“Alas!”
The Great Dao Pen let out a soft sigh.
How could this naive Human Spirit stand a chance against the cunning Ye Xuan?
Ye Xuan grinned, “Enough talk! Let’s go meet the sages of the human race!”
The Human Spirit thought for a moment, then nodded, “Alright!”
With that, it turned and drifted into the distance.
Ye Xuan glanced at the Owl Demon, who was also watching him.
Ye Xuan smiled, “Until we meet again!”
Then he followed the Human Spirit.
The Owl Demon was silent for a moment before muttering, “A guy with backing! Can’t mess with him!”
With that, it turned and vanished at the horizon.
…
Led by the Human Spirit, Ye Xuan arrived at a cave.
He looked at the Human Spirit, “Why bring me to see the sages?”
Before the Human Spirit could answer, a white-robed elder emerged from the cave. Dressed in a flowing white robe with snow-white hair, he exuded an air of otherworldly grace.
But it was merely a phantom!
Not his true form!
As the elder appeared, the Human Spirit darted to his side, acting affectionately.
The elder looked at Ye Xuan and smiled, “King of Backers!”
Ye Xuan’s face darkened.
Bloody hell!
When did this nickname of mine become so famous?
The elder sized Ye Xuan up, then smiled, “I hear you founded an academy!”
Ye Xuan nodded, “Yes!”
The elder stroked his beard, chuckling, “I’ve heard of your academy, so I had the Human Spirit bring you to meet me.”
Ye Xuan smiled, “What guidance do you have, senior?”
The elder chuckled softly, “I know your identity is special, even the Human Spirit’s master can’t touch you. I called you here to offer some help!”
Ye Xuan was curious, “Help?”
The elder nodded slightly, opening his palm. In an instant, a terrifying force of faith appeared in his hand!
Seeing this, Ye Xuan’s pupils shrank. He’d never encountered such a fearsome force of faith!
Just this force made him sense death itself!
The elder smiled, “What do you feel?”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “Power!”
The elder shook his head, “And?”
Ye Xuan was silent for a moment, then said, “Please enlighten me, senior!”
The elder smiled, “Truth! Purity!”
Ye Xuan fell silent.
The elder said softly, “The truer and purer the force of faith, the stronger it is!”
With that, he flicked his fingers, and Ye Xuan’s Human Sword Intent surged forth.
Boom!
The sword intent pierced the sky, shaking the heavens!
Seeing Ye Xuan’s Human Sword Intent, the elder said softly, “Your force of faith… it’s impressive!”
He looked at Ye Xuan, smiling, “Seems my worries were unnecessary!”
Ye Xuan grinned, “Were you worried my force of faith was just trickery?”
The elder nodded, “Yes! They say you’re fond of deception and thick-skinned!”
Ye Xuan’s face darkened again, “Little Pen, was that you?”
The Great Dao Pen quickly said, “Don’t blame me! I wouldn’t gossip!”
Ye Xuan asked, “Then how do they know this nonsense?”
The Great Dao Pen hesitated, then said, “You’re actually a bit famous in our circle!”
Ye Xuan frowned, “Why?”
The Great Dao Pen said flatly, “I won’t say!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Little Tower suddenly said, “You must be tarnishing Little Master’s reputation!”
The Great Dao Pen sighed softly, “Does his reputation need tarnishing? Really?”
Little Tower: “…”
The elder suddenly smiled, “Young friend, walk with me! I’ll give you a gift later!”
Ye Xuan quickly said, “Great! Please, senior!”
The elder laughed heartily, “Let’s go!”
He led Ye Xuan onward.
On the way, the elder smiled, “Little brother, do you know of the human race?”
Ye Xuan nodded, “I do!”
The elder shook his head, “No, the human race I speak of isn’t the one you know!”
Ye Xuan frowned, “What do you mean?”
The elder said softly, “Do you know of an era?”
Ye Xuan was silent.
How would I know if you don’t tell me?
The elder smiled, “That era was the closest to the Great Dao Pen’s master, when the current universe and the boundless universe were just born! Initially, there was no concept of a universe, only chaos!”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “Did the Great Dao Pen’s master split the universe?”
The elder shook his head, “No!”
Ye Xuan was curious, “Then who?”
The elder smiled, “A divine sage. He split the chaos, creating the current and boundless universes.”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “What about the Great Dao Pen’s master? What did he do?”
The elder shook his head, “Nothing!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
The elder said softly, “The human race faced a great calamity once, nearly wiped out, and not just them, all races almost perished!”
A flicker of dread crossed his eyes.
Ye Xuan was curious, “What calamity?”
The elder was silent for a moment, then said, “A true catastrophe!”
Ye Xuan was speechless.
Can’t this guy just say it clearly?
The elder smiled, “Let me put it this way, the human race I speak of was the first batch in the current and boundless universes, the first civilisation after their birth. In simple terms, the origin of civilisation! All martial arts and civilisations stem from our era, called the Era of All Races.”
Ye Xuan asked, “Was the Great Dao Pen’s master from that era?”
The elder shook his head, “No, he transcends everything!”
Ye Xuan frowned, “Transcends everything?”
The elder nodded, his expression solemn.
Ye Xuan hesitated, then asked, “Is he that powerful?”
The elder stopped, turning to Ye Xuan, “You think he’s not?”
Ye Xuan thought, then said, “I met him once, he was… quite approachable!”
Little Tower said, “Little Master, that’s because you’re with Sister Destiny. With her, anyone would be approachable!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
The elder smiled, shaking his head, “Little brother, do you know what kind of existence the Great Dao Pen’s master is?”
Ye Xuan shook his head, “I truly don’t!”
The elder was silent for a moment, then said, “An extremely terrifying existence, indescribable by any words, and he transcends everything.”
Ye Xuan was puzzled, “Little Pen, if your master is so powerful, why couldn’t he beat Qing’er?”
The Great Dao Pen was silent, then said, “I don’t know!”
Little Tower laughed, “Sister Qing’er, forever a god!”
The elder suddenly said, “Young friend, you’re human, right?”
Ye Xuan nodded, “Yes!”
The elder nodded, “Then the human race’s banner will fall to you to carry!”
“What?”
Ye Xuan sensed something off and turned to the elder, “Senior, me carry the human race’s banner?”
The elder nodded, “Yes!”
Ye Xuan quickly shook his head, “Such a heavy burden, with no benefits, I absolutely won’t…”
He stopped, embarrassed, damn it, slipped up!
The elder laughed, “Young friend, want benefits?”
Ye Xuan said earnestly, “Senior, I’m not that kind of person!”
The elder nodded, “I understand!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
The elder smiled, “If you carry the human race’s banner, we can offer many benefits!”
Ye Xuan instinctively asked, “What benefits?”
The elder winked, “The human race’s treasure!”
Human race’s treasure!
Ye Xuan grew excited, “Can I see it first?”
Ye Xuan wasn’t one to be fooled; no treasure, no deal.
The Human Spirit suddenly said, “Little Xuan, to be a sage, you need a selfless heart. Being so mercenary, you can’t be a sage!”
Ye Xuan smiled, “I don’t want to be a sage!”
The Human Spirit was puzzled, “Why not?”
Ye Xuan grinned, “Being a sage is too tiring!”
The elder burst out laughing, “Young friend, you’re right, being a sage is exhausting! Often, the sage’s position is a shackle, binding one’s true heart.”
Ye Xuan smiled, saying nothing.
The elder continued, “The human race’s trésor is vast, and there’s a mysterious human army we left behind, now in slumber. If you become the human race’s king, they’ll obey and honour you!”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “How strong?”
The elder smiled, “Any one of them could beat countless of you now!”
Ye Xuan sighed softly, “Am I still that weak?”
The elder laughed heartily, saying nothing.
Ye Xuan asked inwardly, “Great Dao Pen, how big is the gap between me and Qing’er now?”
The Great Dao Pen was silent, then said, “That question’s beyond my knowledge, I can’t answer!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
The elder opened his palm, revealing a seal, and looked at Ye Xuan, “Know what this is?”
Ye Xuan shook his head.
The elder smiled, “The Human King Sacred Seal! It can boost faith power by fifty percent, and it can endlessly gather human faith power. Most importantly, it can directly apotheosise any being, granting them divinity and divine status!”
Ye Xuan was puzzled, “Apotheosis… isn’t that the gods’ domain? Can humans overstep?”
The elder laughed, “Humans and gods are equal, we humans can apotheosise too.”
Ye Xuan shook his head, “It’s a bit confusing!”
The elder smiled, “Don’t worry, you’ll understand our world in time!”
With that, he handed the Human King Sacred Seal to Ye Xuan, “Here, take it!”
Ye Xuan hesitated, then said, “You’re… so generous? I…”
Before he finished, the seal turned into a golden light and merged into his brow.
Boom!
The seal bonded with him!
Ye Xuan was silent.
Bloody hell!
This feels like a forced sale!
Something’s not right!
There’s a catch!
…
