Chapter 521: The First Ancestor Human Sovereign
Inside the Human Sovereign Hall stood a figure, very imposing. Qin Mu ascended the steps of this temple, the box following behind with its legs clattering. Qin Mu raised his hand, and the box stopped outside the hall, folding its limbs and settling to the ground.
The box creaked open a crack. Through the gap, the Dragon Qilin rolled his eyes, glancing around at the desolate graves everywhere. After a moment's thought, he struggled to crawl out, belly pressed to the ground as he cautiously followed Qin Mu. His tail hung low, but he dared not let it drag, afraid of making a sound.
Suddenly, the Dragon Qilin felt something step on his tail. He let out a piercing shriek, every hair and scale on his body bristling upright. Qin Mu turned back and glared. The Dragon Qilin quickly stuffed a paw into his mouth, stifling any further noise.
He looked back and saw the box tiptoeing behind him. It was this thing that had stepped on his tail, scaring him half to death.
Qin Mu's head ached. He wanted to drive them out, but felt it improper to shoo them away in such a sacred and solemn place. He had no choice but to let them follow, muttering in a low voice, "If you two cause any more trouble, one of you will be firewood, and the other will end up on the dinner table as meat!"
He approached the figure's back. Only then did he realize he wasn't much shorter than the other—still in his growing years, he was merely an inch shorter. Yet this figure gave him an impression of immense stature, a spiritual impact born of presence and temperament.
This figure was the First Ancestor Human Sovereign. Qin Mu had once seen his stone statue in Little Jade Capital.
"You are the thirty-sixth generation Human Sovereign, aren't you?"
The First Ancestor glanced sideways at him. He was a man who looked only in his thirties, with a thick beard, rugged and sturdy, exuding a sense of solid reliability.
"The thirty-seventh generation," Qin Mu replied. "The Village Chief is my teacher, who initiated me into the path. This is my first time here."
He looked forward and paused in surprise. He now saw what the First Ancestor Human Sovereign was gazing at.
It was row upon row of bookshelves, filled with countless books. The Human Sovereign Hall was vast, but there was none of the splendor Qin Mu had imagined—no towering divine statues, no trace of luxury. Only rows of bookshelves.
Qin Mu stepped forward, picked up a book at random. The handwriting was unfamiliar, but between the lines, he sensed a familiar sword intent.
This was a book written by the Village Chief.
The book discussed the techniques and divine abilities of Qiao Xingjun of the Celestial Realm. The Village Chief had clashed with Qiao Xingjun many times, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of his various techniques and divine abilities, studying their flaws.
Qin Mu set the book down and picked up another. This one detailed the techniques and divine abilities of Yu Jun, along with their pros and cons. He skimmed through a few other books, finding they mostly contained experience with the techniques and divine abilities of the Celestial Realm gods.
He also found the Sword Diagram—a thick stack of scrolls. The Village Chief had recorded how to cultivate his Sword Diagram, the operation of each sword technique, and their artistic conception, clearly prepared for future generations.
He moved to the second bookshelf. The handwriting there was grand and imposing, with a surging, volcanic passion—likely written by Qikang Human Sovereign.
These books also described the strengths and weaknesses of the Celestial Realm gods' techniques, along with the countermeasures the author had deduced. Beyond that, they contained Qikang Human Sovereign's own techniques and divine abilities.
However, Qikang Human Sovereign wrote in his book that anyone who cultivated his techniques was a fool. He had never won against the Celestial Realm gods in his life, and practicing his methods would only lead down his failed path. The frustration between the lines was palpable.
"No wonder each generation of Human Sovereign refuses to cultivate their teacher's techniques, stubbornly forging new ones instead," Qin Mu suddenly understood the successive Human Sovereigns of Fengdu. They were all failures, unwilling to let their disciples repeat their mistakes. They left behind their techniques only because they were the life's work they cherished, wanting successors—yet unable to pass them to their own disciples.
This was perhaps the greatest regret of their lives.
"All the books on these shelves are strategies for pacifying the Celestial Realm."
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign approached, caressing the books on the shelves. "They all saw the Celestial Realm as their greatest foe, dedicating their entire lives to crushing it. Unfortunately, they all failed. You can stay here and study for a while; it will help you forge your own path."
Qin Mu shook his head. "Most of the Celestial Realm gods are dead or wounded. The Four Lords of the Celestial Realm have all fallen. The Celestial Realm is no longer a major threat. Aside from the techniques of past Human Sovereigns, most of these books are useless now. My goal is not the Celestial Realm gods, nor to crush the Celestial Realm."
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign showed surprise, looking at him. "What is your goal?"
Qin Mu met the eyes of this ancient sage, speaking solemnly, "My goal is to tear open this false sky, reform this unjust world, push for change and progress, and restore a prosperous age that surpasses the Kaihuang Era!"
His gaze burned with passion, and he declared loudly, "First Ancestor, isn't this your goal too?"
"No."
The First Ancestor's eyes dimmed. He shook his head. "I don't have such lofty ideals. I've been worn down by time and enemies. You're still young, still full of drive and energy. I'm just an old man, disheartened and weary. One day, time will wear you down, enemies will wear you down. Then, when you come to the Human Sovereign Hall, you'll leave behind books like the others, writing down your failures, hoping future generations will achieve what you couldn't."
His voice grew colder, more ruthless. "You'll be a failure, just like them. You'll quietly build a thatched hut, sit in it with all hope lost, unwilling to let your successor repeat your failed path. But the duty of the Human Sovereign will force you to find a successor. In that hut, you'll shed tears of regret, resent the teacher you once revered, carve your own tombstone, and inscribe your failure upon it."
He sneered. "You'll think you don't deserve a grave, don't deserve to face the ancestors. Then you'll breathe your last, just like those dry bones in the huts!"
Qin Mu's eyes widened in disbelief. The image of the wise and heroic First Ancestor Human Sovereign he had held in his heart suddenly crumbled!
"Do you still want to be the Human Sovereign?" the First Ancestor said coldly. "Let me tell you a cruel truth: There is no such thing as a Human Sovereign in this world!"
His voice was icy. "When I rescued the various races from the great calamity, I already knew I was a failure! I saved them because I was weak—I couldn't bear to see these mortals, these races, die before my eyes. But I was just a deserter!"
He laughed loudly, pointing at the countless graves shrouded in mist outside the Human Sovereign Hall. "I was a deserter on this battlefield! When I fled, all I thought about was getting away from this hell! I ran away, didn't fight alongside them, escaped alone! Later, I wondered countless times what would have happened if I'd stayed. The answer was only one: I'd be a corpse, just like them!"
His laughter turned somewhat manic. "Yes, they died, and I lived, becoming the Human Sovereign in people's hearts! People respect me because I led them to a place where they could survive. So what? I only turned them into prisoners! The entire sky is fake, a great cage, an inescapable prison. Everyone is a prisoner in that cage! I didn't lead them out; I just sent them into the gods' jail!"
"Human Sovereign? Ha! Human Sovereign! There is no Human Sovereign in this world!"
His hair bristled with rage as he stepped forward, closing in on Qin Mu. His terrifying aura forced Qin Mu to retreat. "Abandon your ridiculous fantasies! Shed the burdens on your heart! You are not the Human Sovereign. From start to finish, the Human Sovereign has been a lie—merely the culprit who sent the people into the gods' cage!"
His pressure made it hard for Qin Mu to breathe, forcing him to channel his primal energy to resist.
"Then why did you come back?" Qin Mu's chest was nearly crushed, but he gasped out, "Why did you come back to erect tombstones for these fallen warriors? Why bury them? Why place their weapons beneath the stones?"
The First Ancestor's aura suddenly calmed. He lowered his head. "I came back to this battlefield, buried them, because I felt guilty. I knew I didn't deserve to be called the Human Sovereign. I came to atone."
Qin Mu asked, incredulous, "Don't you have any hope in your heart?"
The First Ancestor replied expressionlessly, "None. Young man, abandon your illusions. This farce of the Human Sovereign should have ended long ago."
Qin Mu lowered his head. After a moment, he looked up with a smile, still the same sunny, boyish grin. "You failed. They failed. But I haven't failed yet. If you won't be the Human Sovereign, I will."
The First Ancestor sneered, a mocking look on his face. "What qualifies you to do so?"
Qin Mu shouted, "My surname is Qin! My ancestor is Kaihuang! I carry the bloodline of the Qin clan of Carefree Village! I am also the Overlord Body! I'll do it! Any problem?"
The First Ancestor tilted his head, sneering. "You have too many titles, too much pride in your heart. What does Kaihuang's bloodline matter? Kaihuang himself failed and hasn't shown his face in twenty thousand years. What does the Overlord Body matter? It's just a legend. I've never heard of any achievement from the Overlord Body. You're just a reckless youth, a child... Let me shatter your illusions!"
He swept his sleeve and suddenly attacked Qin Mu.
Startled, Qin Mu quickly blocked, but found the force from the attack not particularly strong. He was taken aback.
The First Ancestor's power exploded, and the shockwaves from his divine abilities sent the books on the shelves flying, rustling into the air.
"Don't destroy these books!" Qin Mu roared in fury, throwing a punch. Behind him, a bell rang with a clang, and a great Buddha appeared, surrounded by fourteen rings of divine light, humming as they formed halos.
"Techniques from the Great Thunderclap Monastery? Mere trifles."
The First Ancestor casually dispelled them, landing a punch on Qin Mu's chest. "With just this, you can't protect the books, nor yourself."
Qin Mu was sent flying by the punch. Midair, he transformed into a shadow, skimming across the ground. The First Ancestor tapped the floor with his toe, shaking Qin Mu out of the shadow form, and turned his primal energy into a sword, thrusting at Qin Mu's brow.
"With such little skill, you're headed for death!"
The First Ancestor sneered. "You're a failure too."
Enraged, Qin Mu condensed his energy into a sword and pointed a finger. Their energy swords clashed, ringing with sharp, continuous sounds as books falling from the air were shredded by the sword energy.
Qin Mu's eyes nearly split with fury. "Don't destroy their life's work!"
"Stop me, then," the First Ancestor chuckled darkly. "If you can't defeat me, all you'll leave behind is a pile of worthless junk!"