Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Myriad Faces of the Human King
A strange, vibrating hum seemed to resonate with some profound mystery. Accompanied by a column of five-colored divine light soaring skyward, an ancient cauldron with two handles and three legs slowly rose into the air under the astonished gazes of all present.
In that moment, the world was awash in resplendent colors; it was as if new life had dawned within the Blood Spirit Secret Realm, the aura of the Blood Clan washed entirely away by the five-colored divine light. The divine radiance flowed and swirled, making the ancient, unadorned cauldron appear as if it were the only thing in existence. Standing proud against the heavens, it exuded a grand and majestic aura, as though it could suppress the four corners of the world.
Within the divine glow, the cauldron’s form became clear: brass-hued, with two handles and three legs, forged of some unknown material. Its walls were inscribed with scenes of ancient tribal rites, the boundless mountains and rivers of the human domain, and the mottled rings of passing ages.
As the ancient cauldron floated upward, it carried with it an ineffable Dao resonance—not overwhelming or violent, yet so vast and profound it left all awestruck. With the cauldron’s awakening, every human warrior in the secret realm, no matter where they were, was seized by a sudden intuition, turning their gaze toward Blood Spirit Mountain. They felt the blood of their kin burning fiercely within their chests.
And not only within the secret realm—outside, across the entire Northwest, the moment the ancient cauldron revived, a surge of majestic, noble purple energy swept across the heavens for a million miles. A purple celestial dragon, millions of miles long, roared and howled atop the firmament. Its thunderous cry was both a venting of power and a summoning call. In that instant, an irresistible will descended upon the Northwest lands.
Above the blood pool within the Blood Spirit Secret Realm, Blood Ancestor, bound by six five-colored divine chains, was nearly consumed by murderous intent. His eyes were bloodshot and wild, his head of crimson hair and the struggling purple-gold wings behind him revealing his inner fury.
“Mountain and River Royal Cauldron!”
“Mountain and River Royal Cauldron!”
Blood Ancestor repeatedly roared the name, nearly driven mad. It was the owner of this very cauldron who had once sealed him in this lightless blood pool.
In stark contrast to Blood Ancestor’s frenzy, the human warriors’ eyes were solemn, their faces grave as they gazed at the treasure shrouded in five-colored light. So this was the Mountain and River Royal Cauldron.
A weighty sense of antiquity radiated from it—a feeling that, however heavy the world, it could not outweigh the mountains and rivers of the human domain. Every human warrior’s blood boiled within them, as if answering a call from their ancient forebears.
“Where is Luo Hao?” With the cauldron rising in the void, many noticed that Luo Hao, who had charged into the region of five-colored light, was nowhere to be seen. In the crowd, Ji Rou and her companions wore deep concern beneath their delicate brows.
“Look, there he is!”
The five-colored divine light blazed like a mighty sun, illuminating the entire secret realm. Beneath the cauldron, Luo Hao’s figure hovered—he stood beneath the Mountain and River Royal Cauldron, his eyes tightly closed, utterly still.
“It’s you!”
Blood Ancestor’s eyes suddenly snapped wide, his expression crazed yet tinged with terror. Though the face before him was still Luo Hao’s, Blood Ancestor sensed that this was no longer the insignificant seventh-level spirit cultivator he could toy with at will.
“What’s happening? He seems different.” Noticing the madness on Blood Ancestor’s face and looking at the closed-eyed Luo Hao, Ji Rou seemed to realize something. By the blood pool, the gravely wounded Feng Wuhen and the others also sensed the change.
A metallic ring sounded as the eyes beneath the cauldron slowly opened. It was as if entire worlds were born and perished within them, their ancient depth stretching back through eons. Those eyes calmly swept over heaven and earth.
At that moment, the entire Tengu Continent erupted into tumult. Ancient purple energy soared to the heavens from all directions, and a celestial purple dragon of a million fathoms soared amid the clouds, its splendor brighter than the sun itself. Countless golden lotuses rained from the void, and endless divine springs gushed forth from the earth’s depths.
Across the four corners of the continent, countless human soldiers raised their heads to the sky, roaring and pounding their chests as the blood of battle blazed within them.
“Purple energy pierces the heavens, golden lotuses descend, and divine springs well forth from the earth! Which ancestor of our human race has awakened such mighty human will?” In the mist-shrouded depths of a celestial palace, a hazy figure stood at the edge of a precipice, gazing up at the swirling stars.
“Quick, summon the twelve golden arrows. At any cost, bring back our Human King!”
Within an ancient hall, seven figures sat in the formation of the Big Dipper. Suddenly, a trembling, elderly voice echoed from the depths of the hall, and immediately, twelve streaks of golden light shot into the void and vanished.
“Light the purple fires at the borders, the myriad battlefields, the Void Wall, all garrisons across the land. Let every human soldier stand ready!” In a heavenly palace, a scholar in white with indistinct features gripped a wolf-hair brush, his calligraphy fierce and resolute as words of war manifested in the air.
“Tengu Will has awakened—someone has stirred the will of Tengu itself!”
“Hah, Tengu Will? I say it’s the will of humanity itself. After three great eras, the will of Tengu and the will of man have become one. How vexing!”
“It seems a peerless human has taken action. With such vast purple energy, could it be the Human King?”
In the starry sky beyond Tengu, countless divine senses intertwined, yet none dared probe into Tengu itself. Even freshly awakened after three eras, humanity’s will remained unassailable.
At this moment, all the heavens watched Tengu. After hundreds of thousands of years, Tengu had once again become the focus of all realms.
Back in the secret realm, Luo Hao’s gaze swept over the venomous-eyed Blood Ancestor. Luo Hao frowned, then smiled lightly. “The aura of the Blood Clan is as unpleasant as ever.”
To everyone’s shock, with a casual wave, the blood-red haze and the Blood Demon Barrier vanished from Blood Ancestor’s mouth.
“The Blood Demon Barrier is gone. How can he wield such power?” Even Feng Wuhen and the others were stunned by the fading blood mist.
“So it really is you, Wan Qianyi.” Seeing his Blood Demon Barrier shattered so effortlessly, Blood Ancestor ground his teeth and roared.
He knew well that the figure before him was not Luo Hao, but his mortal enemy from ages past—the one who had sealed him in the blood pool, a hatred seared into his bones.
“Aaaah!”
Blood Ancestor howled, his blood power surging wildly, threatening to shatter the secret realm itself. Facing this eruption of power, Luo Hao merely smiled and intoned, “Seal.”
The moment the word left his lips, the five-colored divine chains binding Blood Ancestor’s limbs and wings erupted with dazzling radiance.
Sigils in five hues appeared in the air, and the sacred chant of the Dao resounded, like the ancient songs of ritual from days long gone. Blood Ancestor’s surging power was instantly suppressed.
“Chains of Demon Sealing! Wan Qianyi, you—”
Blood Ancestor raged, blood-red eyes nearly aflame, but the man before him remained unmoved, his calm gaze exerting unprecedented pressure.
“How can he be so powerful?” The three women who had worried for Luo Hao were now speechless with shock, and Feng Wuhen and the others were similarly stupefied.
“That is not Luo Hao.” Gazing solemnly at the figure beneath the cauldron, Feng Wuhen spoke quietly. The others looked at him in surprise, and after a pause, he added, “If I’m not mistaken, the soul within Luo Hao’s body is not his own, but that of the master of the Mountain and River Royal Cauldron—a human elder of unparalleled might.”
“No wonder he is the Blood Clan’s Third Prince; even after countless years of suppression, he still commands such power.” It was the second time the man below the cauldron had spoken.
His words were filled with infinite ancient sorrow and solitude. In that moment, all present were certain that this was not Luo Hao, but a mighty ancestor of the human race.
Every human warrior present felt a deep reverence—those ancient forebears were truly worthy of respect. In those dark, tumultuous times, they fought for the survival of their kind, never retreating, even if it cost the last drop of their blood.
“Wan Qianyi, so it truly is you, old wretch! I have been sealed by you for countless ages, but today is the day I rise again. Die!” With a furious roar, a shadowy blood figure emerged behind Blood Ancestor, towering to the heavens like an ancient demon. With a roar like thunder, it shook the Eight Desolations.
“What’s happening? I sense an extremely evil force swelling within the Blood Spirit Secret Realm.”
On a distant mountain hundreds of miles from the secret realm, several venerable elders and a beautiful middle-aged woman frowned, staring with concern at the rift in the sky.
“Something’s wrong! The divine sigil I gave Xuan Tianhe has shattered.” One elder sensed the break and, without another word, the elders and the woman strode into the void, rushing toward the rift.
“Blooddark Heaven!” Endless blood fiendish energy blotted out the sky, as the shadowy blood figure let out a howl. Amid Blood Ancestor’s roar, the shadowy demon threw a punch that seemed to pierce three thousand worlds, bearing down on the Mountain and River Royal Cauldron.
With a thunderous boom, the crowd was horrified—the punch had transcended the limits of space, and as the blood-red fist tore the void, endless fiendish energy surged out.
The entire secret realm trembled as the void split open. The very laws that shaped the Blood Spirit Secret Realm appeared, but even they were shattered by the blood-red fist, threatening to destroy the entire small world.
Below, every human warrior was struck by the terrifying shockwave—many spat blood, some even dying outright.
“Stop!” With a sharp command, the five-colored divine light blazed above, and the Mountain and River Royal Cauldron froze the four corners of the world. Wan Qianyi glanced downward, then swept his hand.
A curtain of five-colored light immediately enveloped everyone. At this, Blood Ancestor burst into laughter. “Wan Qianyi, you can hardly protect yourself, and still you try to save these ants? Hahaha!”
“As Human King, it is my duty to protect my people!”
At Blood Ancestor’s taunt, Wan Qianyi’s brow furrowed, and he thundered a reply, his robes billowing as he and the ancient cauldron soared into the sky, boundless battle spirit swirling with the five-colored light and shaking the heavens.
“Seal of Mountains and Rivers!”
Interlocking his fingers, he summoned a dominating force, its pressure making the world tremble. Yet, however heavy the heavens, they could not outweigh the land and destiny of humankind.
Wan Qianyi’s hands fell with a roar, and a mighty cauldron-shaped seal, ancient and oppressive, clashed head-on with the surging fiendish force and the blood-red fist.