Chapter 370: The Two Emperors Shu and Hu Appear, Bodies Turning into Bridges to Cross to the Past,

Chapter 370: Suddenly Two Emperors Appear, Bodies Turn to Bridges, Through the Past, Connecting the Future

Black Deer Martial Lord stood to one side, his expression somewhat complex.

“What a pity, the human heart is far too complicated. If that mysterious force could be of one mind with us, how could the task entrusted by the Eastern Lord be so difficult to complete?

What a pity, they are too mysterious to communicate with. Otherwise… if they could meet the Eastern Lord and hear his words, they would surely be convinced by him and strive together for this world.”

Qi Yuan gave Black Deer an extra glance: “Is the Eastern Lord such a good orator? I grow more eager to meet him.”

These people’s conviction in the Eastern Lord reached a terrifying degree.

Qi Yuan found it rather strange.

Could it be that the Eastern Lord possessed the same kind of personal charisma as he did?

Still, Qi Yuan considered himself somewhat inferior to the Eastern Lord.

After all, his subjects were all his divine infants—all himself.

Believing in oneself was only natural.

Suddenly, Qi Yuan thought of the corpse in the coffin within the ruins: “Have you ever seen the Eastern Lord’s Dao companion, that Ancestral Demon Lord?”

Black Deer Martial Lord shook his head: “No, none of us have ever seen the Eastern Lord’s true form. What we have seen are merely avatars.”

“Oh.” Qi Yuan did not dwell on it further.

Black Deer Martial Lord’s gaze fell beneath the tower, his eyes carrying a smile: “Master Qi indeed has keen insight and a good eye for talent.

That young man named Mu Yan has already reached the fifteenth floor, in the first echelon.

As for that fellow in the black robe, heh, he truly has a fear of heights—on the sixth floor he’s frozen in terror, unable to move.

The sixth floor is overseen by Martial Lord Ji Qi; she merely tweaked the trial’s content a little, and that black-robed man found it impossible to advance.”

Black Deer Martial Lord knew how to handle people; without any overt sign, he mentioned Ji Qi Martial Lord’s goodwill toward Qi Yuan.

This also gave Ji Qi Martial Lord a favor.

Though he himself was a titled Martial Lord and looked down on the favor of an ordinary Martial Lord, doing it as a casual gesture cost him nothing.

“Not bad, not bad,” Qi Yuan commented offhandedly.

He glanced briefly at the battles within the tower.

Those Martial Kings fighting with all their might were, to him now, like paramecia battling yeast—utterly boring to watch.

These people were not even as interesting as the keyboard warriors on Gongxing.

After all, those keyboard warriors could stir up trouble, arguing until they turned red-hot—especially entertaining.

His consciousness once again delved into the post he had made earlier.

When he saw his own post, he was a bit stunned.

“So many days have passed, and no new replies?

Could I have been throttled?”

Qi Yuan speculated maliciously.

According to the principle of inequality, if I have no traffic, it means someone is deliberately targeting me.

“How infuriating.”

Qi Yuan muttered, then @ed the genius who had previously advised him to buy a piece of land, and asked:

“Genius, any other insights? What should I do after buying the land?”

Not long after, the genius’s reply came.

“Alas, brother, Canxing is about to invade. I have no more time to waste on nonsense with you.”

“Oh, Canxing is invading, I see.

This isn’t nonsense—we’re discussing something that could change the entire landscape of the cultivation world,” Qi Yuan replied seriously.

Creating the underworld—such a monumental affair—how could it be called nonsense?

If the world had an underworld, wouldn’t that mean we could achieve a perfect Great Harmony society, realize true socialism?

The elderly would be cared for, the able-bodied employed, the young educated, and the dead given a place to return.

Mm, perfect.

If one felt bored after death, they could also work for free in Qi Yuan’s underworld—how wonderful, a job without spending a cent.

“Forget the big picture—let’s take care of ourselves first,” said the genius.

“I’m fine, no worries,” Qi Yuan replied.

“This concerns everyone—how can there be no worries?

When war breaks out, how many will die? Prices will skyrocket, order will collapse.

If Gongxing loses, we might become slaves.

Our parents, wives, and children will be humiliated, and our own fate will be entirely in the hands of the enemy.” The genius’s tone was filled with bitterness and helplessness.

Clearly, he was not optimistic about Qinyuan’s resistance against Canxing.

After all, Qinyuan’s strongest Sky Eyes had all fallen.

Qinyuan was like a handsome man almost stripped naked, left only in his underwear, at the mercy of others.

“You have a point.” Qi Yuan fell silent, then thought of something and asked, “If Canxing succeeds in its invasion, will the Martial Arts Tournament still be held?”

“Martial Arts Tournament? What’s that?”

“I am Qi Yuan, champion of the Martial Arts Tournament, having won dozens of consecutive titles. If the tournament is canceled, doesn’t that mean I can’t win the championship?”

“I just looked it up—that old relic of a Martial Arts Tournament still exists?

Forget the Martial Arts Tournament—even the Cultivation Tournament will probably be shut down.”

“How infuriating!” Qi Yuan in the Origin Land was furious. “Why, why? I just want to play a game quietly, watch a competition here. Why are these NPCs so clueless, wanting to cancel the Martial Arts Tournament?

Uncle can bear it, but aunt cannot—and neither can I!”

Qi Yuan abruptly stood up and sent a message to that man.

“You wait—I’m coming home right now. Let those dogs from Canxing see the true worth of a Martial Arts Tournament champion!”

Beside him, Black Deer Martial Lord looked at the rising Qi Yuan with a bewildered expression: “Master Qi, what’s the matter?”

“Hmph!” Qi Yuan snorted coldly. “There are bad NPCs—someone dared to attack my home while I was away.

I have to go back and teach that person a good lesson!”

“Ah?” Black Deer Martial Lord was somewhat alarmed. “Is the enemy powerful? Should our Eastern Alliance step in and strike together?”

“No need—just a clown jumping around. I’ll kill him with a single breath!” Qi Yuan waved his hand. “I’ll temporarily leave this chief examiner post.

I’ll go and come back. Oh, right—remember to delay the opening of the Eastern Lord’s Wall for me. I need to be there.”

“No problem.” Black Deer Martial Lord quickly nodded.

These were all trivial matters, not worth mentioning.

"However, Master Qi, according to the rules, if you leave here, you need to hang a Shadow Stone on your person.

What you have done must be made public and displayed here.

But if it is secret, you could actually not..."

"It's fine, where is the secrecy? I act with integrity. Give me the Shadow Stone, and I will record it myself." Qi Yuan said magnanimously.

"Very well." Black Deer Martial Lord handed the Shadow Stone to Qi Yuan.

The Shadow Stones of this realm were quite similar to those of the Canglan Realm, except they were activated using Blood Martial Qi.

"I have activated it." Qi Yuan activated the Shadow Stone.

Instantly, before the tower, an image of Qi Yuan appeared.

At that moment, Qi Yuan did not leave directly but instead roared at the sky.

"Emperors Shu and Hu, come forth at once."

His voice was loud, as if it spread throughout the entire Origin Land in that instant.

Black Deer Martial Lord was slightly stunned, and the other Martial Lords were lost in thought.

The sound lasted less than three breaths.

Abruptly, above the tower, two men appeared.

They arrived too swiftly, or perhaps without any sound at all.

None of the Martial Lords present had noticed their arrival.

It was only when the two spoke that the Martial Lords saw them.

"Emperor of the South Sea, paying homage to the Divine One!"

"Emperor of the North Sea, paying homage to the Divine One!"

The two stood before Qi Yuan, heads bowed, their auras both mysterious and ordinary, as if they were common folk.

Black Deer Martial Lord and the other Martial Lords could not help but fix their gazes on the Emperors Shu and Hu, their pupils contracting sharply, their eyes filled with endless vigilance.

How had these two appeared?

Remember, he was a titled Martial Lord. Yet someone had evaded his detection and appeared abruptly less than a hundred meters away.

Did this mean that if the other's sword pierced his chest, he would be unable to react?

Could it be...

A terrifying guess took shape in Black Deer Martial Lord's mind.

"Mysterious Force!"

Indeed, only the mysterious force that had risen in the Origin Land over the past thousand years could do such a thing.

Qi Yuan was actually connected to that mysterious force.

"I want to return to Gongxing. You two, build me a bridge to cross the Black Sea.

Hurry up, I'm in a rush." Qi Yuan urged.

Black Deer Martial Lord and the other Martial Lords nearby heard this and looked puzzled, not understanding what Qi Yuan meant.

The Black Sea was mysterious; those peak Martial Kings had long since died, their souls merging into the Scroll of Mountains and Seas, so they could go against the current of the Black Sea.

But going with the current—perhaps no one in this world could do that.

"We obey your command, our lord."

The Emperors Shu and Hu bowed their heads, then raised them again.

As they looked toward the direction of the Black Sea, their forms seemed to elongate in an instant.

A strange sound began to chant at that moment.

"Chaos, chaos, heaven and earth undivided!"

"The Black Sea has no bridge, the far shore hard to cross!"

"I, Shu, Emperor of the South Sea, vow to become a bridge, to pass through the past and reach the future!"

"I, Hu, Emperor of the North Sea, vow to become a beam, to tread the Black Sea and support the sky!"

This voice truly resounded throughout the Origin Land.

All the Martial Lords of the Eastern Alliance involuntarily looked up at the sky at that moment.

The Martial Kings within the tower also showed shock in their eyes.

As for Black Deer Martial Lord, his eyes widened wide, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

"Chaos... the source of all things, the beginning of the world!"

At that moment, he seemed to feel an endless aura of origin.

This was something that even Martial Lords could not comprehend, something they had only heard of.

With the voices of the Emperors Shu and Hu, the entire Origin Land suddenly turned dark.

All the Martial Lords became terrified in that instant.

"What's happening?"

"Has the Dawn Chime come early?"

"Who exactly are the Emperors Shu and Hu?"

"Martial Gods?"

Everyone looked up at the sky.

The sky, they knew not when, had been blocked, the world pitch black and devoid of light.

"The sky... is blocked!"

"This... seems to be a palm?"

All the Martial Lords trembled and quaked, their souls shrinking, terrified to the extreme.

They looked up at the sky and saw only darkness, but they knew it was the tip of an iceberg of something colossal.

They were bewildered, confused, afraid, utterly unaware of what was happening.

Only Black Deer Martial Lord and the other Martial Lords within the tower gritted their teeth, their expressions filled with terror.

"Is this... a Martial God?"

Just a wisp of leaked aura made his whole body tremble, unable to resist.

"I am the bridge, connecting past and future!"

"I am the beam, joining sky and earth!"

"The universe is vast and boundless, the river of time endless, I carve a bridge to cross it."

Then, across the entire Origin Land, a bridge appeared.

No one knew its width or height; only the tip of the iceberg revealed was larger than the Origin Land itself.

Mysterious and unfathomable, spanning the river of time.

Chaos flows above, the aura of ages drifts within the Black Sea.

A tangible bridge, at this moment, is raised, crossing the river of history.

“The Two Emperors of Suddenness, welcome our lord!”

The voice resounds, spreading across the Land of Origin.

Qi Yuan’s expression is calm; with a sweep of his sleeve, he stands upon the bridge.

On the Land of Origin, all martial lords behold that terrifying bridge, vaster than the Land itself, and a blood-red figure appears.

Unrelated to the speed of light, unrelated to sight—the moment he appears, everyone sees that silhouette.

“Who is that?” Within the high tower, Mu Yan seems to glimpse that back, and for some reason, feels a trace of familiarity.

The other martial lords, even the titled martial lords, stare fixedly at the man in the red robe.

At the peak of the high tower, the image left by the recording stone fully reveals Qi Yuan’s form.

He steps onto the bridge, crossing in a single stride.

In an instant, endless ages pass.

His one step treads a single stair, yet in truth, it spans a thousand, ten thousand years.

“This is…” The Black Deer Martial Lord’s expression shifts, shaken beyond words, “This is surely no titled martial lord!”

Something dawns on him, his face aglow with excitement.

Could it be… that Qi Yuan is a high-ranking member of that mysterious force?

His strength is clearly immense, surpassing that of a titled martial lord.

If he serves the Eastern Lord, does that not mean the chance of surviving the Dawn’s Cry might increase?

On the other side, the Fat Egg Martial Lord also looks up at the sky, rubbing his eyes wildly: “This… why does he look a bit like my ancestor?”

……

At this moment, on the Arching Star, in the State of Qinyuan.

On the second floor of a foreign-style house, a man stares at the comment sent to him, speechless: “Bro, don’t say you’re the champion of the Martial Arts Tournament—even if you were the champion of the Immortal Arts Tournament, it wouldn’t work!

Don’t be so ridiculous.”

“Hey, looking down on the Martial Arts Tournament champion, are you? I’m on the bridge right now, heading back immediately. You’ll see soon enough the weight of my Martial Arts Tournament title!” As he crosses the bridge, Qi Yuan still finds time to reply.

“Heh, I just looked it up—the runner-up of these past dozens of tournaments has been an old man.

A champion won by beating an old man—you’ve got some nerve?” the young man says.

That old man looks like an ordinary elder.

Beating the same old man for decades straight—Qi Yuan really has no shame.

He could at least let the old man win once.

“Forget it, I won’t waste time arguing with you. Remember to help me figure out how to build the underworld—I’ll be back soon.”

“Forget it, I won’t bicker with you. Though you’re a braggart and unreliable, you’re still better than those beauty bloggers.

Yesterday, our Qinyuan State caught a spy from Canxing. During the arrest, we wounded it, and some beauty blogger actually sympathized with the spy—absurd!”

The young man says this, then looks up at the sky, a trace of worry in his eyes.

“Looks like I’ll need to stock up and hole up in the basement—hope I can survive this calamity.”

The young man says.

With that, he prepares to go out, to check the supermarket or mall again for grain and food.

He is also a microcosm of most people in Qinyuan State today.

In the tide of the era, under the shadow of war, every individual is so insignificant, barely able to protect themselves.

(End of this chapter)