The Human Emperor! The Strongest Martial Artist Throughout the Ages! (Bonus Chapter 13 for Alliance Leader Murong ShimingmengDH)

"One month later, the Endless Sand Sea..."

Tang Jie muttered to himself. Although there were quite a few suspicious points, he felt that he had to visit the Endless Sand Sea. The other Martial Cultivators would also gather there!

As far as Tang Jie knew, the Endless Sand Sea did not belong to any nation. Its environment was extremely harsh, with natural disasters such as quicksand whirlpools, sandstorms, and droughts without rain occurring frequently. Even Immortal Cultivators were unwilling to go there. It was a land no one inhabited.

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy had chosen that place for some unknown purpose.

At Tang Jie's speed, reaching the Endless Sand Sea would take at most five days. During this time, Tang Jie did not remain idle.

Tang Jie studied his various cultivation arts and martial skills, making them even more familiar and effortless to wield, able to follow his heart's desires!

More than twenty days passed in the blink of an eye, and Tang Jie set off for the Endless Sand Sea.

"This place really isn't somewhere humans can live."

Five days later, in the Endless Sand Sea, Tang Jie looked at the windblown sand rushing toward him and muttered inwardly.

The Endless Sand Sea was engulfed by wind and sand all year round. Ordinary people simply could not survive in such an environment!

"Brother Tang!"

At that moment, Tang Jie saw three figures flying rapidly over through the distant sandstorm. One of them called out in a familiar voice.

"Wu Changkong, Maha, Ancient Sword?"

As the three approached, Tang Jie saw their faces and felt delighted. These three were old acquaintances—Wu Changkong and the others!

Back then, after Tang Jie obtained the heart of a God or Devil, he had been harried by the Mystic Eagle King. Wu Changkong and the other two had repaid his kindness by intercepting the Mystic Eagle King, allowing Tang Jie to leave safely.

Now that he saw the three of them safe and sound, Tang Jie was overjoyed as well.

"Did you also receive an invitation from the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy?"

Tang Jie asked them.

Wu Changkong nodded. "That's right. This person appeared several thousand years ago and told me that the golden age of the Martial Dao was about to arrive. I believed him and fell into slumber. Now I've come to see whether what he said is true."

Maha pressed his palms together and said solemnly, "Everyone should still be on guard. In this poor monk's opinion, this Golden Robe Imperial Envoy is no easy character!"

None of them were fools. The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy had revealed himself and invited all the Martial Cultivators to gather. They all felt that there might be some problem hidden within this.

But they had waited through such a long stretch of time precisely for this moment to arrive. Even though they knew there might be a problem, they had still come here.

Ancient Sword held his sword and said nothing.

While in the Endless Sand Sea, they also saw other Martial Cultivators. They had all come to the Endless Sand Sea as invited.

On the third day after Tang Jie and the others reached the Endless Sand Sea, everyone waited.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a deafening explosion erupted beside the ears of every Martial Cultivator in the Endless Sand Sea. Even more astonishingly, a gigantic sandstorm vortex appeared at the center of the Endless Sand Sea. It connected heaven and earth, leaving everyone shaken!

"Look! What is that?"

Within the enormous sandstorm in the distance, a huge palace gradually emerged.

The palace was dark gold in color and occupied nearly a hundred miles in every direction. It was enormous and majestic, and it was filled with the aura of passing ages!

"A palace... Let's go take a look!"

Tang Jie and the others naturally saw it as well. Without hesitation, they swiftly headed toward the enormous palace.

Nearly a hundred people gathered outside the dark-gold palace. Every one of them was an Innate Martial Cultivator, and every one of them had been the strongest Martial Cultivator of their own era.

Since life first appeared on the Ten Nations Continent, at least several hundred thousand or even nearly a million years had passed. Across such a long span of time, even if only one Martial Cultivator had been born every thousand years, it would not have been strange for more than a hundred Innate Martial Cultivators to have appeared throughout history!

Now these Martial Cultivators had gathered here, all staring at the palace before them in shock.

The surrounding sandstorm vortexes gradually calmed. The dark-gold palace gates remained tightly shut, radiating a heavy pressure.

"This palace... seems to have endured an extremely long passage of time."

A burly man wearing animal hide said solemnly.

Indeed, traces carved by the years covered the dark-gold palace. It exuded a sense of weight and age. Anyone could tell at a glance that it had weathered an incomparably long passage of time.

"Should we... go in and take a look?"

A Martial Cultivator made the suggestion. The gates of the dark-gold palace were tightly closed, as though they had not opened in a very long time.

Just as the gathered Martial Cultivators were examining the palace, which occupied nearly a hundred miles, everyone sensed something and looked toward the horizon.

A man dressed in golden robes and wearing a golden mask swiftly approached from the horizon and landed before them.

"The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy!"

Tang Jie and the others narrowed their eyes. This was none other than the mysterious Golden Robe Imperial Envoy!

"He's finally here..."

The nearly one hundred Martial Cultivators present grew excited. The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy who had invited them here had finally appeared. As he had said, the strongest Martial Cultivator throughout the ages would be born from among them today.

"Golden Robe Imperial Envoy, we're all here. Now you should explain your identity and purpose, shouldn't you?"

A black-haired man stepped forward, his eyes fixed tightly on the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy.

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy smiled faintly. "There's no need to be impatient. Follow me into this Human Emperor Hall, and we'll speak inside."

"Human Emperor Hall? That name sounds somewhat familiar."

Ancient Sword, who had been holding his sword and remained taciturn, suddenly spoke. His expression was slightly strange, as if he found the name faintly familiar.

While everyone pondered, the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy had already strode forward and reached the gates of the dark-gold palace. He pressed his palm against them and muttered something under his breath.

"Rumble!"

The heavy palace gates seemed to sense something. They let out a rumbling roar and slowly opened, revealing the interior!

Golden splendor and carved beams painted rafters!

"Come in, everyone."

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy stepped into the dark-gold palace first and called out to them.

The nearly one hundred Martial Cultivators exchanged glances. In the end, they all chose to enter the dark-gold palace.

"This place is ancient!"

After entering the palace, Tang Jie saw that it was enormous, practically a giant's kingdom. Golden pillars stood within it, carved with dragons, phoenixes, taotie, and other ancient divine beasts. Some of the pillars were engraved with ferocious demons brandishing their claws and fangs.

Yet whether they were demons or dragons, phoenixes, and divine beasts, all of them were depicted kneeling, as if welcoming an supreme emperor!

"This is the Human Emperor Hall built by the first emperor of our human race in the Primordial Era—the Human Emperor. Being able to reach this place means you have been blessed by three lifetimes of good fortune!"

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy turned around and looked at everyone. His voice carried traces of respect and worship.

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy's words were no different from a thunderbolt splitting a clear sky, resounding beside everyone's ears.

"No wonder the Human Emperor Hall sounded familiar... The Human Emperor was the legendary first emperor of the human race!"

Even the cold and aloof Ancient Sword's expression changed.

"The Human Emperor... it really was the Human Emperor?"

Tang Jie felt equally shaken to the depths of his soul.

The Human Emperor existed only in legends. He was too ancient; no one even knew whether such a person had truly existed.

It was said that when this continent had first been born, it had been the Primordial Era. At that time, ancient beasts ran rampant across the continent and demons wreaked havoc. Humanity was merely the weakest among the many races.

That era was so ancient that even the methods of cultivating immortality and refining qi had yet to appear. Humanity had only fists and weapons with which to resist the other races. Every day, humans became food for demons, devils, and evil spirits.

Some human tribes had even offered their own people as sacrifices to those stronger beings in order to survive, hoping to obtain a chance to cling to life.

Natural disasters also struck one after another. Droughts brought famine, leaving the people without a single grain to harvest. At other times, floods surged into the heavens and drowned everything. Humanity could barely survive.

Heroes emerged in chaotic times!

In that incomparably dark and chaotic age, one man rose suddenly into the world. He slew evil spirits, offered sacrifices to Heaven, cut down demon dragons, and pacified the raging seas.

Whether they were kings among demons or overlords among devils, all were slain by this man. He had practically pacified the chaotic age through his own power, leading humanity out of the darkness and granting it the right to survive.

The people of the world respectfully called this man the Emperor—the Emperor among men!

Later generations spread tales that the Human Emperor was not a person of this world at all, but an immortal from Heaven descended to the mortal realm, a true god reincarnated to save humanity.

There were all kinds of exaggerated legends. Some even said that it was impossible to verify whether the Human Emperor had ever existed.

Tang Jie knew these legends so well because he had deliberately consulted related ancient texts.

Back then, in the underground palace of the Black Wind Mountain Range, Tang Jie had obtained not only the bronze coffin but also a golden token suspected to be the Buddhist weapon Heart Light Edict. He had learned a technique of Buddha's Palm!

And according to legend, Buddha's Palm was precisely the martial art the Human Emperor had excelled in!

"The Human Emperor... Did the Human Emperor really exist?"

"This palace is the Human Emperor Hall. It shouldn't be fake, right?"

The gathered Martial Cultivators began whispering among themselves.

Then the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy proclaimed loudly, "Since ancient times, the Martial Dao has been weaker than the Immortal Dao? That's complete bullshit! The first and strongest expert in the history of the Ten Nations Continent should be the Human Emperor! The Human Emperor was a Martial Cultivator—and the strongest Martial Cultivator!"

"The Human Emperor was a Martial Cultivator?"

The Martial Artists present all frowned. They did not really believe the claim that the Human Emperor had been a Martial Cultivator.

"Perhaps... he truly was a Martial Cultivator, the most ancient Martial Cultivator."

Tang Jie believed it ninety percent. Naturally, this was because of Buddha's Palm—the martial art controlled by the Human Emperor!

Pride colored the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy's voice. "The history of the Martial Dao is far longer than that of cultivating immortality. In the distant Primordial Era, Immortal Cultivators had not even been born. How could humanity have resisted the countless demons and other races? It relied on martial arts—on the Martial Dao!"

"In the era of the Human Emperor, everyone revered martial arts. At that time, there was an abundance of Innate Qi between Heaven and Earth. There were more than ten thousand Martial Artists at the level of Innate Martial Cultivators! That was the most glorious age of the Martial Dao! The Martial Artists slaughtered demons, devils, and evil spirits with their own fists, laying the foundation for humanity's status as the overlord of this continent!"

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy's voice was deafening, ringing beside everyone's ears.

The most glorious age of the Martial Dao had been the Primordial Era! At that time, there were no methods for cultivating immortality and refining qi. People could learn only the Martial Dao. Countless prodigies had been born in that era, and under the Human Emperor's guidance, they had become Martial Cultivators!

Not only that, during the Primordial Era, Innate Qi had been rare, but it had not been as scarce as it was now—so scarce that not even Martial Artists, nor even powerful Immortal Cultivators, could come into contact with it.

The Innate Qi of the Primordial Era had been sufficient to support the birth of countless Innate Martial Cultivators. At the height of the human race in that era, there had been more than ten thousand Innate Martial Cultivators!

"This... After the Primordial Era, whether there were even a thousand Martial Cultivators was a question, let alone more than ten thousand Innate Martial Cultivators!"

The nearly one hundred Martial Cultivators present were all utterly stunned.

At a rate of one Martial Cultivator born every thousand years, it was questionable whether the entire history of the Ten Nations Continent had produced a thousand Martial Cultivators. Yet in the Primordial Era, there had been more than ten thousand Innate Martial Cultivators?

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy sighed. "That was the most prosperous period of the Martial Dao. Who would have thought it would also be its final brilliance? Perhaps... it will be very difficult for such a grand age to ever appear again."

A trace of desolation colored the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy's voice.

"If the Martial Dao was so prosperous back then, why was its inheritance severed?" Wu Changkong asked with a frown.

This was also what everyone wanted to know.

"Of course, because they all died." The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy raised his head and looked into the distance. "To face the powerful enemies who sought to invade our homeland, the Human Emperor led the Human Emperor's Guard and more than ten thousand Innate Martial Cultivators against enemies from overseas... Although they repelled those powerful enemies, the Human Emperor and all the Martial Cultivators also perished overseas."

"Enemies from overseas..."

Everyone's expressions turned solemn at those words, and Tang Jie's heart grew heavy as well.

Earlier, he had heard from Yun Ying that the Ten Nations Continent was merely a drop in the ocean. Beyond the Ten Nations Continent lay the sea—an endless sea. The Ten Nations Continent was merely a small island floating within that boundless ocean!

There were certainly other life-forms in that endless sea. Just as the vast and limitless universe surely contained more than one planet bearing life, beyond the Ten Nations Continent lay unknown lands, and there were absolutely other unknown races as well!

There were even legends that demons and other such creatures were not native to the Ten Nations, but had come from beyond the Ten Nations Continent!

According to the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy, the reason the Human Emperor of the Primordial Era and the Human Emperor's Guard, formed from his subordinate Innate Martial Cultivators, had become extinct was that they had fought enemies from overseas.

All the Innate Martial Cultivators had died, and the Human Emperor had also fallen in battle overseas. The inheritance of the Martial Dao had suffered a break, while the path of cultivating immortality and refining qi rose. In addition, the Innate Qi of the Ten Nations Continent had grown increasingly scarce over time, making Innate Martial Cultivators exceedingly rare.

Only one was born every thousand years. The total number of Martial Cultivators born in all the eras after the Human Emperor's Primordial Era was not even as great as the number born in a single era during the Primordial Era!

These secrets buried beneath the dust of time, revealed by the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy, brought tremendous shock to everyone.

The first Martial Cultivator of the Ten Nations Continent—and its strongest—was the Human Emperor of legend, who had established humanity's position as the overlord of the Ten Nations Continent!

"How did you learn all this? And who are you?" An old white-haired man with an immortal bearing asked with tightly furrowed brows.

How had the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy learned about events from the Primordial Era?

"Because... I am the Human Emperor's envoy. To keep the seed of the Martial Cultivators from becoming extinct, he ordered me to enter slumber when he went to war. If they died in battle, I would fulfill my mission and do everything in my power to usher in the golden age of the Martial Dao!" the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy said indifferently.

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy was the Human Emperor's envoy? Did that mean he had survived from the Primordial Era until now?

Although the claim sounded somewhat absurd, it was not impossible. The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy possessed a secret technique that allowed him to enter slumber and delay the loss of his lifespan. These Martial Cultivators had all experienced it personally.

Tang Jie said nothing from the side. To have survived from the Primordial Era until now, that meant he had lived for at least a million years, right? The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy's true identity was impossible to verify. But his true identity was not that important. What mattered was his purpose!

"Let's put aside whether what you said is true. You had us cross countless eras and gather in this Human Emperor Hall, claiming that the strongest Martial Artist throughout the ages would be born among us. What exactly is the method?"

A rough voice rang out. A burly man with disheveled hair, who looked like a primitive man, spoke solemnly.

The many Martial Cultivators present were not particularly concerned with whether the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy's account of the Primordial Era was true. They were more concerned with whether he had a way to help them break through.

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy nodded slightly and pointed toward the center of the Human Emperor Hall. "There. That is the Martial Saint Stage built by the Human Emperor."

Everyone looked over. At the center of the Human Emperor Hall stood a massive arena that occupied nearly two-thirds of the entire hall.

"The Martial Saint Stage?"

Nearly a hundred Martial Cultivators stared at it, wondering what purpose it served.

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy said solemnly, "The Human Emperor was the first Martial Cultivator of the Ten Nations Continent, and also the strongest Martial Cultivator. Even if dozens or hundreds of Innate Martial Cultivators joined forces to challenge him, they would have no chance of victory. The Human Emperor was a Martial Cultivator who had surpassed the Innate Martial Cultivator realm. He even possessed the ability to break through the Immortal Gate, ascend by day, and achieve immortality in the Martial Dao. The only reason he did not ascend was that he did not wish to. He wanted to do his part for humanity."

As far as Tang Jie knew, the greatest difference between Martial Artists and Immortal Cultivators did not lie elsewhere. In the history of Immortal Cultivation, there had been Immortal Dao experts who broke through the Immortal Gate and ascended to the Immortal Realm.

Yet not a single Martial Artist had been able to break through the Immortal Gate and ascend. According to the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy, the Human Emperor had reached that level, and had not ascended only because he was unwilling to.

As for whether it was true, no one knew.

"The Human Emperor had transcended the realm of Innate Martial Cultivators. For now, let us call the realm he reached the Martial Dao Saint realm." The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy paused slightly. "The Human Emperor had once hoped for an Innate Martial Cultivator to give birth to a Martial Dao Saint of the same level as himself. Unfortunately, the Human Emperor had not cultivated step by step to reach that realm. He had been born with such strength. That was also why he was called a Martial Dao Saint—he was a natural Saint, born with an Innate Body!"

It was like the difference between a lion and a cat. Even without training, a lion was far stronger than a cat that trained diligently!

The Human Emperor's realm in the Martial Dao was temporarily called the Martial Dao Saint realm. The Human Emperor himself, however, was extraordinary. He had been born with an Innate Body, similar to a God or Devil. He had been powerful from birth and needed no cultivation!

"After racking his brains, the Human Emperor built the Martial Saint Stage. The Martial Saint Stage gives you a one-percent chance of breaking through the Innate Martial Cultivator realm and becoming a Martial Dao Saint at the same level as the Human Emperor!" the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy slowly said.

His words caused the Martial Cultivators present to feel slightly shaken.

They had waited for ages, and all they had was a one-percent chance of breaking through their limits and reaching the peak?

Fourth update~ Also, tomorrow is the beginning of next month, so I'm asking for monthly votes in advance O(∩_∩)O~