Rise of Humanity, page 167
“There is only one Zhong Yue of the Swords Gate!”
The Ao Clan’s clan master laughed out loud, “The one who has reverse opened the five realms, wrecked the Xiao Mang celestial temple, fought a bloody path of a hundred thousand miles to walk out of the divine battlefield alive – that Zhong Yue!”
The Ao Clan elders suck in a cold breath of air as their gazes were suffused with disbelief.
“The human Zhong Yue that reverse opened the five realms, isn’t he eighty-feet tall, eighty-feet wide, eight-armed, eight-legged, and eight-headed? Why does he look so different from the rumors?” One of the elders mumbled.
Zhong Yue was between laughter and tears, he never thought that the rumor would’ve reached as the dragon race that resided in the remote sea.
The elderly Ao Clan’s clan master said smilingly, “Most of the dragons in the Eastern Sea had never ventured onto land, even some of the elders have never seen a human before. They didn’t know what the humans looked like. When the rumor reached the Eastern Sea, even I was shocked, but thankfully, I’d seen a human before. I know how humans look. Dear brothers, the one that stands before you is a Qi Practitioner from the Swords Gate, the Zhong Shan Clan’s Zhong Yue, who is also the same man as Long Yue of the Eastern Sea!”
The elders guessed it, but when the clan master verbally validated their conjectures, they were still shocked.
Both of the two identities were extremely notable in their own right!
These two identities that he held were like two bright stars that shone upon the East Barren and Great Wilderness, together, they were addressed as the Twin-Yues. Their achievements were like two insurmountable mountains in the level of Rebirth and Awakening, they were both venerated as the most talented young experts of the human and monster race respectively!
Their cultivation techniques, arts and skills, and soul weapons were different, their races were unrelated and yet, they were both the same man!
“Ao Fenglou, he has made a great contribution to the dragon race!” one of the elders recollected his thoughts, let out a breath of air and said solemnly.
While the other Ao Clan elders nodded in agreement, their faces were solemn and serious. Ao Fenglou had connected the dragon race to such a talented young Qi Practitioner with such a bright future, and he had also opened the opportunity for the dragon race to launch a campaign for the East Barren. He had indeed, made a huge contribution the dragon race!
After tens of thousands of years, there was finally a glimpse of hope for the dragon race to unleash their wild ambition to the lands. They would no longer be bounded by the vast sea and the empty skies.
The elderly clan master smiled, “Ao Fenglou has made a huge contribution to the dragon race, he will undoubtedly be abundantly awarded for the great merit he has rendered. Little Zhong Yue has agreed with Fenglou to distribute forty percent of his territory to the dragon race. As of now, Fenglou has already instructed Yuchi Li to head over to the territory and establish a dragon base. From now on, as little Zhong Yue’s territory increases in size, the territory of the dragon race will also increase. Soon, there will be more and more dragons heading over to the East Barren to strengthen our foundation. It will not be long for the day where the dragon race step foot on the lands to come!”
The Ao Clan elders were overjoyed; Zhong Yue held two identities and the secret was now in the hands of the dragon race, which meant that Zhong Yue would never be able to betray the agreement he made with the dragon race, or otherwise, if the dragon race were to expose his secret to the world, he would never be able to run away from the monster race!
The humiliated monster race would definitely tear him apart alive at all cost!
Hence, the only choice for him was to cooperate and join hands with the dragon race Ao Clan, or otherwise, he would definitely come to a bad end.
Without having to be wary of the possibility of Zhong Yue betraying the dragon race, the Ao Clan was assured that the dragon race’s plan to conquer the land would be able to be carried out smoothly. Furthermore, both of Zhong Yue’s identities were incredibly shocking, which meant that his talents would be able to allow him to strive to greater heights in the future. He might even be able to be the overlord of the East Barren, if not, he would at least be a magnate in the East Barren, his territory would surely be extremely large!
With enough foundation and power, the dragon race could surely dock in and conquer the East Barren!
“What a young and promising child, truly young and promising!”
One after another, the Ao Clan elders got up from their seats and surrounded Zhong Yue, smiles on their faces squeezed their eyes into thin lines as they said, “The human race will surely be able to rise high with such a young and promising child like you!”
“Zhong Shan Clan member, today, you’ve joined hands with the dragon race. Tomorrow, the dragon race will repay you, we will help you to ascend as the Swords Gate headmaster!”
The elders praised him while Zhong Yue said anxiously, “Elders, you are all overpraising me. My cultivation base is too low now, I can’t uphold such a heavy burden yet. Do the elders have any resources that can help me in my cultivation progress, such as some treasures or cultivation techniques….”
Immediately, the elders returned back to their seats and pondered earnestly. Zhong Yue gave a frigid smile, These old geezers are really trying to gain something out of nothing, they don’t even want to pay a single price at all. Stingy, truly stingy!
Ao Clan’s clan master hesitated for a moment and said, “There are indeed countless treasures in the dragon race … alright, I’ll open the Million Treasure Pavillion for you, you can choose one of the many treasures in it. Other than the divine weapon, you can choose any treasures your desire, but only one, not two or more! Little Zhong Yue, what do you say?”
Chapter 221: Ancestral Blood |
“Only one treasure, and it can’t be a divine weapon?”
Zhong Yue held a blurred expression on his face that seemed like a smile but it actually wasn’t, “Clan master, elders and seniors, all of you know very well of my identities, and so you all should know the prestige I hold in Swords Gate and the monster race. If I want treasures, not to be presumptuous, but the Swords Gate itself would allow me to pick among all of the Ten Malefic Weapons if I so please! And I’m also the only closed door disciple of Shi Buyi, it would be a simple matter for me to simply ask for any treasures in the monster race!”
He started boasting and talking through his hat making exaggerated and false statements. After all, there weren’t any experts from the Swords Gate nor the monster race present; whether it was the Ao Clan’s clan master or the elders, none of them knew of his true situation. This gave him the opportunity to say anything that could possibly grant him some benefits without fear of anyone exposing his lies. Zhong Yue smiled and said, “But I didn’t take any of the Ten Malefic Weapons, nor did I took a single treasure from Shi Buyi; do you know why? It’s because I’m pretending to be noble and virtuous, but I simply disdain them all. Dear seniors, please take a look!”
With a thought, five light wheels emerged behind him, and a bone saber was pulled out as he reached his hand and clenched over; extending his arm, he presented the Fang Blade to the elders and pierced it into the floor of the golden palace!
Chi——
The Fang Blade pierced into the floor paved with pure gold, buzzing with sounds.
“If the treasures in the Million Treasure Palace are more inferior than this, then don’t even speak of one item, even if there are ten of them, they are still nothing more than a pile of dung to me.”
Zhong Yue smiled and said, “Dear seniors, I’m sure there will be treasures better than my Fang Blade in the Million Treasure Palace, right?”
The clan master and elders look at the Fang Blade and their smiles froze on their faces. Zhong Yue’s Fang Blade was forged by two godly bones, although it was only an Awakening level soul weapon, it was still made of god-level materials nonetheless!
They were planning to just simply throw a trivial treasure over to Zhong Yue as a sign of goodwill to earn his loyalty. But it seems like, this human brat before them was not easy to bargain with.
In the dragon race’s Million Treasure Palace, there were treasures like the Ten Malefic Weapons, but those treasures were not necessarily in abundance. After all, only magnate level cultivators could forge the soul weapons like the Ten Malefic Weapons.
And not all of the magnate cultivators were necessarily able to forge them either; it was just a minimum requirement of being able to do so.
The Ten Malefic Weapons of the Swords Gate were the embodiments of wickedness. Their powers were even stronger than their creators; even more so, they could manipulate and wrest control of their masters if they were not strong enough, and eventually, devour them!
Those who could forge weapons like the Ten Malefic Weapons were all magnate cultivators, while even the magnate cultivators could be devoured by their own weapons. One could infer how potent the power of the malefic weapons were.
And yet, Zhong Yue claimed that he even regarded the Ten Malefic Weapons as nothing much; clearly, this human brat was not content, he was asking for more from the dragon race.
However, giving him ten treasures of the same value as the Ten Malefic Weapons was still a huge blow even to the strong and powerful dragon race!
“This … the divine weapons are absolutely impossible, even if you were to get it, you can’t control it well either, we are just being considerate for you.”
The elderly Ao Clan’s clan master pondered and said, “As for ten treasures as you like, that’s too high a condition. The treasures in the dragon race are limited, we still have to save some for the next generations … How about this, I’ll allow you to chose one treasure from the Million Treasure Pavilion, and I’ll give you a special permit to partake in the Ancestral Dragon Ritual of the dragon race!”
“Ancestral Dragon Ritual?”
The Ao Clan elders’ faces changed drastically, one of them quickly refuted, “Clan master, this is an absolute no! The Ancestral Dragon Ritual is the grandest ritual of the whole of Eastern Sea dragon race, a ritual to worship the common ancestor of the dragon race. How could a human be given the right to participate?”
Another elder concurred, “That’s right, the humans are humans, and the dragons are dragons. How could a human be allowed to take part in the Ancestral Dragon Ritual of the dragon race?”
All of the elders also stepped in and refuted, while Zhong Yue was puzzled, What is this Ancestral Dragon Ritual? Can it be even better than the treasures like the Ten Malefic Weapons?
The elderly Ao Clan’s clan master smiled and conducted his voice directly to the elders, “Ten treasures, which one of you is willing to give them to him? This little brat is asking for too much, saying that even ten treasures wouldn’t satisfy him, which means that we need to give him at least ten treasures at the same grade as the Ten Malefic Weapons! But now, I’ve only granted him a treasure and allowed him to participate in the Ancestral Dragon Ritual. Also, keep in mind that he is not a true dragon, he wouldn’t be able to gain any benefits from it anyway; but on the other hand, we would’ve just saved ourselves nine treasures.”
As he explained his rationale, the Ao Clan elders’ eyes brightened with the light of understanding and they stroked their whisks while smiling merrily.
While Zhong Yue asked, “Participate in the Ancestral Dragon Ritual, what are the benefits?”
“Little child from the human race, you must have not known anything about this before. The Ancestral Dragon is not the dragon race ancestor’s spirit, the ancestor’s spirit is the ancestor of the Ao Clan dragon race, while the Ancestral Dragon is the common ancestor of the whole dragon race of Eastern Sea!”
Another elder smiled and said, “The dragon race of Eastern Sea comes from the Leize Clan, the descendants of the Leize innate dragon god. While the common ancestor of the Eastern Sea dragon race is a dragon god of the Leize Clan! The Ancestral Dragon Ritual, is to worship this great ancestor of ours!”
Zhong Yue was astounded, The Leize Celestial Race! One that stood on par with the Fuxi Celestial Race, Huaxu Celestial Race and Yanzi Celestial Race. Together, they were venerated as the nine divine emperor races! The race of the innate dragon god! I never would have expected the Eastern Sea dragon race being the descendants of such a majestic race!
“Ancestral Dragon Ritual, is the grandest ritual of the Eastern Sea dragon race to worship our common ancestor, and to ask for the blessings of the Ancestral Dragon.”
The elder continued, “Although the Ancestral Dragon has passed away, his spirit remains in existence to guard over the Eastern Sea dragon race. The ritual is to worship the Ancestral Dragon, rouse his great spirit and open the secret realm within to gain his blessings. Hence, the Ancestral Dragon Ritual could be said to be the grandest event of the whole Eastern Sea, an important smelting ritual for the dragon race to nurture its younger generation!”
The elderly Ao Clan’s clan master nodded, and said smilingly, “The Ancestral Dragon Ritual is the grandest event of the whole dragon race. Even the Ao Clan has been allocated with only a limited quota of spots. Each and every one of them are extremely valuable. But I can give you my words, that I can secure a place for you.”
Just when Zhong Yue was hesitating, trying to deduce their hidden agenda behind this sudden act of grace by the stingy dragon race, Xin Huo whispered faintly in his psyche ocean, “Brat Yue, accept his offer!”
Zhong Yue quickly beseeched, “Xin Huo, is the Ancestral Dragon Ritual more beneficial to me than the Ten Malefic Weapons?”
However, Xin Huo did not reply him at all, this was, after all, the golden palace of the dragon race, there were innumerable dragon experts and the strongest existence of the Ao Clan residing here. They were strong enough to notice the little flame that hid in Zhong Yue’s psyche ocean, even just now, Xin Huo had taken a great risk in saying that single sentence.
Zhong Yue hesitated, he then clenched his teeth and said, “Alright! Clan master, I’ll participate in the Ancestral Dragon Ritual!”
The clan master heaved a breath of relief, he nodded and said smilingly, “You are smart, you’ve made the best choice. Rest assured, the benefits you will get from the Ancestral Dragon Ritual will be greater than the treasures like the Ten Malefic Weapons. The benefits will last for a lifetime!”
The other Ao Clan elders also heaved a breath of relief, they were smirking smugly in their hearts; taking out ten treasures that were on par with the Ten Malefic Weapons was too hefty a price for them to pay. But simply giving up a spot in the Ancestral Dragon Ritual was not too exorbitant for them.
Most importantly, Zhong Yue was not a dragon, he would never be able to gain the blessings from the Ancestral Dragon in the ritual.
By that time, if he doesn’t gain anything at all, he can’t blame the Ao Clan but can only regret that he lacks the strength. Clan master is indeed the clan master ... such wisdom.
With a surge of psyche, the elderly Ao Clan’s clan master placed a token into the hands of an elder. He smiled and instructed, “Junior Martial Brother Longan, bring our little friend Zhong Yue to the Million Treasure Palace and let him choose the treasure as we promised.”
Elder Longan stood up from his seat and walked towards Zhong Yue, he said smilingly, “Little friend, come, follow me.”
As soon as Zhong Yue followed him and left the golden palace; the clan master and elders gaze at one another and all of a sudden, they burst out in laughter. One of the elders said, “After all, he is still a child, although he enjoys a high prestige, he is still easy to manipulate!”
The old clan master nodded and smiled, “Still too young and naive, a single treasure and we’ve earned his loyalty, what a worthwhile deal! Oh yes, watch this Zhong Yue closely, he must not be contacted by the Chi, Jiao and the other clans, or otherwise, things will not look good for us if the other old brats also ask for a piece of the cake. The East Barren is so vast and huge, if the Ao Clan can claim it all, then we can stand on top of the other four clans for sure.”
The other elders concurred, “Furthermore, the Ao Clan has paid its price, we didn’t give out something for nothing. But the other four clans will not give up so easily, they will surely ask for a piece of the land.”
The elderly Ao Clan clan master smirked and said, “You want a piece of land in the East Barren, you will have to give me some treasures in return. We will definitely be able to let the other four clans pay a hefty price for the lands!”
“Praise the clan master!”
Meanwhile, Zhong Yue followed Elder Longan to the Million Treasure Palace, he whispered to Xin Huo, “Xin Huo, is this Ancestral Dragon Ritual that good? I feel like it's a trap, the dragons are stingy and selfish in nature, the Ao Clan would never be so generous.”
“Of course the Eastern Sea dragon race is not that generous, but the Ancestral Dragon Ritual is a good thing.”
After they left the golden palace, Xin Huo regained his liveliness again. He lowered his voice and said, “The Leize Celestial Race is the race of a godly emperor, they are the innate dragon race, and a race that has given birth to a Heavenly Monarch. The power within their bloodline is incredibly strong, no inferior to the Fuxi Celestial Race. Furthermore, the dragon blood in the Fuxi Celestial Race comes from the Leize Celestial Race, it is one of the ancestral bloods of the Fuxi Celestial Race!”
“Ancestral blood of the Fuxi Celestial Race?” Zhong Yue was stunned.
“That’s right, the Fuxi Celestial Race are the descendants of the Leize and Huaxu. They hold the bloodline of two godly emperors! The bloodline in your body is extremely low and thin, but if you can gain the blessings from the Ancestral Dragon, the benefits you will get will be greater than any other treasures!”
