with Demon Tribe. This was also the reason Houtu was trying to ask Minghe for help. But from the Taoist of Heaven and Earth's words, it appeared that he knew something. Houtu couldn't figure it out, so she asked, "What do you mean?"
The Taoist of Heaven and Earth replied, "In the Longhan Cultivation Tribulation, the Three Tribes of Dragon, Phoenix, and Kylin were dominating Untainted Land, but where are they now?" The Phoenix Tribe and the Kylin Tribe had chosen to live in seclusion, while the Dragon Tribe had retreated to the Four Seas to recuperate. They had all lost the qualifications to become the leader of Untainted Land. Hearing the Taoist of Heaven and Earth's words, Houtu's expression changed. Houtu naturally understood the implication in his words. The Three Tribes had declined because of the Longhan Cultivation Tribulation, and the Wu and Demon Tribes would decline because of the oncoming Cultivation Tribulation. Houtu couldn't accept this kind of result.
Houtu tried to insist, "Taoist of Heaven and Earth, you must be exaggerating. Our Wu Tribe now has the Twelve Divine Beings Killing Formation. The Cosmic Stars Formation of the Demon Tribe can't match it. As long as Fellow Taoist Minghe can help us to stop Goddess Nvywa, we will give him a rich reward."
The Taoist of Heaven and Earth laughed at Houtu's temptation and answered, "You don't have to do that. Even if Minghe doesn't help you, Goddess Nvywa will not be able to lend a hand to her Demon Tribe. Don't forget, there are five other Sages in Untainted Land."
Hearing this, Houtu finally relaxed a little. That was right. Houtu and Goddess Nvywa were not the only Sages in Untainted Land, and the others wouldn't just sit and watch Goddess Nvywa help the Demon Tribe. It wouldn't correspond with the Sages' interests if the Demon Tribe was to become the only master in Untainted Land.
Thinking deeper about this issue, Houtu's face turned pale. She suddenly realized that since the other Sages couldn't bear the Demon Tribe occupying the whole Untainted Land, they wouldn't bear the Wu Tribe either. It meant that what the Sages really wanted to see was the destruction of both sides.
Confused, Houtu asked, "Tao of Heaven and Earth, our Wu Tribe really can't become the master of Untainted Land?" Although she had already guessed the final result of the war between the Wu and Demon Tribes, she couldn't face it. The Wu and Demon Tribes had fought each other for such a long time. What they really wanted was the status as the mightiest in the Universe of Untainted Land.
The Taoist of Heaven and Earth shook his head and said, "This is the general trend of Heaven. Even the Sages can't stop it. You need to plan ahead for this, my dear Fellow Taoist. I have to start my Closed Door Meditation, so I am sorry I can't see you off." The Taoist of Heaven and Earth's words were clear. The conversation was over. Houtu left the City of Feng Du, feeling dazed. She was extremely tangled. She remembered that the Honorable Ancestor used to say the general trend of heaven couldn't be changed, but the minor trend could. The destruction of both the Wu and Demon Tribes was the general trend of heaven, even a Sage couldn't change it. It was not that absolute, of course. If one's power could surpass the Way of Heaven, the Way of Heaven could also do nothing to stop him, maybe he could change the general trend of heaven.
In Blood Sea, Minghe naturally knew that Houtu had visited his Good separation, but he didn't want to get involved. The ending of the Wu and Demon Tribes had been decided.At this point, no one could change the situation, at least for now. Maybe one day when Goddess Nvywa or Houtu had enough power to revive the Demon Tribe or the Wu Tribe, the Way of Heaven and Hongjun would be unable to stop them.
However, for the time being, it was impossible. Thus, the Human Tribe would become the ruler of Heaven and Earth, and Minghe would become the biggest winner in this Cultivation Tribulation. Owning 30% of the Luck of the Human Tribe, Minghe would stir the envy of every other Sage.
But first, Minghe still needed to visit the Human Tribe. First off, he needed to save Musen. Musen's injuries were worse than Minghe had expected. He could clearly feel that Musen was extremely weak. Musen might need quite a long time to heal by himself, so Minghe needed to come to help him recover more quickly.
Second, was to avoid future trouble. Musen's body was that of the Human Tribe's, he was the Selfcentric Separation of Minghe. Until now, no one had figured out their relationship. However, Minghe understood that no secret could be kept forever. If one day the human beings found this relationship between them, it would cause a huge separation between Musen and the Human Tribe despite all the great things he had done for them.
Therefore, Minghe chose to tell the truth to the Three Ancestors of the Human Tribe rather than wait for them to find out. In this way, Minghe could take the initiative to let them believe his sincerity. Although Minghe obtained Luck from the Human Tribe, the Human Tribe also got a lot from him. Without Musen, could the Human Tribe have become so powerful?
··· In the hidden room in the Human Tribe's Sacred Land of Spiritual Inheritance, the Three Ancestors of the Human Tribe were all watching the seriously injured, unconscious Musen worriedly. They couldn't find any methods to cure Musen's wound and could only let him slowly heal himself. But based on his recovery speed, it seemed like he wouldn't wake up for hundreds of years.
At this moment, a slit appeared in the hidden room. A silhouette walked out from within the slit. The Three Ancestors of the Human Tribe were shocked to find out who he was, and shouted, "Ancestor Minghe!" Although the three had never left the Human Tribe, they could still recognize the strongest masters in Untainted Land. The approaching figure was Minghe.
Looking at their surprised expressions, Minghe said, "You don't have to be panic. I come with no evil intention. What I really want is to cure Musen." Before coming, he had speculated about what type of reaction the three Ancestors would have. It wasn't strange. He was a total stranger to them. His sudden appearance was bound to shock them.
Suiren-Shi calmed down, and asked, "Master Minghe, you could really cure my fourth brother? I am sorry, but could you please let us know what kind of relationship you have with our brother? My master, you have never concerned yourself with worldly affairs, I can't find any reason for you to come and save him."
Chapter 118: The Confession to the Human Tribe
Facing the questions from the Ancestors of the Human Tribe, Minghe slowly walked toward Musen. He waved his hand and three bright rays of holy water entered into Musen's body. Musen's injury was treated with supernatural power. At first, the Ancestors of the Human Tribe wanted to stop him, but they did not do it as they were shocked by his words.
"Musen is my self-centric separation." No, it couldn't be! Musen had been one of the first humans created by Goddess Nvywa and he also had the Punisher Whip. How could he be the self-centric separation of Ancestor Minghe?
Seeing their astonished reactions, Minghe continued his words, "The day Goddess Nvywa became a Sage was also the day I separated all my obsession. After that, using the human form created by Goddess Nvywa, I created my self-centric separation, Musen. "
"What?" The three human ancestors were shocked. They had not expected that Musen had been Minghe's separation since the birth of the Human Tribe. This meant that Ancestor Minghe had been scheming against the entire Human Tribe since the beginning, didn't it? After the great calamity of the Human Tribe tribulation, the three ancestors of the Human Tribe felt antipathy toward the Sage's scheme.
Suiren-Shi said heavily, "You were indeed great in scheming. I guess that you have been scheming since the birth of our Human Tribe for their luck, right?" There was anger in his words.
Minghe laughed. "Scheming against your Human Tribe? What plan could I scheme when the Human Tribe was just born. Not to mention that the Human Tribe is only where it is now because of Musen. If he hadn't been here, I'm afraid your Human Tribe would not only have suffered heavy losses but also become a toy for the Sages. Do you really think that I've been scheming against the Human Tribe?"
After hearing Minghe's words, Suiren-Shi's face showed a hangdog expression. It was indeed true that the Human Tribe would not have progressed without Musen's plan. Otherwise how could the three ancestors of the Human Tribe have successfully made Emperor Jun retreat that day?
But Youchao-Shi replied, "You are indeed right, but your purpose was to control the entire Human Tribe, wasn't it?"Youchao-Shi could not imagine why Ancestor Minghe would help the Human Tribe. Was it only because his self-centric separation was one of the humans?
Minghe sighed and said, "It is not me that wanted to help you, but Musen. He is the most special one among the Three Separations." After saying this, Minghe showed a complex expression.
Then, he continued his words, "He doesn't inherit my original spirit or supernatural power and only maintains a special communication with me. I can't interfere with his acts, and so he only acts on his own will. And as for the Human Tribe, I'm not interested. The religion that I have established does not suit the humans, and also the AShura tribe are already enough for me to preach to."
Still, only some of these words were true. Musen was indeed the most special of his Three Separations. But it didn't mean that he couldn't control him at all, he simply didn't want to. Musen had been converted from his obsession as a human in the past. Since his birth, he had focused on making the Human Tribe stronger and more independent. Still, Musen did not always consider Minghe. Like the time, he had offended Goddess Nvywa and Laozi. In the future, if his identity as Minghe's self-centric separation was exposed to the world, Goddess Nvywa and Laozi would probably hate Minghe. They would believe that this was Minghe's plan.
After hearing Minghe's explanation, Youchao-Shi calmed down. At first, he was afraid that the Human Tribe would be controlled by Minghe, but now he realized that the Asura Religion that Minghe had established was suitable for the AShura Tribe not for the Human Tribe, and Minghe had never interfered with the affairs of the Human Tribe. What's more, Musen's fortuitous encounters would probably come from Minghe, too.
After hearing his words, Ziyi-Shi replied, "Brothers, it is true that the fourth younger brother was the Ancestor's self-centric one, but he always planned for our Human Tribe, creating the Martial Arts, and establishing the Sacred Land of Spiritual Inheritance. And now he's injured for the sake of the Human Tribe. If the Ancestor wanted to interfere with the Human Tribe, he wouldn't have allowed our Human Tribe to become so strong."
Ziyi-Shi's words immediately stirred Suiren-Shi and Youchao- Shi. It was true that Musen had cut the authority of Sage Goddess Nvywa and Sage Laozi and made the Human Tribe independent. And with that, the other sages, including Ancestor Minghe, would never be able to interfere with the affairs of the Human Tribe again. If Minghe had a motive using the Human Tribe, he definitely would not have let Musen do that.
Thinking of this, Suiren-Shi and Youchao-Shi became ashamed. Although Musen was Ancestor Minghe's self-centric separation, with everything that he had done for the Human Tribe, was he not suited for the title of Martial Ancestor of the Human tribe and enjoy thirty-percent of the luck of the Human Tribe?
The three Ancestors of the Human Tribe looked at each other, then bowed, "We, the three Ancestors of the Human Tribe, represent the entire Human Tribe in thanking you for your help." Although it was Musen that had done all of these for the Human Tribe, without Minghe's help, Musen would likely not have been able to make things work. This bow was necessary.
Minghe accepted their bow. He had already finished Musen's treatment. He said, "Musen's injury has now been healed, and he will regain his consciousness in a while. If you still have anything you want to discuss, you can talk to him!" Finishing his words, Minghe disappeared.
Looking at Musen lying unconscious in the bed, the three Ancestors of the Human Tribe had a sentiment in their hearts. Musen's identity as the self-centric separation of Minghe could have made everyone in Untainted land respect him, but he had abandoned it and lived as a human willingly. He'd even suffered a near-death injury for the sake of Human Tribe, proving his loyalty.
Indeed, Musen regained his consciousness soon after. Looking at the healed wounds, he asked, "Did my veneration, Ancestor Minghe come over?" It was time for him to make things clear before creating more misunderstandings.
Suiren-Shi said, "Ancestor Minghe has come over. Fourth younger brother, we were quite surprised to learn of your identity as Ancestor Minghe's self-centric separation. If he hadn't come over to treat you, how long would you have concealed this from us?"
Suiren-Shi still called him 'fourth younger brother'. Musen already understood and said, "I did not intend to conceal this, but if my identity had been exposed, the Human Tribe would have probably attracted the attention of the entire Untainted Land. Now that you know, please keep this secret for me. When our Human Tribe becomes the ruler of Heaven and Earth, there'll be no need to worry about it."
Suiren-Shi and the others understood. If his identity was exposed at this time, the Sages were likely to interfere. Then, the Human Tribe would definitely fall into a chaos. Since the Human Tribe had just suffered great calamity, they needed some time to recover. It was best for them to keep quiet for a while.
Suiren-Shi said with a smile, "Of course, no matter what, you're still the Martial Ancestor of the Human tribe and our fourth younger brother. This will never change. We'll keep it a secret." Youchao-Shi and Ziyi-Shi also nodded as they acknowledged Musen. They didn't mind that he was Minghe's self-centric separation.
Of course, Musen understood Suiren-Shi's words. He did not say anything and just nodded his head to express his stance. Musen was Minghe in a previous life. With the human soul from the previous life and the human body of the present, he was willing to be a human for all his life. Seeing Musen's pale face, Suiren-Shi said, "Fourth younger brother, it seems the Ancestor did not heal you completely. You'd better heal your injury quickly! We will not disturb you anymore." Finishing his words, he, Youchao-Shi and Ziyi-Shi went out so that Musen could recover.
But Musen replied, "It's okay, my veneration healed about seventy or eighty percent of my injury. I just need some time to recover. There are some affairs of the Human Tribe that I want to discuss with you. After the discussion, I'll have a Closed-door Meditation to recover, which means I'll have no time to manage the Tribe."
Hearing this, Suiren-Shi and the others stopped and said, "As for the restoration for our Tribe, we've already arranged it. You don't need to worry about it. Just focus on recovering your injury." In fact, they felt sentimental as Musen did not need to plan for the Human Tribe in such a hurry, but he still did. It showed what was important to him.
Musen said, "Just a tip, and it's not about the martial arts but the Way of Celestial Immortality. After the war with the armies of the Demon Tribe, I realized that humans who cultivate the Way of Celestial Immortality do not have any teamwork. So older brother, you can set up an Immortals' Army like the Army of Martial Arts so that they can conquest the land together with the Army of Martial Arts for our Tribe. What do you think?"
Chapter 119: Woes of the Demon Tribe
Musen's words cheered the three ancestors up. Besides the humans living nearby, others who were able to escape to the Coast of East Sea from the Human Tribe's Cultivation Tribulation were the ones with stronger Celestial Immortality cultivation. Previously, Musen had made use of the Cultivation Tribulation to diminish Sages' authority in the Human Tribe. So this was the best time to rearrange the Way of Celestial Immortality in Human Tribe.
Suiren-Shi got the idea and nodded in agreement. "Alright, just as you said. Leave this to us. You just set your mind at rest and recovery." Then the three of them hurried out. Obviously, they were to form an Immortals' Army in the Human Tribe.
This should be done sooner better than later. With Human Tribe's three ancestors in charge, the work of organizing Immortal's Army would be completed successfully. Musen had no need to worry, and all he needed to do was to recover from his wounds. If Minghe hadn't helped to cure most of his wounds, he could not completely be recovered in ten thousand years.
Besides, Musen used his trump card, the Veridical Martial Origin Formation by force, which caused a severe Boomerang on him. Along with serious injuries, his cultivation was declined by a small realm. Previously, he had entered the Late Stage of Fate Reading Level unexpectedly when he worked with Minghe to comprehend the Grand Array of Martial Arts. However, now he dropped back to the Secondary Stage of Fate Reading Level.
Since he had already entered this stage, to recover his previous cultivation level, all he needed was time. Of course, this was not the most important thing. By using Hegemonic Body of Martial Arts and the character Wu, Musen forcefully brought the Current of Martial Arts accumulated by Veridical Martial Origin Formation into his body, resulting in a severe impact on his Martial Arts.
There were billions of Martial Artists in the Human Tribe but they did not cultivate in the same way. So as their enlightenment in the Way of Martial Arts. Thus with billions of the Way of Martial Arts gathering to form the Current of Martial Arts and entered Musen's body, Musen was nearly lost in the numerous Wills Of Martial Arts.
Fortunately, the 'Wu' character was able to control the Current of Martial Arts. If not, Musen's Fate Reading would have been breached, and the consequence would be much worse than severe injuries. However, it was just because of this, Musen gained a new understanding of his Martial Arts. Martial Arts was vast and profound, and when one reached the highest level, he had already returned to his original nature. The Way of Martial Arts was not fixed and rigid but able to encompass everything, like the ocean.
Chances always appeared in crisis. Musen had perceived the mystery in the Realm of Origin of Martial Arts during this battle. Though it was just a slight enlightenment, it was the most precious thing for Musen. It can be said that the door to the Realm of Origin had opened a gap for him, and this gap was extremely precious. Many Sages-to-be with strong cultivation were not able to achieve this through their lives.
In addition, Musen was getting more and more curious about the character 'Wu', also known as 'Martial', whose mystery seemed to remain unknown forever. Though Musen had reached the Realm of Origin, he was still unable to understand it totally, so it was truly extraordinary.
Now that he was unable to make any breakthrough, Musen could only give it up temporarily. When he entered the Realm of Origin, naturally he could get the mystery and secret. Now the most urgent thing for him was to recover. The final battle between the Sorcerer and Demon tribes would begin in around four thousand years. When the Cultivation Tribulation ended, it would be the best opportunity for the Human Tribe to become the governor in Untainted Land.
Musen also knew that despite the fact that Sorcerer and Demon tribes' power would be greatly impaired after the Cultivation Tribulation, it was still hard for the Human Tribe to become the ruler of Heaven and Earth. Then the situation where Hundred Tribes of Untainted Land fought against each other might appear again. To become the ruler of Heaven and Earth, it was inevitable for the Human Tribe to combat with Hundred Tribes of Untainted Land. This required the Tribe to become stronger and possessed its own troop, which demonstrated that they were powerful enough to govern Untainted Land.
·························
In contrast to the peace in the Human Tribe, the Heavenly Court became restless and unsettled. Ever since Houtu became the Sage and been trapped in the Nether World, the Demon Tribe had been inspired with enthusiasm for there were only Eleven Ancestors of Sorcery now. Thus, the Twelve Divine Beings Killing Formation could not be used, so the Real Entity of Pangu, who they feared most, could not be called out. While with the support of the Sage, Goddess Nvywa, and Cosmic Stars Formation, the Demon Tribe was confident that it would win the great battle between the Sorcerer and Demon tribes when the limit of ten thousand of years expired.
But it was different now. The Wu Tribe created a new Ancestor of sorcerer, who could fill the vacancy of Houtu. Thus the present situation totally changed. The memories of the horror of the Real Entity of Pangu were still fresh in the minds of the Demon Tribe. How marvelous it was that a single chop of the ax could kill millions of their soldiers. Naturally, they were frightened as such a monstrous power had the opportunity to resurface.
In the Divine Wind Palace,looking over Untainted Land through the Heaven, Emperor Jun tightly grasped the Wu- killing Sword. He had thought that he could easily defeat the Wu Tribe, but who would have thought the Wu Tribe could create another Ancestor of sorcerer, which brought the situation between the two Tribes back to a subtle balance. The thought of this immediately irritated the Emperor.
Though the Demon Tribe managed to refine the Wu-killing Sword by killing the Human Tribe, they lost billions of crack troops at cost. Moreover, Emperor Jun himself was also injured and dishonored. He planned to find the Human Tribe to repay the humiliation that he had suffered after defeating the Wu Tribe. However, just at this time, the Wu Tribe had made movements which could change the situation. As a result, Emperor Jun could not restrain his rage any longer.
There was another matter which worried Emperor Jun. For the sake of refining the Wu-killing Sword, the Demon Tribe had wantonly slaughtered the Human Tribe, which disobeyed the harmony of heaven and caused the loss of billions of crack troops. As a result, Demon Tribe's Luck decreased a lot, which was not a trivial problem.
The birth of a new Ancestor of sorcerer had greatly boosted the morale as well as the Luck of the Wu Tribe. As the old saying goes, one side wanes, the other waxes. Now the Demon Tribe's Luck decreased while the Luck of the Wu Tribe increased. This was not a good sign. Though there were still four thousand years before the limit, it was long enough for many incidents to occur, and this was what Emperor Jun wanted to avoid.
Facing such a helpless situation, Emperor Jun could only seek help from others. "Fellow tribesmen. Recently, the Wu tribes has a new ancestor so the Twelve Divine Beings is filled. Once they set down the formation to summon the Real Entity of Pangu, what can we do to counter it?"
Bai Ze thought for a short then replied. "Your Majesty, maybe things are not as bad as we think. Though Chi You has been promoted to become an ancestor to fill Houtu's place, he may not be able to successfully replace Houtu. The formation's power will naturally be weakened. At that time, our Cosmic Stars Formation may contend with it."
Emperor Jun's eyes shone upon hearing his words. Indeed, Chiyou was just a new ancestor. He could not be compared to Houtu either in his Body or Origin. Even if they were able to set out the Twelve Divine Beings Killing Formation, the power would be greatly weakened, and the Real Entity of Pangu would not be as strong as it originally was.
Ji Meng lost in thought hearing what Bai Ze said. Seeing Emperor Jun was obviously moved, he decided to speak out his opinion for the benefits of the Demon Tribe, though he knew what he was about to say would destroy Emperor Jun's happiness."Your Majesty, I'm afraid that it might not be that simple." Ji Meng's words upset Emperor Jun as if he poured a bucket of ice-cold water on the Emperor's head.Bai Ze also showed a look of indignation as he just put forward his opinion, and then Ji Meng immediately disagreed with it. It made him really embarrassed.
Bai Ze hurried to voice his opinions because he was a mastermind during the Cultivation Tribulation of the Human Tribe. Although Emperor Jun was the one in charge later, the Heavenly Court suffered the loss of billions of soldiers, which decreased his fame. Thus, he was eager to offer to win his fame back. Thanks to Ji Meng, it had all backfired. How could Bai Ze not be upset?
Though Emperor Jun was slightly unhappy about it, he still asked Ji Meng for his opinion. "Ji Meng, what do you think?" Ji Meng was one of the Ten Great Demon Sages as well as the advisor in Demon Tribe. Since he had a different opinion, Emperor Jun had to listen to what he had to say. After all, it was regarding the future of the Demon Tribe, so no mistakes were allowed.
Ji Meng explained, "Your Majesty, though Chi You is newly promoted and perhaps incomparable to Houtu. But Your Majesty, please do not forget that a few thousand years ago, Twelve Ancestors of Sorcery were not as strong as the present. Maybe Chiyou was not powerful enough, but it was probable that the formation's power would be much stronger. So as the Real Entity of Pangu."
Once Ji Meng spoke his worries, the Emperor's face darkened. He forgot that during these thousand years, not only had his cultivation improved, the Wu Tribe's cultivation had improved as well. Even Chiyou's power was not weak than previous Houtu. If what Ji Meng said was true, then the Demon Tribe would face the crisis of tribe extinction.
Though the Demon Tribe's Cosmic Stars Formation was said to be on par with the Twelve Divine Beings Killing Formation, however, in terms of a single attack, the Cosmic Stars Formation was much weaker. It only worked as a group formation and even if they wanted to gather starlight to attack, the power would still be scattered. It would not be able to withstand the attack from the Real Entity of Pangu.
Chapter 120: Kunpeng's Scheme
Though Godness Nvywa was the first to ascend to be a Sage, her power was the worst among the others. Emperor Jun was quite clear about this fact. Besides, what she had been cultivating was the Way of Fate. It was far too weak for the real battlefield.
What worried Emperor Jun most was that Hou Tu, the sage of the Wu Tribe, would be unable to join the war as she was still trapped in the Nether World. What if Godness Nvywa was prohibited from helping? What if Ming He backed the Wu Tribe? After all, he had always been close to them. How would other sages pick their sides? Those questions worried Emperor Jun again.
Emperor Jun wore a look of concern and worry, making Ji Meng feel quite sorry. Yet he was simply stating the truth. After all, it was a life-and-death matter for the Demon Tribe and what Ji Meng chose to do was to help prevent any damages to their Tribe. To make the mistake of underestimating the power of the Wu Tribe would result in unexpected consequences or even the complete destruction of their Tribe.
The only thing Ji Meng could do was to offer his consolation. "Your Majesty, we have enough time to prepare since we're already aware of Chi You joining Ancestors of Sorcery. Without this mysterious sign, we wouldn't have found out at all. It's likely we would've been crushed unaware."
Emperor Jun was gripped by a crippling terror as he heard Ji Meng's words. He was right. Without the mysterious sign, their Tribe would be blindsided. When the Real Entity of Pangu really showed up, they would not even have the time to react to it, never mind securing a victory. Now that they knew about it, they could prepare for it.
Emperor Jun's worries worsened when he thought of the possibility of the Real Entity of Pangu emerging even stronger than before. If he could not come up with a way to deal with this, he would likely never be able to be at peace for the rest of his life. Thus he asked, "Ji Meng's right. Do any of you have any ideas to counter this issue?"
The sacred demons looked at one another, clearly not realizing that it was Ji Meng that Emperor Jun was looking at expectantly. Noticing the attention on him, Ji Meng wore an expression of helplessness for he could think of no countermeasure himself. He could only avert his eyes awkwardly. Emperor Jun could not help feeling disappointed when he heard nothing from Ji Meng. He turned to Fuxi who was deep in thought and realized he too had no ideas to offer. In the end, there was only one last person for him to look at. It was Kunpeng, the Demon Master.
For Emperor Jun, Kunpeng was quite the troublesome person. Though he forced Kunpeng to join Heavenly Court and made him keep a sliver of his Purusa in Godness Nvywa's Demon Summoning Banner, it had resulted in Kunpeng bearing a grudge against him. Ever since he joined, Kunpeng had never advised to any of their plans nor did he ever contributed anything to Heavenly Court. He was basically putting no effort at all. Yet Emperor Jun could not do anything to him, for he was, after all, the Demon Master.
Now that none of his advisers had any solutions, Kunpeng became his last hope. Though he was not on good terms with Kunpeng, Emperor Jun still had faith in his wisdom. Otherwise, Kunpeng would not have been able to create the Demon character back then. It would not be an easy task to make him talk, but as long as there was a glimmer of hope, Emperor Jun wanted to try his luck. "Kunpeng, you appear to be calm. Did you perhaps come up with any good countermeasures?" Deep in his meditation, Kunpeng opened his eyes. Now that Emperor Jun had asked him a question, he must give an answer. "Looks like I'll have to let you down. I have no countermeasures. I can only think deep and hard about this and hope to come up with something useful for our Tribe."
Kunpeng's placid and indifferent reply infuriated Emperor Jun, yet he managed to rein in his anger. Using Spiritual Thoughts, he spoke to Kunpeng. "Do you really not have a plan?" Emperor Jun was unsure if Kunpeng had any ideas, but even if Kunpeng did have any idea, he would likely not tell him. Even the Demon Tribe was defeated one day, Kunpeng could very well escape back to the Northern Underworld. Even if Godness Nvywa was a Sage, she would not go against the wills of the world and kill the Demon Master.
Kunpeng replied, also through Spiritual Thoughts, "I really have to disappoint you. It's not that I'm holding back, but I really don't have any plans." Though he was startled by the way Emperor Jun reached out to him, he still offered the same answer.
Emperor Jun lapsed into silence, pondering. A few seconds later, he gritted his teeth and made his decision. "Kunpeng, I know you're upset with the ways I handled things in the past, but I did that all for the sake of our Tribe. As long as you help solve this problem for us, I promise to ask Godness Nvywa to return your Original Spirit. What do you think?"
These words finally brought changes to Kunpeng's indifferent expression. The sliver of his Original Spirit summoned into the Demon Summoning Banner had always been his Achilles' heel. Now that he had an opportunity to regain it, how could he remain calm? "Deal. I do have a plan, but you must first make sure I regain my Original Spirit. That's the only way I'll feel reassured to plan my countermeasures wholeheartedly."
Emperor Jun was riled up with hatred to hear his words, but nevertheless made his promise. "I'll keep my promise, but you must first swear by yours." Their lack of trust went both ways, yet Emperor Jun was not worried Kunpeng would leave Heavenly Court after regaining his Original Spirit. After all, Kunpeng was now the Demon Master of the Demon Tribe. If he left now, his prestige in the Tribe would plummet. After all, no one in the Tribe would worship someone who abandoned them.
What worried Emperor Jun was that Kunpeng might still work perfunctorily. When that time came, he would have nothing to hold it against him. Kunpeng naturally understood what Emperor Jun meant, but he obediently made his oath to the Way of Heaven for the sake of regaining his Original Spirit.
Emperor Jun only felt reassured when Kunpeng made his oath. He instantly contacted Godness Nvywa through Spiritual Thoughts and asked her for the Original Spirit. Though she found it a strange request, she did as she was told. In no time at all, that Original Spirit transformed into a silver light that was absorbed into Kunpeng's mind.
Healing his wound in a corner, Taiyi was also full of confusion when he saw this scene. He naturally knew the light that went into Kunpeng's Sea of Consciousness was the Original Spirit that they forced him to surrender. He wondered why it was suddenly being returned to Kunpeng. Seeing as there was no response from Emperor Jun, he said nothing either. What he wanted to do was to recover from his injuries as soon as possible. If possible, he wanted to make a breakthrough. In his last fight against Musen, the outcome was a draw. How could that satisfy Taiyi?
The moment when his Original Spirit returned to him, Kunpeng felt refreshed and energized. Even his cultivation was improved. Basking in his good mood, he said, "I've just thought of an idea. Perhaps it may be of help." Emperor Jun immediately asked, "Oh, please enlighten us with your idea." Though he was unhappy with Kunpeng, it was insignificant compared to the possibility of having a countermeasure against the Real Entity of Pangu. After they destroy the Wu Tribe, Emperor Jun would have Kunpeng in the palm of his hand, free to crush as he wished.
Kunpeng replied, "Though our Cosmic Stars Formation has room for improvement, it will always be inferior to the Real Entity of Pangu. Instead of devoting our time to improve it, why don't we come up with a way to weaken their formation? This way, we have a better chance at winning."
Emperor Jun agreed with him, but he had no idea how to weaken the power of Twelve Divine Beings Killing Formation. He asked further, "What's your plan to abate their power? Their formation is arranged by Twelve Ancestors of Sorcery. Unlike ours, it can't be impaired simply by killing some Wu Tribesmen."
A sinister smile emerged on Kunpeng's face. He said maliciously, "What if they don't have Twelve Ancestors of Sorcery?" Kunpeng's words immediately reminded everyone that if the current Twelve Ancestors of Society lacked yet another member, there would be no formation. That would greatly enhance the Demon Tribe's chances at winning.
Emperor Jun was still doubtful. "Your suggestion is reasonable, but it's not impossible for the Wu Tribe to replace another Ancestor as they did for Chiyou. If that happens, then this plan would be basically ineffective."
Kunpeng laughed. "Didn't you notice that the vital force bursting from Chiyou when he became an Ancestor of Sorcery was similar to Houtu's? It must be that Houtu saved some Blood of Essence during his reincarnation. That must be the key point to the process of making a person into an Ancestor of Sorcery. So if one of them died, they would never be able to create another one, let alone the lay down the formation."
Once creatures died, their Blood of Essence couldn't be preserved. Even those collected in Minghe's Blood Sea were common blood, none of them from the Wu Tribe. All the Blood of Essence that Minghe refined also used common blood as its basis. The blood of the Ancestors of Sorcery was even more extraordinary that Minghe failed to extract even a single drop out of them. If the Demon Tribe truly killed one of the twelve, it was indeed impossible for Wu Tribe to create another one without a similar Blood of Essence.