The Human Emperor

Chapter 1333: Playing with Men in Bamboo Hats!

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

“Ah!”

The leader of the men in black covered his head with his hands, his eyes going white as cold sweat poured out. Inhuman cries came from his mouth and it seemed like he was on the verge of death.

“Chong-er, give up. He’s almost dead!” the Demonic Emperor Old Man said as he withdrew his foot.

The man in black was twitching and writhing, rolling around in pain. Finally, his body went stiff, he exhaled his last breath, and he stopped moving. Around him, the ground was stained with his blood.

All was quiet. Whether it was Wang Chong, the Wushang Village Chief, or the Demonic Emperor Old Man, all of them were rendered speechless by the man’s gruesome death. The Wushang Village Chief was particularly shocked. He had long ago heard that this organization of black-clothed men was extremely strict and cruel, but hearing was different from seeing. It was clear that before his death, this man in black had endured an extremely intense and indescribable pain.

“These scoundrels are truly willing to do anything!” the Demonic Emperor Old Man coldly said. He had never had any good impression of these men in black, and it certainly wasn’t improving now.

The Wushang Village Chief walked over and soothingly said, “Child, what information did you obtain from his mind?”

“Mm!”

Wang Chong nodded.

“This appears to be rather troublesome. These people are just a vanguard. There seem to be several formidable fellows behind. In addition, just like you and Master realized, their base really is in the northwest,” Wang Chong sternly said, and then he revealed what he had seen in the mind of the man in black.

Both the Wushang Village Chief and the Demonic Emperor Old Man fell silent. Despite the man’s death, Wang Chong had still managed to get a lot of useful information from his mind.

“It seems like this northwest excursion will be quite troublesome,” the Demonic Emperor Old Man said, a cloud of worry forming on his brow.

“Let’s talk about this matter later. We should leave this place as quickly as possible first,” the Wushang Village Chief said.

The men in black had no scruples. Wang Chong searched the area and quickly found the bodies of the owner and waiter in the basement of the tavern. And many people within Liuyao City had also been either captured or killed.

These discoveries made the three of them gnash their teeth in anger.

After freeing those who had been imprisoned, taking on some supplies, and searching the men in black, the three of them left.

Not long after Wang Chong’s party had left, three horsemen wearing black wide-sleeved robes and wearing bamboo hats appeared in Liuyao City, stopping in front of the ruined tavern.

“We’re too late. The battle is already over,” said one.

“Go and investigate!” This second voice was neither too loud nor too soft, yet tinged with the dignity of a superior. The owner of this voice was clearly the leader of this party of three.

The three of them dismounted and headed to where the fiercest fighting had taken place. The tavern was deserted; only piles of rubble remained.

“The corpses have all been destroyed. I smell the Fire of Mara.”

“The target did this!”

The three scanned the area and finally settled their gazes on where the leader of the black-clothed men had died.

“The mission was a complete failure. The target is even more troublesome to deal with than we imagined. It seems like we’ll have to gather more men,” lamented one of the three strange men wearing bamboo hats

“What a pile of trash! In order to render service that they could report to their superiors, they disregarded this one’s orders and struck first. Not even death can redeem them. Let’s go! We can’t let the target escape! His Lordship has no love for incompetent failures! They can’t have run very far!”

Whoosh!

The three of them quickly remounted their horses, their capes flapping behind them as they rode off in the direction Wang Chong’s carriage had vanished.

Several hours later, the three of them stopped in front of a steep cliff. They looked down at the apparently bottomless abyss in shock.

“Bastard! We were played!”

The three of them all had nasty grimaces. Based on the time and distance, they should have caught up to Wang Chong’s group by now, but this was clearly not the reality they were facing.

It was clear that Wang Chong had cast down a false trail before leaving.

“Damn it! Pass on my order! Immediately find a method to find the target’s location! I want their location as quickly as possible!”

The leader gnashed his teeth.

“Yes!”

……

Time slowly passed, a peaceful period for Wang Chong’s group, undisturbed by anyone’s attacks.

Whoosh!

Wang Chong was seated cross-legged on the ground. He slowly exhaled and opened his eyes, which were much clearer than before.

After several days of cultivation, the assistance of his master and the Village Chief, and the removal of quite a few disorderly strains of Stellar Energy, Wang Chong had greatly improved. The conflicts of Stellar Energy in his body had been stabilized. In particular, the energy of Lu Wu he had absorbed during his last battle had filled his body to the brim with pure vitality that increased Wang Chong’s ability to resist the chaotic Stellar Energies.

“Not bad! You have very high comprehension abilities and have already grasped your master’s method. Starting from now, remember that it’s best to avoid attacking if possible. Let me and your master handle everything. In addition, if you must strike, try to avoid absorbing any energy. If you can use any technique besides the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art, then do so. Your master and I have calculated that in your current condition, if you don’t meet a particularly strong enemy, you can fight for about five minutes. If you continue to use Stellar Energy after this, you will worsen the injuries in your body. If you injure your dantian, you will probably end up like your master and your dantian will shatter!

“Not everyone can be like your master, so cautious that he can go ten years without a major problem and can still survive even after his cultivation is dispersed. Wang Chong, you absolutely cannot be careless!” the Wushang Village Chief warned.

“Many thanks, Village Chief. Wang Chong understands,” Wang Chong seriously said.

In the last few days, Wang Chong, his master, and the Village Chief were in constant company with each other. Besides having his injuries stabilized, Wang Chong also listened to his two elders explain many martial arts problems. Although his injuries had still not been healed, Wang Chong was improving his understanding of the martial path.

“We’ll be there soon. The area for several hundred li around is basically a wilderness without any residents, but many experts have gathered here. Unless it’s necessary, it’s best if we don’t reveal ourselves. After all, it’s not good for you to fight in your condition,” the Demonic Emperor Old Man said in his elderly voice.

The Demonic Emperor Old Man had a very solemn expression. This was not the first time he and the Wushang Village Chief had come to this place. Many experts had gathered in this region, and even the two of them had to be careful.

“Your disciple understands!” Wang Chong respectfully said.

As they were speaking, a loud shout came from up ahead.

“Du Wucheng, you can’t run!”

“Hand over the treasure map!”

This roar was ruthless and resounded through the air like a crack of thunder. Following this was a massive explosion that could clearly be heard from several li away, followed by the clanging of swords and sabers.

The carriage compartment instantly fell quiet, all three occupants frowning in silence. Wang Chong knew that this region wouldn’t be very peaceful, but Wang Chong had never imagined that they would encounter a battle between martial artists while they were still so far away from their destination. Swish! Wang Chong extended a finger, raising a curtain so that he could look out.

Several li away, amongst the green hills, two groups were fighting with each other, one in front and one behind. Several figures at the front were apparently putting up a grim resistance as if to buy time for the person they were protecting to escape. But it was clear that they were no match.

“Ah!”

With a chorus of miserable screams, the several people holding the rear were cut down. And then a sharp arrow that was as thick as a finger shot out from the green hills, whistling toward that martial artist at the very front called Du Wucheng.

This person immediately dropped down from the sky and crashed to the ground, where he ceased to move.

This battle had ended much faster than anyone had imagined. Even if Wang Chong had wanted to intervene, it was too late.

“Forget it! Let them be!” the Demonic Emperor Old Man softly said, apparently thinking of something. “Although this place is remote, martial artists from many different sects have gathered here. Although there have been many true and fake maps over the many years and no one has yet found the Supreme and Infinite Origin Immortal Art, some progress has still been made. In this place, the mere mention of the word ‘treasure map’ can be lethal, let alone anything more. You can’t stop any of this.”

As the Demonic Emperor of the martial arts world who inspired dread in all who heard his name, he had clearly become accustomed to this sort of killing.

“Since we’re here, we might as well take a look.”

Wang Chong hesitated for a moment, then he opened the carriage door and flew out. A few moments later, he arrived at the site of the battle, a large hill which was stained with blood. The battle was over by now, with corpses strewn across the ground.

“It seems like I came too late!”

Wang Chong sighed. From the clothes these people were wearing, they were probably from some sort of sect. Although Wang Chong was a person of extremely high status in the court, he had very little interaction with the people of the martial arts world. Now that he was seeing with his own eyes the pursuits and battles of the martial arts world, he realized that they were completely different from the fighting on the battlefield.

“Ah!”

Just as Wang Chong was preparing to leave, he heard a noise. The martial artist at the top of the hill whose left chest had been pierced through by an arrow had suddenly groaned, his fingers trembling.