Chapter 528

Chapter 528: The King of Humanity

Knock, knock, knock.

Founding Emperor Yan rode a galloping horse, racing across the plains of Zhong Province.

As for where to go, he did not have a clear answer in his heart.

In fifty years, during its peak, the Flying Fish Guard spread across Jiu Province like stars in the night sky, connecting here and there to almost cover the whole land of Jiu Province with their intuition.

But now that was all in the past; the arrival of the True Immortal was like dark clouds covering the night sky.

Where the dark clouds went, the stars disappeared, as if swallowed by an invisible beast, vanishing without a trace in Founding Emperor Yan’s intuition.

"If that’s the case, I should go to a place with many people. How many cities are left in Zhong Province?"

The Imperial Capital is located in the heart of Zhong Province, and according to the pattern of the dark clouds, it has not yet reached the Imperial Capital… for now.

Founding Emperor Yan was determined to leave; he could not wait for days in the Imperial Capital for disaster to arrive.

He had to take the initiative.

"The nearest densely populated city… is it Great Qin City?" Founding Emperor Yan lowered his eyes.

He also had a deep impression of the name Great Qin City.

Many years ago, after the Qiao family members and the elders came out of the Hundred-mile Desert, King Qin of Zhong Province gained fame by using martial arts to defeat immortals, earning the title of King Qin.

The court then established a new Great Qin City around the Hundred-mile Desert… During King Qin’s control of this land, a massacre occurred, but that was a long time ago.

Over fifty years have passed, and today’s Great Qin City is no longer a new city but an old city thriving with people.

"Let’s go there to wait for a chance; it’s a fitting place to rest."

From the patterns of True Immortal attacks, it’s mostly the large cities that suffer. There are not many large cities left in Zhong Province, and Great Qin City is one of them.

"Hundred-mile Desert?" Founding Emperor Yan lowered his brow.

This is the site of the first Inhuman War.

More than ninety years ago, he did not go to war. In fact, even if he had, it would not have changed anything in the end.

As a true martial artist, he was brave and eager to fight, and he would not hesitate to draw his sword against a stronger opponent.

But at that time, he was no longer young and was the steadfast anchor of the royal family, so he ultimately did nothing.

Many years later, when he faced three hundred old soldiers who tried to assassinate Emperor Yonghe in the Golden Hall, he felt ashamed when Qiao Mu exposed the flaws in his martial will.

Later, when a member of the Qiao family died at his hands in the Golden Hall, the three hundred old soldiers alone were no longer enough to succeed. At that moment, he could have easily stopped the old soldiers with just a flick of his finger.

But he did not.

Watching the old soldiers commit regicide was the silent approval of Founding Emperor Yan. The one who acted was an old soldier of Great Yan who once guarded a lonely city, but wasn’t the killer also just an old man who should have been in a coffin long ago?

"Now, it is finally my turn."

Years ago, the leader of Tongtian Sword Sect, the esteemed Soul Changing Taoist Lord, also met his end at his hands, but it was too late, more than forty years too late…

The Founding Emperor Yan rode his galloping horse alone, continuing forward through several empty cities that no one visited anymore.

He did not know when it started, but someone was chasing him from behind.

"Great Ancestor."

"Great Ancestor… please slow down."

The Founding Emperor Yan pulled on the reins and looked back, seeing dozens of mounted martial artists coming from a distance, young and old, big and small.

They were not soldiers in a formal army; their armor and weapons were all different. Among them were well-dressed noble youths and court martial officials in uniform.

The Founding Emperor Yan recognized a few court ministers who had participated in the earlier discussions in the palace.

Some of these court martial officials had witnessed the verbal clashes between Emperor Wuping and Founding Emperor Yan in the palace.

When the Founding Emperor Yan left, they clearly hesitated for a long time, but in the end, they chose to follow the Founding Emperor Yan and embark on this journey.

"You came from the Imperial Capital? What for? Are you in a hurry to meet your end?" Founding Emperor Yan said with annoyance.

"If we are going to meet our end, what is the purpose of the founding ancestor?" someone replied.

Founding Emperor Yan chuckled lightly.

If it were in the past, he would naturally scold these people and send them away.

At the very least, he would let the younger ones leave.

But now, whether old or young, his thoughts had changed, and he would not refuse them anymore.

"You bear your own lives," Founding Emperor Yan said.

He pulled on the reins, feeling a bit emotional, and his gaze fell on the group of dozens.

"Hmm? Is your ancestor the Marquis Zhang Shun of Heyang?" Founding Emperor Yan raised his whip and pointed to one of the leading warriors.

The large, broad-waisted general was slightly taken aback and a bit surprised, nodding in agreement.

"Your ancestor was full of courage, leading charges into battle with me three hundred years ago. It seems the descendants three hundred years later are just as brave."

The Founding Emperor Yan praised.

Perhaps knowing his end was near, or maybe memories of old friends were stirred up, he looked out at the dozens of people who had chased him from the Imperial Capital, and it seemed they all reminded him of past friends.

"Did your ancestor have a name like Chen Feng?"

"I knew it; you have a similar look… Haha, he was a scholar with no strength to hold a chicken, but many years later, his descendants are so bold to join me in battle."

"….."

The Founding Emperor Yan had already reached a superb level of spiritual refinement, his memory sharp, and soon found several descendants of old friends among these dozens of people.

"And you…" The Founding Emperor Yan pointed at a thin young man holding an iron spear and pondered for a moment:

"Does your family have an ancestor named Cheng Tingfeng?" asked Founding Emperor Yan again.

The thin young man shook his head.

"No."

"Uh…" Founding Emperor Yan felt a bit embarrassed, carefully examining the young man’s features, and then said:

"I must have made a mistake… You are the East River’s Twin Wings Tiger, a descendant of Ye Youshan, right?"

The young man shook his head again.

"I report to you, Taizu, my last name is Li. Three hundred years ago, my ancestors had no famous generals or high officials."

Founding Emperor Yan felt awkward at first, but soon laughed heartily:

"Good."

"His ancestors were not famous generals or high officials, and they were not from old friends of the past, which is even better."

"Throughout history, talented people have emerged in every generation, and three hundred years have passed, Jiu Province now has successors."

He tightened the reins, turned the horse’s head, and raised the whip to gallop forward.

Dozens of riders followed closely behind like the wind.

They crossed hills, plains, rivers, and many deserted cities with no people, and saw refugees lingering in the ruins.

Unbeknownst to him, the number of followers behind him gradually increased.

From dozens, it grew little by little.

When the walls of Great Qin City appeared before him.

The followers behind Founding Emperor Yan had already numbered in the hundreds.

Among them were the remaining soldiers gathered from big and small cities, and even butchers from the market with meat cleavers, and farmers holding up their hoes.

This was undoubtedly a disorganized mob, with no rules and no structure.

Yet it made Founding Emperor Yan remember the past once again.

Just like three hundred years ago, he kept riding forward, and gradually more followers gathered behind him.

"Great Qin City has not yet been harmed by True Immortal. We have caught up," Founding Emperor Yan said, looking at the still prosperous city before him, then began to rest his eyes.

He needed to regain his strength; even with a leaf of the immortal lotus in hand, he could not heal from his serious injuries quickly.

Of course, he knew that whether he was hurt or not would not change his fate, but….

When Founding Emperor Yan opened his eyes again, it was already dark.

It was just sunset; one moment the blood-red sun filled the sky, and the next moment shadows covered the ground, and night fell heavily.

If you look closely, you will see that it is not dark, but a giant hand covering the sky, like black clouds overshadowing the land.

"The time has come," said Founding Emperor Yan as he stood up.

……………..

"Will you go and come back?"

The giant hand pressed down, causing a corner of the city to instantly collapse, and a surge of blood rose into the sky, with dark red lightning filling the heavens.

Immortal Lord Qingxuan did not enter the great world of Jiu Province; he only made a move from afar.

He noticed Founding Emperor Yan returning again, his gaze slightly cold.

Founding Emperor Yan was not mistaken; he was not pretending to be strong.

Immortal Lord Qingxuan had let Founding Emperor Yan go before, but it was not out of pity.

But to Immortal Lord Qingxuan, the Founding Emperor Yan is not a worthy opponent to take seriously.

Just like finding a moldy spot in a rice jar, there is a faint, strange smell. Immortal Lord Qingxuan would keep his distance and not get involved, but that doesn’t mean he is afraid to kill the Founding Emperor Yan.

"If you won’t take the path I offer you, then you can die."

A giant hand came from the sky, fingers rising like mountains, pressing down.

The sky cracked open, and blood-red lightning became more frequent, resembling a scene of the end of the world.

Under this strange sky, the Founding Emperor Yan and the hundreds of people behind him charged toward the giant hand.

The Founding Emperor Yan led the way, rushing at the front.

In fact, with his current martial arts skills, his speed when using all his strength in lightness skills was already beyond what a horse flowing with demon blood could keep up with.

But he loved the feeling of riding and galloping on a horse.

It was like three hundred years ago when he was still in his prime, riding fast like a horse breaking through the lines.

At this moment, the sound of hooves was urgent. Founding Emperor Yan held tightly to the Human Emperor Sword in his hand, with hundreds of followers behind him. It seemed he had really returned to his youth…

A loud cry from a startled horse came from behind.

A giant hand pressed down, fingers like a mountain falling, and the ground suddenly cracked open. The entire city and the earth beneath shook violently, creating huge ravines.

And among the hundreds who had just followed him, nearly half turned into mush under this finger, their bodies falling into the deep ravine, never to be seen again.

As for those who were lucky enough to survive, aside from a few who were too scared to hold their swords tightly, the rest rode on, following Founding Emperor Yan to continue onward.

There was no sadness.

From the moment this unruly crowd set out on their journey, they knew deep down that they had no chance of winning.

Swinging their sickles, butcher knives, and iron spears at the giant hand that covered the sky was indeed more ridiculous than knights charging at windmills.

This is a battle that is destined to fail.

But now, they are no longer fighting for survival; they are fighting for the last dignity of mankind.

"Follow me to kill!" Founding Emperor Yan’s eyes widened in anger, and the Human Emperor Sword in his hand let out a long, sharp cry, cutting through the air with a brilliant flash.

Where the sword light passed, the giant hand that covered the sky seemed to pause slightly, and a bit of blood light blossomed.

But before everyone could celebrate, the blood light quickly faded, and the giant hand returned to normal.

"Why bother like this?" The giant hand seemed angered by this strike, suddenly pushing down, and in an instant, it felt like the sky was about to collapse, and dark clouds were about to fall from the sky.

At this moment, the city behind Founding Emperor Yan had collapsed into ruins, and the cries of countless people in the wreckage were overwhelmed by his voice; the ground cracked open, and the soldiers following him turned into a puddle of flesh.

And Founding Emperor Yan, holding the blazing and shining Human Emperor Sword, jumped into the sky, with True Strength forming clouds beneath his feet.

At this moment, he truly felt as though he had returned to his youth.

Before Founding Emperor Yan became Founding Emperor Yan, when he had just started his rebellion, he had a loud and well-known title.

At that time, the lands were broken, and many people suffered; countless refugees were running on the desolate earth, struggling greatly.

They used to call him the King of Men.

……………..

"After the Great Ancestor left the palace, he never returned… this is all I know."

As night fell, the empty city flickered with lights. Flying Fish Guard Chu Xing carried a lonely lantern and told the story of Great Yan’s first and last emperors.

But with that, the story came to an end.

"I was supposed to protect His Majesty’s safety as a Flying Fish Guard, but with things as they are, what use is a 1st ranked martial artist like me?" Flying Fish Guard Chu Xing sighed.

"Later, His Majesty ordered me to hurry towards the Southeast Province. He said if the main forces heading to the Soul Predicting Path Immortal Gate were still around, there would be a proper explanation."

"What about Founding Emperor Yan? Is he still alive?" Xue Changhe asked.

Although he was younger than Founding Emperor Yan, he was still the leader of his clan. Hearing the stories of the two emperors of Great Yan from Chu Xing made a deeper impression on him.

Chu Xing remained silent for a long time.

"The founding ancestor also mastered the Spiritual Sound Conducting Technique. While he was alive, he stood out like a blazing sun hanging high in the sky, very noticeable in the spiritual connection."

"But now, he is gone."

"So, in your spiritual connection, what direction did Founding Emperor Yan last disappear?" Qiao Mu asked.

"In the area of Great Qin City in Zhong Province," Chu Xing replied.

Great Qin City was a name Qiao Mu found very familiar.

"Great Qin City is not far from the Hundred-mile Desert; it’s also where the first Inhuman War took place," Lu Yanbei said.

The two brothers also had special feelings for the Hundred-mile Desert, and it seemed that Founding Emperor Yan felt the same way.

Without saying much, Qiao Mu and the others knew their time was short. The Sky River Immortal Boat turned into a streak of light and quickly flew away.

When the Sky River Immortal Boat stopped again, they had arrived in the region of Great Qin City in Zhong Province.

They could see the ground had collapsed ahead, and the city had become ruins, just like the other cities they had seen along the way.

Among the collapsed ruins, the Human Emperor Sword that Qiao Mu was familiar with was stuck in the ground, and there were no remains of Founding Emperor Yan or anyone else nearby.

Nian Chao Sheng, the master of Tide Listening Building, stood beside the Human Emperor Sword, seemingly waiting for a long time. At that moment, he turned to look back and exchanged a distant gaze with Qiao Mu.