The Human Emperor

“It’s useless!”

Wang Chong’s voice rang out across the training ground as he clenched the hilt of the Origin Immortal Sword.

Crack! Wang Chong vanished like a ghost. At the same time, lightning more dazzling than the sun erupted from his sword sheath.

“Lightning Flash!”

Wang Chong used the strongest attack of the Origin Immortal Sword, dodging Li Junxian’s attack while making one of his own.

“This sword is for the hearts of the people of the Great Tang that you have torn asunder!”

This attack was made out of anger, and its power was immense. It immediately blasted through Li Junxian’s barrier of Stellar Energy and knocked him away.

Rumble! Li Junxian’s body was surrounded by lightning, then sent drilling into the earth and across the spacious training ground, creating a fissure more than one hundred feet in length.

Dust churned across the training ground and debris flew everywhere. The place where Li Junxian had landed was stained with blood.

“Senior Brother!”

“Young Master!”

The Confucian Sect members cried out in alarm. Even the spectating Confucian scholars felt as if their hearts had been seized.

But Wang Chong appeared to be deaf to the cries. In a flash of light, he transformed into lightning and turned around to make another slash.

His expression was ice-cold. With regards to Li Junxian, Wang Chong had never cared about the shame and humiliation that had been heaped on him by this man, nor did he care that much about the Confucian Sect’s army supervisors or the disbanding of soldiers. What he cared most about was that Li Junxian and the Confucian Sect had torn asunder the hearts of the people.

While there might have been the occasional voice of opposition in the court, before Li Junxian and the Confucian Sect, the people had been mostly united, whether it was during the war of the southwest or the Battle of Talas. If this situation had continued, then no matter what sort of danger the Great Tang faced, the people would be united, allowing the Central Plains to still have some hope of survival.

But the appearance of the Confucian Sect had destroyed it all. The heavens helped those who helped themselves, and with the calamity imminent, only by having the people united and constantly getting stronger would the Great Tang have any chance of defeating the otherworldly invaders.

Now, war and self-strengthening were no longer options. The soldiers that were used to protect the country had become objects of hatred, and the common people had become naive seekers of peace. More than half the populace was living in delusion and crippling its own strength.

“Heh, I examine myself and find no shame!”

Li Junxian swayed as he stood back up, his clothes stained with blood. But his eyes remained resolved and firm as they fearlessly stared at Wang Chong.

“Wang Chong, let me ask you: after killing so many people, do you not feel any pain or suffering? Do you not dream about those mountains of corpses and seas of blood in your sleep?”

The world suddenly went silent as everyone watched. Even Li Heng was taken aback and unconsciously sat back down.

The world had become so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

“I don’t!”

As tens of thousands of people watched, Wang Chong shook his head, not even the slightest hesitation on his face.

“No matter how many people I must kill, the hands holding my sword will never tremble. As long as I can protect the Great Tang and all its people, I will never feel regret!”

Wang Chong’s voice resounded across the heavens, and the crowd could only stare in speechlessness.

This was the first time the people of the capital had heard Wang Chong so firmly proclaim his convictions.

Nobody spoke, but all of them felt a solemn respect for this youth.

Li Junxian was also taken aback, but he quickly shook his head.

“Wang Chong, you used some trick to obtain the approval of the Crown of Confucius. No matter what you say, I will never acknowledge you!” Li Junxian firmly declared.

“Hmph, I don’t care what you think, and it does not matter whether you acknowledge me. As long as I can defeat you, the Confucian Sect will be over and done with. It is high time for this farce of yours to be brought to an end!” Wang Chong coldly replied.

From the moment he had stepped onto this training ground, he had not expected to win any sort of acknowledgment. Only the sword and strength could end this matter once and for all.

Wang Chong’s fingers closed around the Origin Immortal Sword, and he pointed it at Li Junxian.

“Bastard!”

Li Junxian gnashed his teeth and clenched the Noble Sage Sword.

Wang Chong and Li Junxian almost simultaneously vanished, and then with a thunderous explosion, two dazzling beams of Sword Qi clashed in the air.

Two blazing suns seemed to appear in the sky, and as they collided, shockwaves of Stellar Energy swept out, shattering the surface of the training ground. But even though Li Junxian put forth all his power, he was simply no match for the combined might of Wang Chong and the Crown of Confucius.

Boom! In the blink of an eye, Li Junxian faltered and was once more slammed back to the earth. The site of impact immediately splintered, giving way to a massive pit, and a plume of dust soared into the air.

Inside the pit, the pale-faced Li Junxian had blood trickling out of his mouth, and his aura was in a state of turmoil. The price for taking Wang Chong’s Sword Qi was immense damage to his body.

Bang! But without the slightest hesitation, Li Junxian clenched his teeth and shot up once more, ignoring his injuries and unleashing all the power of the Noble Sage Sword that he could. His meridians were cracking and breaking, but Li Junxian no longer cared.

“A pointless struggle!”

Wang Chong felt no pity for Li Junxian’s tenacious struggle. Li Junxian had barely risen into the air when another vast wave of Sword Qi slammed him back into the earth.

Li Junxian’s injuries were even more serious this time, and he left streaks of blood on the shattered earth.

“No matter what, I’ll never concede to you!”

Li Junxian clenched his teeth and shot up again, and then was blasted back down by Wang Chong’s sword.

The spectators couldn’t help but quietly shake their heads. Although the battle was over and Li Junxian was still fighting back, everyone knew that he had actually already lost.

Meanwhile, in a flash of lightning, Li Junxian was once more smacked into the ground.

“Concede! You no longer have the strength to fight. This match is over!”

Wang Chong stood in the air and coldly looked down on Li Junxian.

“No! I have not lost! I will never concede!”

Li Junxian’s face was swollen and red, but as he glared at Wang Chong, he showed no signs of backing down.

“It’s useless!”

Wang Chong’s voice was carried by the winds across the entire training ground.

“This time, I’ll make sure you’re convinced of your loss!”

Wang Chong raised the Origin Immortal Sword high into the air, and a moment later…

Everyone watched in shock as the Crown of Confucius exploded with a powerful energy, upon which a righteous Sword Qi as bright as the sun emerged from the Origin Immortal Sword.

“This is impossible!”

Upon seeing this Sword Qi of pure righteousness and nobility appear, the staring Li Junxian went as white as a sheet of paper.

The spectating crowd also couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

Not only had Wang Chong obtained the approval of the Crown of Confucius, he was also able to unleash Sword Qi of such pure righteousness and nobility. Such a thing was simply unbelievable.

Even Elder Song and the other members of the Confucian Sect were rendered speechless by this sight.

Obtaining the approval of the Crown of Confucius would only free Wang Chong from the damage it could inflict, but the fact that Wang Chong could unleash Sword Qi just as noble and righteous as Li Junxian’s was not something that could be explained through a scheme or trick.

“Did he really obtain Confucius’s approval?!” Elder Song muttered, great waves surging in his heart.

Wang Chong’s ability to unleash this noble Sword Qi could only mean that Confucius had acknowledged Wang Chong’s will and ideals, but Wang Chong was a butcher of one million souls, his hands drenched in blood. How was this possible?

Meanwhile, after unleashing this noble Sword Qi, Wang Chong swung his sword, bringing down that dazzling beam of Sword Qi onto Li Junxian’s head.

The collision of this energy with the energy already wreaking havoc in his body caused Li Junxian to shudder and then vomit blood.

“Impossible! How could this have happened? This can’t be real! I won’t concede! Never!”

Li Junxian clambered to his feet, his entire body shaking. The Confucian Sect’s thousand-year dream, the lessons imparted to him by his master, and the resolve he had nurtured since he was a child could never be abandoned in a single day.

“Wang Chong, I’ll never concede. Even if I fall, the Confucian Sect will have a successor. One day, the Harmonious World will come! No one can change this, not even you!”