A golden mote of light.
It drifted in from the horizon.
So light.
As light as a falling leaf.
Yet as heavy as a mountain.
The instant that mote sank into Qi Wu's right eye.
BOOM!!!
A power too vast to describe.
Suddenly exploded within him!
True immortal power!
It belonged to the Human Emperor.
To the old man who had guarded Great Xia for ten thousand years, single-handedly holding up the sky for all humanity.
Now.
It had finally crossed the divide between life and death.
And passed to Qi Wu.
Countless fragments of memory flooded his mind.
He saw the Human Emperor in his youth.
A young man covered in blood.
Holding a broken sword.
Standing amid countless corpses.
Behind him.
Lay humanity's last settlement.
Back then.
He was not yet the Human Emperor.
Just an ordinary man.
A man who refused to bow.
The images kept flashing past.
A thousand years.
Ten thousand years.
Countless battles.
Countless sacrifices.
Countless old friends dying.
Until, in the end.
Only he remained.
Guarding a world that kept growing older.
Waiting for someone who might never come.
And that someone.
Was named Qi Wu.
BOOM!!!
The memories ended.
Qi Wu's entire body shuddered violently.
Golden divine markings spread across his skin.
His divine Six Eyes turned entirely brilliant gold.
In his ears.
The Human Emperor's final words seemed to echo once more.
"I'm leaving Great Xia to you."
Amid the ruins.
Qi Wu fell silent for several seconds.
Then slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again.
The fury in them had vanished.
In its place was a resolve stronger than ever before.
He looked up at the sky.
And spoke softly.
His voice was quiet.
But utterly earnest.
"Thank you."
"Old man."
BOOM!!!
Golden immortal radiance shot into the