Human Emperor! The Strongest Martial Artist of All Time!

"A month from now, the Endless Sand Sea..."

Tang Jie muttered to himself. Despite the numerous doubts, he felt it was necessary to go to the Endless Sand Sea. All the other martial cultivators would also be gathering there!

As far as Tang Jie knew, the Endless Sand Sea did not belong to any kingdom and had an extremely harsh environment, frequently experiencing natural disasters like quicksand whirlpools, sandstorms, and droughts. Even immortal cultivators were reluctant to go there; it was a no-man's-land.

Tang Jie wondered about the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy's purpose in choosing that location.

At Tang Jie's speed, it would take at most five days to reach the Endless Sand Sea. Tang Jie didn't idle away this time.

Tang Jie studied his various techniques and martial skills, making them more proficient and effortless!

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 fit for humans."

Five days later, at the Endless Sand Sea, Tang Jie looked at the blowing sand before him and thought to himself.

The Endless Sand Sea was perpetually filled with sandstorms. Ordinary people couldn't survive in such an environment!

"Brother Tang!"

At that moment, Tang Jie saw three figures flying rapidly towards him through the distant sandstorm, and a familiar voice called out.

"Wu Changkong, Maha, Ancient Sword?"

As the three approached, Tang Jie saw their faces and felt a surge of joy. These three were acquaintances: Wu Changkong and the others!

Back then, when Tang Jie obtained the heart of a god and demon and was harassed by the Mystic Eagle King, it was Wu Changkong and the other two who intercepted the Mystic Eagle King to repay their debt, allowing Tang Jie to escape safely.

Seeing the three safe and sound now made Tang Jie very happy.

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

Tang Jie inquired.

Wu Changkong nodded. "Indeed. This person appeared thousands of years ago and told me that a prosperous era for martial arts was about to arrive. I believed him and fell into a deep sleep. Now, I've come to see if what he said is true."

Maha clasped his hands together and said solemnly, "Everyone should remain vigilant. In my opinion, this Golden Robe Imperial Envoy is not someone to be trifled with!"

None of them were fools. The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy had actively appeared this time, inviting all martial cultivators to gather. They all felt that there might be something amiss.

However, they had waited for so long, for this very moment. Even knowing there might be trouble, they had all come to this place.

Ancient Sword held his sword and remained silent.

Within the Endless Sand Sea, they saw other martial cultivators, all of whom had come to the Endless Sand Sea in response to the invitation.

On the third day after Tang Jie and the others arrived at the Endless Sand Sea, everyone was waiting.

"Boom!"

At that moment, a sudden, deafening roar exploded in the ears of all the martial cultivators in the Endless Sand Sea. Even more astonishing was the appearance of a massive sand tornado in the center of the Endless Sand Sea, connecting the sky and the earth, a truly breathtaking sight!

"Look quickly, what is that?"

Within the vast sandstorm in the distance, a colossal palace was faintly visible.

This palace was dark gold in color, covering an area of nearly a hundred miles. It was immense and magnificent, exuding an aura of ancient times!

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

Tang Jie and the others naturally saw it as well. Without hesitation, they quickly moved towards the grand palace.

Outside this dark gold palace, nearly a hundred people had gathered. Each of them was an Innate Martial Cultivator, the strongest martial cultivator of their respective eras.

Since the Ten Nations Continent came into being, at least tens of hundreds of thousands of years have passed. Over such a long period, even if one martial cultivator emerged every thousand years, it wouldn't be strange for hundreds of Innate Martial Cultivators to have appeared throughout history!

And now, all these martial cultivators were gathered here, staring in awe at the palace before them.

At this time, the surrounding sandstorms gradually subsided. The dark gold palace doors were tightly shut, exuding a heavy pressure.

"This palace... seems to have experienced a very long time."

A burly man dressed in animal hides said solemnly.

Indeed, the dark gold palace bore the marks of time, radiating a sense of profoundness. Anyone could tell at a glance that this palace had definitely undergone the baptism of a long era.

"How about... we go in and take a look?"

A martial cultivator suggested. The dark gold palace doors were shut, as if they hadn't been opened in a very long time.

As all the martial cultivators were sizing up this palace that covered nearly a hundred miles, they all seemed to sense something and looked towards the horizon.

On the horizon, a man dressed in golden robes and wearing a golden mask was rapidly approaching, landing before them.

"Golden Robe Imperial Envoy!"

Tang Jie and the others narrowed their eyes. This was the mysterious Golden Robe Imperial Envoy!

"Finally here..."

The nearly hundred martial cultivators present became excited. The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy, who had invited them here, had finally appeared. As he had said, today, the strongest martial cultivators of all time would be born among them.

"Golden Robe Imperial Envoy, we are all here now. You should explain your identity and your purpose, right?"

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

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy smiled slightly. "Please be patient, everyone. Let's go inside this Human Emperor Hall to talk."

"Human Emperor Hall? That name sounds a bit familiar."

Gu Jian, who had been silently holding his sword, suddenly spoke. His expression was a little strange, as he found the place name somewhat familiar.

While everyone was contemplating, the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy strode forward and arrived at the gate of the dark gold palace. He placed his hand on it and muttered something.

"Rumble!" The thick gate of the palace seemed to sense something, letting out a rumbling sound as it slowly opened, revealing the scene inside!

Magnificent and resplendent, with carved beams and painted rafters!

"Everyone, come in."

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy was the first to step into the dark gold palace and spoke.

Nearly a hundred martial cultivators exchanged glances, and in the end, they all chose to enter the dark gold palace.

"This place is very ancient!"

Tang Jie entered the palace and saw that it was incredibly vast, like a land of giants. Golden pillars stood inside, carved with ancient divine beasts such as dragons, phoenixes, and Taoties. Some pillars were also carved with ferocious demons.

However, whether it was these demons or the dragons and phoenixes, they were all depicted in a kneeling posture, 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. It is your great fortune to have reached this place!"

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy turned around and looked at everyone, his tone carrying a hint of respect and reverence.

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy's words struck everyone like a bolt from the blue.

"No wonder the Human Emperor Hall sounded familiar... The Human Emperor, he's the first emperor of the human race from the legends!"

Even the usually cold Gu Jian's expression changed at this moment.

"The Human Emperor... it's actually the Human Emperor?"

Tang Jie also felt a profound shock.

The Human Emperor only existed in legends. He was so ancient that no one knew if such a person had ever existed.

It was said that when this continent was first born, it was the Primordial Era. During that time, ancient beasts roamed freely, and demons ravaged the land. The human race was merely the weakest among all races.

That era was so ancient that immortal cultivation and Qi refinement methods had not yet appeared. Humans could only fight against foreign races with their fists and weapons. Every day, humans would become food for demons and evil spirits.

Some human tribes, in order to survive, even willingly sacrificed their own people to more powerful beings to gain a chance to linger on.

Furthermore, natural disasters were frequent. Droughts caused crop failure, and sometimes floods would engulf everything. Survival itself was a problem for the human race.

Heroes emerge in troubled times!

In this incredibly dark and chaotic era, a person emerged. He slew demons, sacrificed to the heavens, slew demonic dragons, and calmed the raging seas.

Whether it was the king of beasts or the leader of demons, they were all killed by this person. He almost single-handedly pacified the chaotic world, leading the human race out of the dark age and granting them the right to survive.

The world revered him as the Emperor, the Emperor among men!

Later generations rumored that the Human Emperor was not from this world at all, but an immortal descended from heaven, a true god reincarnated, who came to save the human race.

All sorts of exaggerated legends existed, and it was even impossible to verify whether the Human Emperor truly existed.

Tang Jie was so familiar with these legends because he had deliberately consulted relevant ancient texts.

In the underground palace of the Black Wind Mountain Range, Tang Jie not only obtained the bronze coffin but also a golden token suspected to be the Heart Light Edict, a Buddhist artifact, and learned a technique: Buddha's Palm!

And according to legend, Buddha's Palm was a martial arts technique mastered by the Human Emperor!

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

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

The martial cultivators began to whisper amongst themselves.

Then, the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy declared loudly, "Since ancient times, martial arts have been weaker than immortal arts. That's utter nonsense! The greatest 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 frowned. They found the claim that the Human Emperor was a martial cultivator hard to believe.

"Perhaps... he really was a martial cultivator, the most ancient martial cultivator."

Tang Jie, however, believed this with nine-tenths certainty, naturally because of Buddha's Palm, the martial arts technique mastered by the Human Emperor!

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy continued with a hint of pride, "The history of martial arts is far longer than that of immortal cultivation. In the distant Primordial Era, there were no immortal cultivators. How could the human race contend against various demons and foreign races? They relied on martial arts, on the martial dao!"

"In the era of the Human Emperor, everyone valued martial arts. At that time, the Innate Qi in the world was abundant, and there were no less than ten thousand martial cultivators at the Innate Martial Cultivator level! That was the most glorious era of the martial dao! Martial artists slaughtered demons and evil spirits with their bare fists, establishing the human race as the overlords of this continent!"

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy's voice resounded like thunder in everyone's ears.

The most glorious era of the martial dao was in the Primordial Era! At that time, there were no methods for immortal cultivation or Qi refinement. The only thing people could learn was the martial dao. Countless prodigies were born then, and under the guidance of the Human Emperor, they became martial cultivators!

Not only that, but in the Primordial Era, although Innate Qi was also rare, it was not as scarce as it is now. Not to mention martial artists, even powerful immortal cultivators could not come into contact with it.

The Innate Qi of the Primordial Era was enough to support the birth of a large number of Innate Martial Cultivators. During the most prosperous period of the human race in the Primordial Era, there were over ten thousand Innate Martial Cultivators!

"This... after the Primordial Era, it's questionable if there were even a thousand martial cultivators, let alone ten thousand Innate Martial Cultivators!"

The nearly one hundred martial cultivators present were utterly shocked.

If we calculate that one martial cultivator is born every thousand years, it's questionable if the entire history of the Ten Nations Continent has even seen a thousand martial cultivators. Yet, in the Primordial Era, there were over ten thousand Innate Martial Cultivators?

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy sighed, "That was the most prosperous period of the martial dao, but it was also its final glory. It's even... unlikely that such a grand scene will be replicated in the future."

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy's voice carried a hint of loneliness.

"If martial arts were so prosperous back then, why did the inheritance get severed?" Wu Changkong frowned and asked.

This was also what everyone wanted to know.

"Of course, it's because they all died," the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy said, looking up at the distance. "To confront the powerful enemy invading our homeland, the Human Emperor led the Human Emperor Guard, tens of thousands of Innate Martial Cultivators, to fight against the strong enemy from overseas... Although they repelled the enemy, the Human Emperor and all the martial cultivators perished overseas."

"The enemy from overseas..."

These words caused everyone's expressions to stiffen, and Tang Jie's heart also felt heavy.

Because he had previously 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, and the Ten Nations Continent was merely a small island floating within this endless sea!

Within this endless sea, there must be other life forms, just as in the vast and boundless universe, there must be more than one planet with life. Beyond the Ten Nations Continent lay an unknown world, and there definitely existed other unknown races!

There were even legends that creatures like demons were not native to the Ten Nations, but came from beyond the Ten Nations Continent!

According to the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy, the reason the Human Emperor and his Human Emperor Guard, composed of Innate Martial Cultivators, were annihilated in the ancient era was to resist the enemies from overseas.

All Innate Martial Cultivators died, the Human Emperor also died in battle overseas, and the inheritance of martial arts was broken. The path of immortal cultivation and qi refinement then rose. Coupled with the fact that the Innate Qi of the Ten Nations Continent became scarcer over time, Innate Martial Cultivators became extremely rare existences.

One was born every thousand years. The total number of martial cultivators born in all eras after the Human Emperor's ancient era did not even match the number of martial cultivators born in a single era of the ancient times!

These secrets, buried in the dust of time, were revealed by the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy, bringing immense shock to everyone.

The first and most powerful martial cultivator of the Ten Nations Continent was the Human Emperor, who was rumored to have laid the foundation for the Ten Nations Continent's dominance over humanity!

"How do you know all this? And who are you?" a white-haired old man with an immortal demeanor asked, his brow furrowed.

How did the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy know about the matters of the ancient era?

"Because... I am the Human Emperor's envoy. To ensure the continuation of the martial cultivator lineage, he ordered me to fall into a deep slumber before his campaign. If they were to fall in battle, I would fulfill my mission and do everything in my power to usher in an era of flourishing martial arts!" the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy said calmly.

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy was an envoy by the Human Emperor's side? Did that not mean he had survived from the ancient era until now?

Although this statement was a bit far-fetched, it was not impossible. The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy possessed the secret art of entering slumber to delay the loss of lifespan, which they, as martial cultivators, had personally experienced.

Tang Jie remained silent. Surviving from the ancient era until now, that would be at least a million years, right? The true identity of this Golden Robe Imperial Envoy could not be verified at all, but his true identity was not that important. What was important was his purpose!

"Putting aside whether what you say is true or false, you have brought us across countless eras to gather here in the Human Emperor Hall, saying that the strongest martial artist of all time will be born among us. What is the specific method for this?"

A burly man with a rough voice, his hair disheveled like a primitive man, asked in a deep voice.

The martial cultivators present were not overly concerned about the truthfulness of the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy's account of the ancient era. They were more concerned about whether the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy had a method to help them break through.

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy nodded slightly and pointed to the center of the Human Emperor Hall. "There, is the Martial Saint Stage, forged by the Human Emperor."

Everyone's gaze followed. In the center of the Human Emperor Hall stood a massive arena, which occupied almost two-thirds of the entire hall's area.

"Martial Saint Stage?"

Nearly a hundred martial cultivators looked at the Martial Saint Stage, wondering about its purpose.

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy said solemnly, "The Human Emperor was the first and most powerful martial cultivator on the Ten Nations Continent. Even if a hundred Innate Martial Cultivators challenged the Human Emperor together, they would have no chance of winning. The Human Emperor was a martial cultivator who had surpassed the realm of Innate Martial Cultivators. He even possessed the ability to break through the Immortal Gate, ascend to the heavens in broad daylight, and achieve the status of a Martial Dao Immortal. The only reason he did not ascend was that he did not wish to, wanting to contribute to humanity."

According to Tang Jie's knowledge, the biggest difference between martial artists and immortal cultivators was not in other aspects. In the history of immortal cultivation, there were Immortal Dao powerhouses who broke through the Immortal Gate and ascended to the Immortal Realm.

However, no martial artist had ever been able to break through the Immortal Gate and ascend to the Immortal Realm. According to the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy, the Human Emperor had reached the level of breaking through the Immortal Gate, and his failure to ascend was simply because he was unwilling.

As for whether it was true or not, no one knew.

"The Human Emperor transcended the realm of Innate Martial Cultivators. Let's temporarily designate his realm as the Martial Dao Saint realm," the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy paused slightly. "The Human Emperor also wished for a Martial Dao Saint of his level to be born among the Innate Martial Cultivators. Unfortunately, the Human Emperor himself did not reach this realm through step-by-step cultivation; he was naturally this powerful from birth. This is also why he is called a Martial Dao Saint. He is a born saint, possessing the Innate Body from birth!"

It was like the difference between a lion and a cat. Even if a lion did not train, it would be far stronger than a cat that trained diligently!

The Human Emperor's martial dao realm was temporarily called the Martial Dao Saint realm, and the Human Emperor himself was very special. He possessed the Innate Body from birth, similar to creatures like Gods and Demons. He was powerful from birth without needing to cultivate!

"After much contemplation, the Human Emperor forged the Martial Saint Stage. The Martial Saint Stage will give you a one percent chance to break through the realm of Innate Martial Cultivators and become a Martial Dao Saint at the same level as the Human Emperor!" the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy said slowly.

His words caused a slight shock in the hearts of the martial cultivators present.

They had waited for countless ages, and only had a one percent chance to break through their limits and reach the pinnacle?

Fourth update~ Also, tomorrow is the first of the next month. Requesting monthly votes in advance O(∩_∩)O~