Chapter 521: Initial Ancestor Human Emperor

In the Human Emperor Hall, there was a burly figure. Qin Mu ascended the steps of the divine hall, with the Ark clattering behind him on its mechanical legs. Qin Mu raised a hand, and the Ark stopped outside the hall, retracting its limbs and settling on the ground.

The Ark creaked open a slit. Through the gap, the Dragon Qilin's eyes darted around, seeing only desolate graves. After a moment of thought, it laboriously climbed out, belly close to the ground, carefully following Qin Mu. Its tail was also held very low, but not touching the ground, for fear of making a sound.

Suddenly, the Dragon Qilin felt something step on its tail, letting out a sharp yelp. All the fur and scales on its body bristled.

Qin Mu glared back at it. The Dragon Qilin quickly lifted a paw and stuffed it into its mouth, stifling any further sound.

Looking back, it saw the Ark stealthily following behind him. It was this thing that had stepped on its tail, scaring it half to death.

Qin Mu had a headache. He wanted to shoo them away but felt it inappropriate to do so in such a sacred and solemn place. He reluctantly let them follow behind him, whispering, "If you cause any more trouble, one of you will chop wood for the fire, and the other will be served on the table for dinner!"

He approached the figure from behind. It was then he realized he wasn't much shorter than the figure; he was still growing and only an inch shorter.

However, the figure still struck him as incredibly tall. This impression stemmed from the immense presence and aura that impacted his spirit.

The figure was the First Ancestor Human Emperor, whose stone statue Qin Mu had once seen in Little Jade Capital.

"You're the thirty-sixth Human Emperor, aren't you?"

The First Ancestor tilted his head and glanced at him. He was a man who appeared to be in his thirties, with a full beard, looking robust and exuding a profound sense of reliability.

"The thirty-seventh."

Qin Mu said, "The Village Chief is my master; he introduced me. This is my first time here."

He looked ahead and paused, realizing what the First Ancestor Human Emperor was looking at.

There were rows upon rows of bookshelves, holding countless books. The Human Emperor Hall was vast, but contrary to Qin Mu's expectations, there were no resplendent decorations, no tall, imposing divine statues, no hint of luxury. There were only endless bookshelves.

Qin Mu walked closer and picked up a book at random. The handwriting was unfamiliar, but he sensed a familiar sword intent emanating from the words.

This was a book written by the Village Chief.

The book discussed the cultivation techniques and divine arts of Star Lord Qiao of the High Heavens. The Village Chief had engaged with Star Lord Qiao many times and, in this book, analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of his various techniques and divine arts, studying their flaws.

Qin Mu put down that book and picked up another, which detailed the cultivation techniques and divine arts of Jade Monarch, along with their pros and cons. He quickly browsed other books, most of which contained experiences regarding the cultivation techniques and divine arts of the High Heavens' deities.

Qin Mu also found sword diagrams, a large stack of scrolls. The Village Chief had recorded how to cultivate his sword diagrams, the movements and intents of each sword form, clearly intended for future generations.

He moved to the second bookshelf, where the handwriting was grand and powerful, exuding a sense of explosive passion like a volcanic eruption. It must have been written by Human Emperor Qi Kang.

These books also described the strengths and weaknesses of the High Heavens' deities' cultivation techniques, along with his own speculated methods for breaking them. Additionally, they contained Human Emperor Qi Kang's own cultivation techniques and divine arts.

However, Human Emperor Qi Kang wrote in his books that anyone who practiced his techniques was a fool, as he had never defeated the High Heavens' deities in his entire life. Practicing his techniques would only lead one down his old path, and discouragement was evident between the lines.

"No wonder every generation of Human Emperors stubbornly forged new cultivation techniques instead of practicing their masters' methods." Qin Mu suddenly understood the past Human Emperors in Fengdu.

They were all failures, not wanting their disciples to repeat their mistakes. The reason they left behind their techniques was likely because these represented their life's work; they wanted successors but couldn't pass them to their own disciples.

This was perhaps their greatest regret.

"The books on these shelves are all strategies for flattening the High Heavens."

The First Ancestor Human Emperor walked over, caressing the books on the shelves. He said, "They all considered the High Heavens their greatest adversary, dedicating their entire lives to flattening it. Alas, they all failed. You can stay here and study for a while; it will help you forge your own path."

Qin Mu shook his head, saying, "Most of the High Heavens' deities have already been killed or wounded, and all four High Heavens Monarchs have died in battle. The High Heavens are no longer a serious threat. Aside from the cultivation techniques of past Human Emperors, most of the books on these shelves are now useless. My goal is not the High Heavens' deities, nor is it to flatten the High Heavens."

The First Ancestor Human Emperor looked at him with surprise. "What is your goal?"

Qin Mu looked directly into the eyes of the elder, stating solemnly, "My goal is to tear open this false sky, reform this unjust world, push forward through change, and recreate a golden age that does not belong to Emperor Kai!"

His gaze was fervent as he declared, "First Ancestor, isn't this also your goal?"

"No."

The First Ancestor's eyes dimmed, and he shook his head. "I don't have such grand ideals as you. I've been worn down by time and enemies. You're still young, still full of drive and ambition, while I'm just a weary, dispirited old man. Sooner or later, time will wear you down, and enemies will wear you down. When that day comes, you will arrive at the Human Emperor Hall, just like the other Human Emperors, and leave behind books, chronicling your failures, hoping that future generations will achieve what you could not."

His voice grew colder, becoming increasingly cruel: "You are a failure, just like them. You will quietly build a thatched hut, sitting in it with all hope extinguished. You won't want your successor to walk your failed path, but the responsibility of the Human Emperor will force you to seek a successor. In that hut, you will shed tears of regret, you will resent the master you once respected, and you will carve a tombstone for yourself, inscribing your failures upon it."

He sneered, "You will feel unworthy of a grave, unworthy of meeting your ancestors, and then you will draw your last breath, just like those dried bones in the thatched hut!"

Qin Mu's eyes widened, looking at him in disbelief, feeling that the image of the wise and mighty First Ancestor Human Emperor in his heart had suddenly shattered!

The First Ancestor said coldly, "Do you still want to be the Human Emperor? I'll tell you a cruel truth: there is no Human Emperor in this world!"

His voice was utterly chilling: "When I rescued various races from the Great Catastrophe back then, I already knew I was a failure! I saved them because I was weak; I couldn't bear to see these mortals, these races die before me. But I was merely a deserter!"

He laughed loudly, pointing to the countless tombs shrouded in mist outside the Human Emperor Hall. He roared, "I am a deserter from this battlefield! When I fled, all I thought about was getting away from this hell! I ran, I didn't fight alongside them, I fled alone! Countless times I've wondered what would have happened if I had stayed. There's only one outcome: I would have become a corpse, just like them!"

He laughed, somewhat maniacally: "Yes, they died, and I lived, becoming the Human Emperor in the hearts of the people! People revere me because I led them to a place where they could survive, but what does that matter? I merely turned them into prisoners. The entire sky is fake, it's a giant cage, an inescapable prison, and everyone is a prisoner within that cage! I didn't lead them to freedom; I just delivered them into the gods' prison!"

"Human Emperor? Haha, Human Emperor! There is no Human Emperor in this world at all!"

His hair bristled with rage as he took a step forward, closing in on Qin Mu. His terrifying aura forced Qin Mu to retreat continuously. "Discard your ridiculous fantasy, shed the burden on your heart. You are not the Human Emperor. From beginning to end, the Human Emperor has been a sham, merely the perpetrator who delivered humanity into the gods' cage!"

His aura made it difficult for Qin Mu to breathe, forcing him to channel all his vital qi to resist.

"Then why did you come back?"

Qin Mu's chest was nearly flattened. He gasped for air with difficulty and shouted, "Why did you come back to erect tombstones for these fallen warriors? Why did you bury them? Why are their weapons of battle placed beneath their monuments?"

The First Ancestor's aura suddenly calmed. He lowered his head. "I came back, back to this battlefield, to bury them, because I feel remorse. I know I am not worthy of being the Human Emperor; I am here to atone."

Qin Mu said, incredulous, "Do you have no hope in your heart?"

The First Ancestor said expressionlessly, "No. Young man, abandon the illusions in your heart. This Human Emperor farce should have ended long ago."

Qin Mu lowered his head. After a moment, he looked up, a bright, boyish smile, as sunny as ever, gracing his face. "You failed, they failed, but I haven't failed yet. If you won't be the Human Emperor, I will."

The First Ancestor sneered, a mocking expression on his face. "What makes you think you can?"

Qin Mu declared loudly, "My surname is Qin, my ancestor is Emperor Kai, I possess the bloodline of the Qin clan of Carefree Village, and I am also a Hegemon Body. I will do it! Is there a problem?"

The First Ancestor tilted his head, sneering, "You have too many titles, too much glory in your heart. What does the bloodline of Emperor Kai matter? Emperor Kai himself failed and hasn't appeared for twenty thousand years. And what of the Hegemon Body? The Hegemon Body is just a legend; I've never heard of a Hegemon Body achieving anything. You're just a brash youth, a mere child... Let me shatter your illusions!"

He flicked his sleeve and suddenly attacked Qin Mu.

Qin Mu's heart jolted, and he hastily blocked. However, he was surprised to find that the force from the attack wasn't particularly strong.

The First Ancestor's power erupted, and the residual force of his divine art immediately swept the books from the shelves, sending them rustling and fluttering into the air.

"Don't destroy these books!"

Qin Mu was furious. He roared, punching out, and behind him, a bell chimed, and a great Buddha materialized. Fourteen layers of divine Buddhas hummed around it, forming fourteen halos of light.

"Techniques of the Great Thunderclap Temple, mere trifles."

The First Ancestor effortlessly shattered the attack and struck Qin Mu's chest with a punch, saying calmly, "With just this, you can't protect the books, nor can you protect yourself."

Qin Mu was sent flying by the punch. While still airborne, he transformed into a shadow, skimming across the ground. The First Ancestor tapped the ground with his toe, forcing Qin Mu out of the shadow form, then channeled vital qi into a sword, thrusting it towards Qin Mu's glabella.

"With such meager skill, you'll only face a dead end in the future!"

The First Ancestor sneered, "You too are a failure."

Qin Mu was enraged. He gathered qi into a sword and pointed, their vital qi swords clashing with a metallic clang. Explosions rang out continuously, and the books falling from the air were shredded by sword qi.

Qin Mu's eyes were bloodshot. "Don't destroy their life's work!"

"Come and block me."

The First Ancestor chuckled darkly. "If you can't defeat me, what you leave behind will only be a pile of worthless junk!"