Flame Emperor Token!

By the stream in the river valley, Wu Wang sat there with furrowed brows and pursed lips, looking at the smiling old man in a straw rain cape before him.

What the hell was this? What was going on? What was he supposed to do?

Ah, his head was spinning a little...

The current ruler of the Human Domain, the Human Emperor who had led the Human Domain against half the gods of the Great Wilderness, who had kept the Human Domain standing in the Southern Wilderness and made it ever more prosperous, was sitting so casually before him?

Should I salute him?

Such a thought surfaced in Wu Wang's heart, and he could not help but laugh soundlessly.

Get serious. This was no time to fool around.

Not merely because the old man before him was the legendary Flame Emperor Shennong, nor merely because the other party claimed he could cure his strange illness.

There was also a solemn weight born of the myths and legends from his homeland.

Wu Wang took two steps back and gave the old man, who called himself Old Man Lianshan, the customary Daoist salute of the Human Domain.

"This junior has been disrespectful. Please forgive me, Your Majesty the Human Emperor!"

Shennong Shi shook his head and smiled. "Let us speak only of your strange illness for now, and leave everything else aside. Do you trust me?"

"I do. What could Senior possibly seek to gain from this junior?"

Wu Wang smiled. "This junior has also followed the example of Human Domain cultivators and chosen a Daoist Name for himself: Wu Wang, meaning freedom from worry and calamity."

"Wu Wang? A calamity out of nowhere?"

Shennong Shi immediately burst out laughing.

"Ha ha ha! Your Daoist Name truly suits you. This strange illness of yours really is a calamity out of nowhere."

Wu Wang asked in puzzlement, "Senior knows the root cause of this junior's strange illness?"

"Let me consider how much I can tell you. Some of the hidden details concern the fate of humanity, so it is not yet convenient to explain them."

Shennong Shi pondered for a moment and said:

"Let us first go somewhere nearby to rest. Then I will explain it to you slowly."

With that, Shennong Shi stood and pressed a hand upon Wu Wang's shoulder as he took half a step forward.

Light and shadow swirled around them, and the world changed once more.

They stood amid rolling mountains, within a maple forest halfway up a mountain. Half-red maple leaves covered every direction; flocks of birds circled in the distance, and farther away stretched endless pines and cypresses.

Wisps of clear qi drifted on the wind. Mountain springs and waterfalls descended from the clouds. There was no sign of habitation or human tracks anywhere. It was truly an excellent place for Immortal Cultivation.

A small grass hut stood not far away, and Shennong Shi's voice came from beside him.

"Come over."

Wu Wang did not dare admire the scenery any further and hurried after him.

Cries of cranes rang out in the distance. Two white cranes spread their wings and flew over, circling the grass hut for a while before dropping the spiritual mushrooms and medicinal herbs in their beaks, then spreading their wings and departing.

A small fenced courtyard stood before the grass hut.

When Shennong Shi reached the courtyard, he shook the wooden staff in his hand. A gust swept through, and the stone table and stools beneath the trees, which had been piled with fallen leaves, became spotless.

"Come, come, sit."

Wu Wang did not stand on ceremony. He sat opposite Shennong Shi as instructed, his posture quite proper.

"Where should I begin?"

Shennong Shi stroked his beard and murmured softly. "Wu Wang, your Spiritual Sense is already quite strong. Clearly, you have cultivated the Star Invocation Technique of the Northern Wilderness."

"And you have also mastered the Thousand Inhalation Art, attaining cultivation in the Gather Qi Realm. Someone must have secretly opened a convenient door for you and shielded you from the senses of the Starry Sky Temple."

"The leader of the Seven-Day Sacrifice in the Northern Wilderness over these past few centuries—was that your mother?"

"Yes. My mother's name is Cang Xue."

"Then it seems the Star God's control over the Northern Wilderness has loosened by another degree."

Shennong Shi muttered to himself, then smiled. "For the humans of the Northern Wilderness to flourish so well can be considered another safeguard for humanity's bloodline. It is truly not bad."

After thinking briefly, Wu Wang asked, "Senior, is the situation in the Human Domain not optimistic?"

"It is passable. I was merely reminded of how some people had once buzzed in my ear, insisting that the humans of the Nine Wildernesses should be gathered into the Human Domain, while others argued that humanity's current state of living scattered between heaven and earth was best."

Shennong Shi's expression showed a faint trace of distaste. Clearly, he had been annoyed beyond endurance.

Then his former gentle smile returned. He removed his straw rain cape and set it aside, revealing a few stains on his loose robe.

He was not one to fuss over trifles.

"They argue back and forth over one question, yet find no conclusion even after centuries or millennia. Let us not speak of that. Let us discuss your strange illness."

Wu Wang immediately focused with all twelve measures of attention.

Shennong Shi said, "Have you heard of the ancient war of gods?"

"I have. This junior has read most of the documents that can be found in the Northern Wilderness."

"It is easy speaking with you," Shennong Shi said with a smile. "The source of your strange illness lies in that ancient war of gods."

Wu Wang's brows furrowed into the shape of the character for river.

What kind of logic was that?

"And then?" Wu Wang asked tentatively.

"That is all I can tell you for now," Shennong Shi said with a beard-stroking smile.

Wu Wang nearly slammed the table and rose, but after thinking it over, he decided he ought to show this great figure some respect.

After all, he could not beat him.

Wu Wang said listlessly, "Thank you, Senior."

Shennong Shi smiled. "Do not be so quick to despair. Your strange illness originated from an Innate God, but it is not only the Innate God who cursed you that can resolve it."

"I have a method that can help you succeed in cultivation and also rid you of the calamity of your strange illness."

"But this method is rather precious..."

"How precious?" Wu Wang hurriedly asked. "Please enlighten me, Senior."

"This method concerns the future of the Human Domain." There was a meaningful look in Shennong Shi's eyes. "But so long as you cultivate it to the ninth level, your strange illness will naturally fade away."

"Really?"

"Really."

Wu Wang blinked. "Does this cultivation method happen to have only nine levels? Does it concern the Human Emperor's inheritance, such that reaching its highest level would allow one to become the next Human Emperor and gain the strength to contend against Innate Gods?"

"Ha ha ha! You truly are clever."

"Senior, are you really willing to pass this cultivation method to me?"

"Well..." Shennong Shi stroked his beard. "A healer has a benevolent heart. If there is a way to cure your strange illness, I should not hide it selfishly. But this matter is indeed of great importance..."

"How about saying a few pleasant things for me to hear?"

"Perhaps if this old man laughs in delight, I will casually hand you this opportunity."

Pleasant things!

Wu Wang could not help feeling both amused and helpless, but he quickly calmed down. He sat there looking into Shennong Shi's eyes, while a few images surfaced in his heart.

Volunteer Wu Wang! You are the only volunteer to reach the wormhole! The fate of all humanity rests upon your wrist!

If you can return alive, you will be a hero—the greatest hero!

If you cannot return, your contribution will not be forgotten. It will absolutely never be forgotten!

The meaning behind the sacrifices of those volunteers who fell before even reaching the wormhole's edge will also be entrusted to you!

"Senior."

A faint weariness appeared on Wu Wang's face as he said in a low voice:

"I am not avoiding responsibility, nor am I afraid of shouldering it. Can you tell me plainly why it is me?"

"You sought me out today. It should not have been merely because of my strange illness."

"If humanity in the Great Wilderness needs me to step forward, I can step forward—but it must be of my own accord."

"I want to make the decision myself, rather than be held hostage by any banner or name."

Shennong Shi stared at Wu Wang. His smile gradually faded, and he said solemnly, "I truly do not know how a place like the Northern Wilderness, where the folkways are so simple and honest, could temper a mind like yours."

For a moment, Wu Wang did not know how to answer.

Shennong Shi said, "Wu Wang, let me ask you this. If the Human Domain faced the danger of being overturned, and the enemy was one you could not possibly defeat, would you be willing to risk your life in battle?"

Wu Wang considered it for a while, then answered, "If the danger of being overturned faced humanity as a whole, rather than only the humans of the Human Domain, then I would naturally risk my life in battle."

"Here. The opportunity is before you. It depends on whether you can grasp it."

A streak of fire flew from Shennong Shi's sleeve. The fire gathered without dispersing, condensing into a wooden token before Wu Wang.

The wooden token was a trapezoid, broad at the top and narrow at the bottom. At its center flickered a pale white flame, while intricate runes were carved on either side. The runes seemed to have evolved from pictographs, yet Wu Wang could not understand their meaning at all.

The wooden token slowly rotated, revealing the enormous character "Flame" upon its back.

Wu Wang tried to reach out and touch it, but clusters of flame emerged from the token and drifted into the air.

"This is the Flame Emperor Token."

"You have one month. If you can gain its recognition, you will become the owner of the Flame Emperor Token."

"Within it is recorded the Human Domain's first cultivation scripture. This is one of the only two solutions to your strange illness!"

Two blazing flames ignited in Wu Wang's eyes.

He utterly failed to notice the subtle, almost-smiling curve at the corner of the great figure's lips before him.

Two hours later.

Clang! Clang!

In the mountain forest north of the grass hut, Wu Wang wore a short shirt, long trousers, and leather boots, his long hair simply tied behind his head. Drenched in sweat, he swung a stone axe at the towering tree before him.

Behind Wu Wang, the Flame Emperor Token floated silently, its flames faintly flickering.

The first trial for the Flame Emperor Token to acknowledge its master!

A strong physique was a basic quality for the Human Emperor's successor. Without relying on the Star Invocation Technique or cultivated Magic Power, he had to fell one hundred trees here and carry the logs back near the grass hut.

A contest of strength and stamina? Northern Wilderness men feared nothing!

Wu Wang carried his axe up the mountain, sealing away his Star Invocation Technique and Gather Qi Realm cultivation. He chose the thickest groves and chopped down the tallest giant trees!

This was the dignity of men from the Cang Mountains, the pride of their Bear Hug Tribe. How could he, their young chieftain, lose face before the ruler of the Human Domain?

Thus, Wu Wang worked hard at felling trees for half an hour.

"Ha, ha... gulp."

Wu Wang leaned against a tree trunk he had chopped less than halfway through. He tipped back his head and drank a mouthful of spring water he had just fetched, panting heavily as sweat soaked his entire body.

Forget it. He was a mage who cast spells from afar. He could not demand that he possess the physique of warriors.

He could not use qi, had never trained much normally, and could not use the Star Invocation Technique either. If he insisted on choosing such massive trees, he would not finish even the first task in a month.

Better to settle for the next best thing. Better to settle for the next best thing.

Wu Wang carried his axe and dragged two trimmed logs toward the neighboring grove.

Half a day later;

Ah, it was not as if slightly thinner trees could not be used.

Two days later;

Trees lived for a thousand years with difficulty. Better to cut those under a hundred years old. Mercy, mercy—homage to Gatling Bodhisattva.

Seven days later.

Wu Wang sat sprawled beside the grass hut, looking at the empty hut and the absent Flame Emperor Shennong. He swallowed the medicinal pill laid before him, and waves of fiery warmth immediately arose within his body, making him feel as though he possessed inexhaustible strength.

This was...

Just as expected, Senior thinks I favor Spirit Cultivation, and my physique is my weak point.

Thank you, Senior!

Wu Wang gave a Daoist salute toward the empty grass hut. The Flame Emperor Token floating behind him trembled softly, and words surfaced one after another in his heart. The second trial had arrived!

Build a house, so that humanity may withstand wind, frost, rain, and snow in its weaker days.

Please use these materials, without using the Star Invocation Technique, to swiftly construct the building with which you are most satisfied.

This trial appeared to be merely asking him to construct a building, but it secretly tested his aesthetic sense and ability to coordinate as well.

Senior Shennong's methods were indeed extraordinary.

Wu Wang drew a deep breath and closed his eyes. A great wooden hall slowly took shape in his heart.

When he opened his eyes and looked at the stacked logs before him, he roared, tore off his short shirt, and charged forward with his great axe.

Appear!

Greenwood Divine Hall—shrunken version!

Thus, another half month later.

A great hall thirty zhang tall rose from the forest. The hall was entirely green and divided into three levels. Though it lacked soaring eaves and carved dragons, the gleaming wood-element treasure ore atop its highest level was especially eye-catching.

Wu Wang stood within this building, every part of which had been polished to exquisite perfection, and could not stop tears from filling his eyes.

Had he really made this with his own hands?

Thank you, Senior, for arranging this trial and giving him such an opportunity to know himself anew.

So being a carpenter also held endless joy...

Bzz! Bzz!

The Flame Emperor Token trembled softly, and the contents of the third trial again surfaced in Wu Wang's heart.

Water is the source of living things. In humanity's early years, people lived by water and migrated with it.

Please carve out a stream, channel the clear spring water from the mountain peak, and let it flow past the building you constructed.

Wu Wang shook his arms, let out a low roar, and rushed into the mountain forest with his axe.

Three days later, a stream had appeared behind the wooden hall.

Another two days later, the woodland not far from the wooden hall had been cleared, creating large medicinal gardens. Wu Wang, who by now had nearly merged perfectly with this place, carried a wooden basket on his back as he planted seedlings one by one in the gardens.

Two days later... and another two days later...

An elegant courtyard residence had appeared halfway up the mountain.

At last, Shennong Shi arrived slowly with his long staff. Looking at the ingenious arrangements everywhere, he nodded in satisfaction again and again.

And Wu Wang received the Flame Emperor Token's final trial.

Migration often happens because one must flee disasters that cannot be resisted.

Please move the items from the original wooden house into the great hall, arrange them properly, and experience the hardships faced by ancient humanity during migration.

Wu Wang laughed loudly and ran back and forth between the original wooden house and the Greenwood Divine Hall like a whirlwind, swiftly carrying over wooden chests and cabinets one after another.

When he had placed the last wooden chest, the Flame Emperor Token that had been floating behind him slowly descended into Wu Wang's palm.

The flames upon it withdrew of their own accord, and a warm aura slipped into his palm as a chant slowly surfaced in his heart.

This was...!

Wu Wang let out a soft sigh, clutching the token as his heart remained unsettled for a long while.

He had done it!

Having come to the Great Wilderness, did he now have to shoulder such a difficult responsibility as well?

Ah, his carefree days as a young master were about to vanish forever starting today...

Crack, crack-crack-crack!

Wu Wang looked toward the sound. It was the last wooden chest he had just carried over.

Perhaps because it was far too old, and he had set it down with too much force just now, the wooden slats along the side of the chest had crumbled apart on their own. Wooden plaques slid out one after another, burying Wu Wang's feet.

Why did these wooden plaques look so... familiar...

Wu Wang lowered his head and looked at the plaques scattered across the ground—the utterly familiar talismanic patterns, the Flame characters dancing like dragons and phoenixes, and that peculiar material impossible to identify at a glance...

He bent down and picked one up. He could feel its warm aura slipping into his palm, and the chant he had just received surfaced in his heart once more.

Outside the hall doors, Shennong, the Flame Emperor, who was approaching with a cane, silently drew back the foot he had extended.

"Senior."

Wu Wang's voice was like a cold wind from the Nine Netherworlds. Black lines spread across his forehead, swallowing the corners of the hall, while his lowered head lifted slightly and a sharp red gleam appeared in his eyes.

Wu Wang let out a howl and charged out, dragging along the great axe he had already grown accustomed to wielding.

The barefoot old man in a straw rain cape turned and ran. With his wooden staff, he tapped patches of short grass and wildflowers into bloom wherever he passed. The old man's laughter and the young man's roars echoed through the forest.

"Oh, hahahahaha! Disrespecting the Human Emperor is a grave crime!"

"A scholar may be killed, but never humiliated! The human race of the Northern Wilds isn't under your control yet!"

"Young man, you must be reasonable, hahahaha! Weren't you quite happy during the process? This old man had only wanted to build a pill-refining room here. Who knew you would be this overbearing, able to build a grand hall without even using Magic Power?"

"Give me back my dream of saving the world! Do you know how much resolve it took for me to accept the Flame Emperor Token?!"

"Hahahahaha! A talent worth cultivating, a talent worth cultivating indeed! This old man suddenly wants to nurture you properly!"

"No need! I don't need it! A young man's dreams are the most precious things!"

That day, Wu Wang accomplished a grand feat that not even the Heavenly Emperor had managed: weapon in hand, he chased the current Human Emperor across mountains and plains, from dusk until the starry night.