Chapter 520: Human Emperor Hall Ancestral Worship

"What's happening with those Human Emperors? Why is it so lively?"

In Fengdu City, the King of Hell stood before the Qin King's Palace, looking out at the city. He saw swathes of houses and palaces collapsing and asked, bewildered, "Are they fighting their masters again? This time it seems quite violent..."

A large bird flew over, landed, and transformed into the Vermilion Splendor God-man, who had a bird's head and human body. He tidied his feathers and shook his head, saying, "Your Majesty, you guessed wrong. This time, it's not the disciples beating their masters; it's the masters, along with their grand-masters and patriarchs, beating the disciple. The Human Emperor surnamed Su returned, and then he was ganged up on by his master, grand-master, and patriarch. He was beaten so miserably that he couldn't even die if he wanted to."

The King of Hell asked in surprise, "They changed the rules?"

"I don't know either. It seems to be related to the Hegemon Body. Human Emperor Su brought a rubbing, claiming it was a legend of the Hegemon Body from forty thousand years ago. At first, the Second Ancestors and others listened with smiles, very amiably. Then they surrounded him and started beating him."

The Vermilion Splendor God-man paused and continued, "Then Human Emperor Su resisted, and they beat him even harder, accusing him of deceiving his masters and annihilating his ancestors, or of plotting against them, and even of allowing the younger Human Emperors to beat them. I was quite confused by it all, but Human Emperor Su was beaten very badly. Other gods and demons didn't dare to step forward to intervene, and the Cult Master of the Heavenly Saint Cult was cheering them on, saying 'well done,' as if he feared peace. Should we stop them?"

The King of Hell was silent for a moment, then said, "No need. If you go to stop them, they'll just team up to beat you instead."

Late at night, the Great Ruins in the darkness remained bustling with countless monsters. Star-Gazer walked through the gloom, his divine light repelling the encroaching dark matter, as he headed toward the location marked on Ling Yuxiu's map.

Suddenly, his mind was greatly shaken. He saw a vast sealed space, with swathes of forest appearing in all corners—top, bottom, left, and right—of this enormous cube. Within this sealed space, a gigantic vessel, many times larger than the Sun Ship or Moon Ship, appeared!

That was the gigantic vessel, the Ark of the Beyond, built by the Celestial Works Divine Race of the Kaihuang Celestial Court, intended for travel to Carefree Village!

However, this ship was tattered and broken, clearly having endured a bloody battle that rendered it unable to proceed!

Star-Gazer also saw the danger of this place and hesitated somewhat, but ultimately stepped inside. After all, he was the most powerful being in the world today; although he perceived the danger, he was confident he could leave at will.

Not long after, he arrived at a small village in the forest. Star-Gazer's heart stirred, and he indeed saw the same pattern as on the jade pendant: "The little princess of the Ling family didn't lie to me!"

Just then, he sensed he wasn't alone. The gate of a woodcutter's yard opened, revealing a figure with their back to him.

"Is this the person I'm looking for?"

Star-Gazer couldn't help but feel excited. He took out a mirror and held it up, facing away from the person. In the mirror, the person turned their head, revealing a face full of wrinkles, and smiled at him, "Ah ah!"

Star-Gazer was slightly startled. It was an old man, not the person he was looking for. However, this old man also carried a box, and beside it was a blacksmith's furnace.

"You are very strong."

Star-Gazer turned around and said calmly, "You make me feel the joy of encountering a formidable opponent. I can sense the immense and terrifying battle power within you! You might be the most formidable opponent I've encountered in recent years."

"Ah ah!" The old man's face wrinkled like an orange peel, and he smiled very happily, making a couple of gestures with his hands.

Star-Gazer didn't understand and simply said, "I very much want to collect you. Show me your strongest technique; let me see what you can do."

Boom—

The old man's great furnace burst into flames, the inferno soaring over ten miles high. Star-Gazer immediately felt as if the space was about to be scorched. But the most terrifying thing wasn't the furnace; the real threat came from within the unassuming old man himself.

Suddenly, dazzling divine light erupted from the old man's dantian, as if a small sun had exploded within him, releasing unparalleled energy!

Star-Gazer grew excited. Then he saw a divine bridge spanning the sky behind the old man. On the divine bridge, his primordial spirit, with a bird's head and human body, radiated unparalleled heat. It leaped up, crossed the bridge, and entered the Celestial Court on the other side.

Rumble!

The old man's magic power surged violently again, and the intense heat distorted space. Suddenly, the box opened automatically, and countless silver pellets flew out. These pellets flowed like water, attaching themselves to the old man's body, instantly transforming him into a general clad in silver armor. The silver light in his hands materialized into two massive hammers, with which he swung down at Star-Gazer!

As the hammer fell, Star-Gazer actually felt as if he had become a stubborn piece of iron on an anvil, about to be forged into whatever shape the old man desired!

"So strong! Stronger than the divine realm dantians of all the powerful beings I've collected before!"

Star-Gazer was inexplicably excited. He raised his hand, and water patterns swirled, while a vast phantom of the ocean appeared behind him, roaring with waves. He met the attack head-on, then was blasted out of the small village.

The old man charged forward, his two great hammers rising and falling in wide, open swings, attacking him wildly. The two fought ceaselessly through the mountains and forests. Star-Gazer laughed loudly, "What a body, what a dantian! I must make you part of my collection! Solitary yin does not generate, solitary yang does not grow. You walk the path of pure yang, fierce and overbearing, but it cannot last! Your ferocity places too great a burden on your physical body, making it hard to bear, which is why you appear so aged. Unless you refine your physical body into a divine realm, you cannot withstand the divine power of your dantian's great furnace. If you continue to fight, you will certainly exceed your physical limits, and you will undoubtedly lose!"

Just then, the old man, unable to sustain himself, suddenly withdrew his hammers. The silver armor on his body flowed down to his feet, transforming into a silver horse, and the old man spurred it away.

Star-Gazer hastily rushed forward, but suddenly his feet met empty air. They had arrived in the space where the Ark of the Beyond was located, surrounded by colossal fragments of the broken ark.

Star-Gazer saw that the silver horse beneath the old man was gradually slowing down, knowing that the man's dantian was too powerful, already endangering his physical body, and that he couldn't hold on much longer. So he pursued him again.

A moment later, cold sweat broke out on Star-Gazer's forehead. He had lost sight of the old man but found himself trapped in this dangerous place, with seals and restrictions omnipresent in the surrounding air, making his progress difficult.

Suddenly, the old man reappeared, sitting at the bow of a small silver boat, wearing a conical bamboo hat he'd found from who knows where.

Star-Gazer steadied himself, his eye twitching. He wanted to charge forward but was blocked by empty space.

The old man grinned, revealing a mouth without a tongue. He made a gesture as if lightly wiping his neck, and the silver boat drifted away.

Star-Gazer was furious. He suddenly felt that the old man's smile was somewhat familiar; he seemed to have seen it somewhere before.

"This smile, I must have seen it, I must have seen it..."

He calmed himself, pushed the image of the old man's grin out of his mind, and concentrated on finding a way to leave. Just as he was about to complete the deciphering of the first rune seal, Qin Mu's smile suddenly appeared in his mind, overlapping with the mute old man's smile. His mind was thrown into chaos, and he was blasted away by that rune seal.

Qin Mu's smile almost completely overlapped with the mute old man's, the only difference being that Qin Mu's smile was guileless, while the mute old man's smile carried a slyness!

"I..."

Divine blood welled up in Star-Gazer's throat, but he suppressed it, saying, "I'm not angry, I'm not angry, I absolutely won't let him ruin my Dao heart, I... Waaah—"

He still couldn't hold back a mouthful of divine blood, which he spewed out, his face pale and withered. He let out a furious roar: "Divine Physician Qin, I will never let you off!"

Qin Mu followed the guiding light, walking out of the Great Ruins. His journey led him from the Great Ruins to the southern border of Yankang. The area was teeming with insects and snakes, and human traces were rare. The further he walked along the light, the more desolate the landscape became.

Finally, at sunrise, the guiding light transformed into a small portal on a mountaintop, appearing before him. On this small mountaintop, there was only this single portal made of light. Qin Mu looked around and saw nothing but desolate mountains and wilderness; there were no signs of human habitation, just barren peaks.

Dragon Qilin lifted his head, surveyed his surroundings, and upon seeing the sun rise, couldn't help but cheer with joy, "Cult Master, it's dawn, breakfast..."

Qin Mu pushed open the door. This solitary portal opened, and light streamed out from within. He stepped into the light and walked in.

Dragon Qilin quickly rode his box and rushed in after him. Their figures vanished, and the light portal dimmed and disappeared on its own.

A moment later, Qin Mu appeared on a desolate and silent land. The barren mountains and wilderness from before paled in comparison to the desolation before him now.

Before him lay collapsed temples everywhere, and pervasive mists. Within the mist stood countless tombstones, with graves behind each one. The ruined walls, tombstones, and graves struck his heart.

In the distance, only one palace remained relatively intact, standing solitary amidst the mist.

Qin Mu walked forward, surveying the vast space. The countless tombstones in the mist formed the landscape of the Human Emperor's Hall.

He came to the first grave and looked at the tombstone. It read: "Tomb of Heavenly Court's Western High General, Wei Ming," and beneath the tombstone lay a blood-stained shield.

Qin Mu came to the second grave. The tombstone read: "Tomb of Heavenly Court's Tiger Ben Army Centurion, Ding Yunhe," and beneath the tombstone lay a helmet.

He continued to walk forward. It was completely silent here; even Dragon Qilin, who had been clamoring for breakfast, dared not speak. He trembled, tucked his tail, and suddenly lifted the lid of the box, scrambling inside to hide, not daring to show his face.

Qin Mu examined the tombstones one by one. Many graves had no inscriptions, presumably because the person who erected the stone did not know the name of the deceased.

These graves formed a path leading to the Human Emperor's Hall within the mist.

After an unknown period, Qin Mu finally approached the Human Emperor's Hall. A thatched hut came into view. Inside the hut, a skeleton sat cross-legged, its head bowed. Beside it lay a fallen stone tablet. Even as mere bones, one could tell that the person had been robust in life, with large finger joints, suggesting mastery of seal arts, palm techniques, and fist methods.

Qin Mu brushed the dust off the stone tablet and was stunned. The stone tablet read: "Human Emperor Qi Kang, feeling that he accomplished nothing in this life, had no face to erect a monument, no face to be buried, no face to meet his ancestors. Buried in a thatched hut, not a grave for his bones."

Qin Mu opened his box, took out candles, spirit money, and offerings. He respectfully lit incense and paid tribute to Human Emperor Qi Kang.

He walked out of the hut and then saw another hut nearby. Inside were several severed hands and feet, and another fallen stone tablet. On the tablet was only the character 'Su', written with a broken sword, half-finished, with the broken sword still stuck in the unfinished inscription. "Village Chief..."

He knew that when the Village Chief came here, he originally intended to end his life, but because the Human Emperor Seal had not been passed on, he couldn't die yet. So, he buried his severed hands and feet here. He didn't even dare to write his own name because at that time, he hadn't yet left behind his legacy.

Qin Mu came to the third thatched hut. Here too was a skeleton, short in stature; it was Human Emperor Yi Shan. The tombstone also had a few brief lines of text: "Human Emperor Yi Shan, defeated by the Celestial Heavens, had no face to be buried and meet his benefactor master. Future generations need not worship me."

Qin Mu came to the fourth thatched hut. It also contained a skeleton, its hand bones clasping a flower basket: "Human Emperor Lan Po, accomplished nothing in his life, ashamed of his benefactor master's teachings..."

Qin Mu entered each thatched hut, paid his respects, and witnessed two thousand years of history of the Human Emperor's Hall. He had seen these Human Emperors before in Fengdu, where they would beat and curse their masters, showing great disharmony. But here, in the thatched huts of the Human Emperor's Hall, Qin Mu saw their reverence for their benefactor masters and their regret for their own failures.

Qin Mu arrived in front of the Human Emperor's Hall and saw a figure's back.