The Human Emperor

Chapter 1328: Liuyao City!

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Now that Wang Chong was available, he could begin to deal with his master’s enemies.

“Your master and I have already defeated one group, but they managed to successfully escape. The news on the Origin Immortal Art has probably already been spread throughout the martial arts world, and this search for the Origin Immortal Art won’t be as simple as we imagined,” the Wushang Village Chief said.

“Let them come. If it’s one or one hundred, I’ll kill them all. It’s perfect, as I can deal with them all at once!”

The Demonic Emperor Old Man’s eyes erupted with cold light.

Ever since he had retired to the capital, his temper had greatly improved and he had been able to look past many things, barely paying any attention to what was going on with the sects. But this did not mean that he did not care at all. Since these people wanted to try and come at him again, he didn’t mind massacring them all.

“Brother Zhang, we should still think this matter over carefully,” the Wushang Village Chief urged. He was very old, and unlike the Demonic Emperor Old Man, he was not so bloodthirsty. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he wished to avoid killing as a solution.

“Child, for this journey to the northwest, you must be careful. We’ve already encountered many groups of men in black there, and they seemed to be very interested in the Origin Immortal Art. Given that you are also one of their targets, you must act very cautiously.”

Swish!

As the Village Chief spoke, the Demonic Emperor Old Man suddenly thrust his finger up into the air like a sword, sending a fierce bolt of energy blasting through the roof of the carriage and high into the sky.

Creee!

A plaintive screech could be heard high in the air, and then a moment later, an eagle with a wingspan of five to six feet plummeted from the heavens, struck through by that bolt of energy.

Eagles flew at such incredibly high altitudes that even the strongest bows found it difficult to reach them, but this was completely useless against the Demonic Emperor Old Man.

Buzz!

This sudden movement attracted the attention of the other two within the carriage.

“Was it the one from before?” the Wushang Village Chief asked.

“I don’t know, but we’ll know once we take a look,” the Demonic Emperor Old Man calmly replied.

Whoosh!

A moment later, a gust of wind caused the fallen eagle to curve through the air and fall into the carriage, where it thumped onto the floor.

Wang Chong, the Demonic Emperor Old Man, and the Wushang Village Chief immediately turned their eyes on the eagle.

The eagle lay on the ground in a disheveled heap of feathers. A bloody hole as thick as a finger piercing through its heart had snatched away its life.

“Its physique is muscular and its legs and wings are extremely sturdy. This isn’t some ordinary eagle, but one that has been specially trained,” Wang Chong assessed after glancing at the bird.

Old Eagle had raised many kinds of birds, and Wang Chong had gradually begun to understand the differences between them.

There were clear differences in constitution between trained eagles and wild ones, and there were many details present on this bird that told him that it had been raised. The Wushang Village Chief silently turned to the Demonic Emperor Old Man, a questioning look in his eyes.

The Demonic Emperor Old Man had the strongest cultivation of the three, and his Myriad Spirit Sea Art also made him far more perceptive than most.

The Demonic Emperor Old Man glanced at the dead eagle and shook his head. “It’s not the one from before.”

“Then it might not be those people,” the Wushang Village Chief said. “Although we need to be extremely careful on this expedition, the Silk Road is a trade route linking the east and west. It has always been extremely active, and it’s commonplace for the caravans to use birds.”

The Wushang Village Chief searched the eagle’s corpse as he spoke. As expected, a metal tube used for holding letters was revealed on its feet. The eagle’s plumage had been so dense that the metal tube was not easily noticeable.

“Let it go!”

The Demonic Emperor Old Man creased his brow upon seeing this tube. With a wave of his hand, he fired off a bolt of energy that sent the eagle’s corpse flying out of the carriage.

Since they were sure that this eagle did not belong to ‘them’, the Demonic Emperor Old Man cared little about seeing what inside the tube.

“Old Sirs, has something happened?’

The voice of the driver came from outside, the two explosions from the carriage having alarmed him.

“It’s fine. Continue onward!” the Demonic Emperor Old Man sternly said.

The carriage fell quiet as it continued its journey to the northwest.

……

Not long after the carriage had left, several figures emerged from the nearby forest in a flash of light, stopping by the discarded eagle corpse.

“This eagle was flying at least six thousand feet in the air. Not even an arrow could shoot it down, but its heart was pierced through with a single finger! How terrifying!”

The men in black broke out in a cold sweat as they gazed at the corpse of the eagle.

“Their sensory abilities are too strong. Fortunately, we kept our distance, or else we wouldn’t have even known how we died,” another man in black said.

The third man in black finally spoke. “Report this matter. Normal methods are useless against them. We’ll need to use a different one.”

He swiftly stepped forward, got down on one knee, and lightly pulled on the eagle’s leg, taking off the metal tube that had been tied to it.

“Fortunately, I managed to switch out eagles in time. If I hadn’t tied this letter tube to its leg, we would have already been exposed.

“Let’s go. The mission ends here. It’s up to them now. I hear that even a venerable senior has been mobilized. These fellows won’t be able to escape!”

As they spoke, they picked up the eagle and vanished.

……

Inside the carriage, the Demonic Emperor Old Man said, “Liuyao City is up ahead. Farther up ahead is Jade Gate Pass. The place we’re going to is bereft of inhabitants for several hundred li, so this will be the last place where we can rest. We’ll stop there and take on some rations and beans for the horses to eat, and then we can be on our way again.”

Several days had passed without any incident. Given how much time they had already spent searching for the Origin Immortal Art, the Demonic Emperor Old Man and the Wushang Village Chief were extremely familiar with the area.

They soon entered Liuyao City. This place was rather sparsely inhabited, with only several thousand households living within it. These were all merchants of the Silk Road who had decided to settle and open up small stores here. This, coupled with the fact that the Imperial Court had set up a hostel here, had caused Liuyao City to slowly take form.

“Food and drink! Food and drink!”

As the carriage passed through the ancient stone gateway, one could see the banner of a tavern hanging from a house by the side of the road. A waiter was standing beneath this banner, a towel on his shoulder and his waist bowed. The moment he saw Wang Chong’s group, he immediately came forward to attract some customers.

“Guests, are you heading west past Jade Gate Pass? By coming to our Liuyao City, you’ve come to the right place. Wine, meat, salted beef, salted peanuts, beans… everything is available.

“There’s no need to hesitate. In all of Liuyao City, we are one of the few places where you can stay the night and replenish supplies. The sandstorms here are fierce and we’re not often in business, but you came at just the right time. Our boss just got a new batch of products from the interior. If you missed out on this chance, you would have to wait another month,” the waiter enthusiastically said.

“Let’s go. This place truly is rarely open for business. Let’s head inside and rest a little,” the Demonic Emperor Old Man said. The three of them got off the carriage and entered the tavern.

Wang Chong walked in with his hands held behind his back, observing his surroundings. This was the first time he had gone out with his master in search of the Origin Immortal Art. The route his master and the Wushang Village Chief had chosen was completely different from the route toward the west. It was much more barren and remote, and some places were nothing but stones and sand. Taking on supplies was an absolute necessity.

“Come, come, come! Guests, please sit. It’s so nice to see you! This platter of salted peanuts is a gift from our boss.”

Inside the tavern, a waiter came up with a plate of peanuts. Even though Liuyao City was beset by wind and sand, the tavern was surprisingly clean. It was decorated in a simple and plain style, and though it couldn’t compare to the capital, it was more than Wang Chong had expected.

Wang Chong, the Demonic Emperor Old Man, and the Wushang Village Chief chose a place in the tavern to sit.

“Prepare two bags of horse fodder and rations for four enough to last for four days. In addition, prepare two flintstones and six bags of water. Finally, arrange a meal for our driver as well,” the Wushang Village Chief said. Everything was handled properly, and Wang Chong, who was his junior, was left with nothing to do except sit.

A few moments later, wine and food were served. The remoteness of the city and the fierce sandstorms meant that there were very few vegetables. Jerky, salted peanuts, and salted beef were the most welcomed food here, and these made up the majority of the foods the tavern had prepared for its guests. Moreover, the dry weather meant that these foods would not easily rot or decay.

“Brother Zhang, come. Let’s eat.”

The Village Chief, seated across from the Demonic Emperor Old Man, took up a pair of chopsticks which he used to take a piece of salted beef.

“Wait!”

Surprisingly, Wang Chong stopped the two of them and took a piece of silver from his bosom. Wang Chong would usually take a few loose pieces of silver and gold with him when he went out, and at a time like this, silver had another use.

Buzz!

Wang Chong flicked his finger, immediately turning the piece of silver into a needle which he stabbed into the foods.

“Master, it’s fine,” Wang Chong calmly said, taking back the silver needle. Now that they were outside and were facing the threat of the men in black, there was no harm in being cautious.

The Demonic Emperor Old Man and Wushang Village Chief subtly nodded at this sight. Although Wang Chong had no experience in the underworld, he was very meticulous, a rare and valuable trait.

The three of them took up their chopsticks and began to happily eat.

Time slowly passed, and the three of them began to relax. The food on the plates dwindled away, with some of the plates already being completely empty.

“Heheheh!”

At this moment, no one noticed a black silhouette watching all this from a corner, coldly chuckling to themselves.