The Human Emperor
chapter-1451

Chapter 1451: Disaster Does Not Come Alone!

On the surface, one of the Origin Immortal Treasury guardians suddenly spoke.

“Milord, all the Dragonbeasts have been mobilized. As we have planned, they are driving all the martial artists into the depths of the caves.”

Although they were not underground, they knew everything that Wang Chong and the other martial artists was experiencing like the back of their hand.

“No matter what, we have to keep them scattered so they can’t work together. The Dragonbeasts alone won’t be able to do this. It’s about time. Pass on my order! Release those things at the bottom of the pit!” the leader of the guardians said, their eyes emotionlessly staring into the pitch-black depths of the pit.

“Yes!”

……

Sixteen to seventeen thousand meters from the surface, as the leader gave the order, an invisible ripple began to spread through the lightless bottom of the pit.

All was quiet in the pit.

Suddenly, there was a flash, and then a dim glow like that of a firefly began to slowly fly out of the darkness.

After rising up several hundred meters, it seemed to awaken from a deep slumber. The dim glow turned into a dazzling light, and streaked like a comet into the vast underground cave network.

……

Within the caves, Wang Chong had retracted his energy as much as possible as he fled. One scream after another rang out behind him as those martial artists who had fallen behind were slain.

Wang Chong’s entire body was tense while danger battered at his mind like massive waves, threatening to completely engulf him.

Wang Chong’s greatest support was the Energy Condensation Pearl, but no matter how much power was stored in the Energy Condensation Pearl, it would swiftly be exhausted under the attacks of three Dragonbeasts.

The moment this happened, Wang Chong would be dead.

“Where to? Just what direction should I run!?”

Wang Chong scanned his surroundings. This cave network spread out in every direction, and it was very easy to get lost. There was even a chance of picking the wrong direction and delivering himself into the maw of a beast.

And the Psychic Energy Seal spread across the caves had rendered useless the Psychic Energy that Wang Chong was so proud of.

This only made it even more difficult to identify the correct direction.

I can only use sound to replace Psychic Energy! Wang Chong said to himself.

Psychic Energy was one method of scouting, but sound waves could serve the same purpose, like how a bat used sound to determine its position. Of course, it was not as easy to use as Psychic Energy.

Wang Chong focused his mind, concentrating on all the noise around him.

The roars of the beasts, the screams of martial artists, the shockwaves of the explosions—all of these sounds bounced off the walls of the caves. These sounds were transmitted to Wang Chong’s mind where he used his immense amounts of Psychic Energy to reconstruct this information into an image of his surroundings.

The efficiency of this process was much lower than when Wang Chong had calculated the model of the Origin Immortal Formation, but it still had results…

Wang Chong had originally been completely ignorant with regards to this labyrinthine network of caves, but gradually, a model of his surroundings began to take form in his mind and slowly spread out.

Although he still didn’t have a complete map, at least he wasn’t traveling blind.

“Run! Run!”

“It’s those bugs!”

“It’s over! We’re all going to die! Aaaah!”

Screams once more tore through the air, but from a completely unexpected direction.

Buzz!

Wang Chong turned in shock and saw a group of martial artists fleeing in panic toward his direction.

Behind them were golden lights about the size of fists, streaking through the air like comets in pursuit.

As these golden lights pursued, Wang Chong quickly recognized that familiar chirp.

“Stellar-Piercing Beetles!”

Wang Chong trembled in shock as he recognized those terrifying beetles that shared the same trait as the Dragonbeasts.

Many top-class martial artists had died in the Origin Immortal Formation to these terrifying beetles. Wang Chong had never imagined that he would run into them again in this lightless cave network.

And compared to the ones in the Origin Immortal Formation, these beetles were even larger, more powerful, and more aggressive.

When it rained, it poured. The three Dragonbeasts were already enough to imperil all the martial artists underground, and now they were joined by the nightmarish Stellar-Piercing Beetles. Wang Chong’s eyes widened and he felt his heart go numb. An unprecedented stench of death filled his nostrils.

No martial artist could survive the three Dragonbeasts and these high-level Stellar-Piercing Beetles.

Roooar!

Wang Chong used his movement technique and plunged deeper into the cave network.

Without the Heavenly Mandate Battle Armor, not even Wang Chong could stop these beetles.

Buzz!

Countless golden lights began to pour out of the caves. Tens of thousands of beetles had appeared and were flying in Wang Chong’s direction.

Rooooar! A split-second later, the three bellowing Dragonbeasts appeared in a cave behind them.

Joining the beetles, they pursued the martial artists.

Danger clung to them like their shadows. All the martial artists who fell behind to the very back of the pack were run down and killed by the Dragonbeasts and Stellar-Piercing Beetles. Their dying screams caused the survivors to shiver in fear.

Wang Chong continued to flee, but his mind was also paying attention to the situation around him. In these circumstances, he could not afford the slightest negligence.

“It’s not right!”

Suddenly, Wang Chong’s body trembled in understanding. For some time now, these Dragonbeasts and beetles had been giving him a very strange feeling.

“The goal of these things isn’t to kill, but to herd!”

The Dragonbeasts and Stellar-Piercing Beetles could never have been so restrained as to kill only the martial artists at the very back!

The beetles were one thing, but Wang Chong had experienced the speed of the Dragonbeasts for himself. Few martial artists could keep up with their speed.

But these Dragonbeasts had not charged into the pack to commence a slaughter. It was clear that their objective of herding took precedence over slaughter.

It’s those people working behind the curtain!

Wang Chong immediately recalled that mysterious faction in the Origin Immortal Formation that had been operating the formation in order to kill all the martial artists within it.

It was clear that these mysterious operators were not being so restrained with these Dragonbeasts and Stellar-Piercing Beetles out of the kindness of their hearts, but because they had a bigger plan in mind.

With this thought, Wang Chong immediately sensed that an even greater danger was approaching. But in the little time available to him, not even he could think of a very good solution.

“Aaaah!”

As he was fleeing, he suddenly felt a sharp stab of pain in his belly. At the same time, his Stellar Energy flow fell into disarray.

Not good! I’ve used too much Stellar Energy and my meridians are falling into disorder!

Wang Chong staggered and almost fell. Wang Chong had still not been cured of his cultivation defect. The Energy Condensation Pearl had only slowed down and pacified his injuries, but it had not healed them.

The numerous battles and flights, particularly his use of the Great Yin Yang Art and Great Destruction Art in the battle with the Black Yin Ancestor, had placed a heavy burden on Wang Chong’s disorderly meridians.

Although Wang Chong had long ago known that he would never be able to solve his cultivation problem until he found the Origin Immortal Art, that his cultivation defect would only worsen at a faster and faster pace, he had never imagined that it would trigger so quickly.

Or that it would flare up at such a lethal time as this.

“Damn it! Why did it have to be now!?”

Wang Chong’s face paled as cold sweat beaded out of his forehead. Unconsciously, he began to slow down.

However, after just a few moments, the sharp pain in his belly only intensified, and even worse was that as disorderly Stellar Energy flowed through them, two of Wang Chong’s important meridians were beginning to twitch and writhe.

But this was only the start of his problems. As Wang Chong slowed down, a savage roar came from right above him.

At some point, a massive creature had gone around the other martial artists and rushed out of another cave, appearing some twenty meters in front of Wang Chong.

Those dazzling crimson eyes stared at the weak figure of Wang Chong.

Wang Chong grimaced while his heart dropped like a stone.

Fortune did not come in pairs and disaster never came alone. Wang Chong had never imagined that a Dragonbeast would start eyeing him at a time like this.

Swish!

Time seemed to stop for a moment, and the world seemed to only contain Wang Chong and the seven-meter-tall Dragonbeast. That vicious beast from an ancient era stared at Wang Chong, and Wang Chong could even hear it huff, two hot trails of smoke emerging from its nostrils.

Buzz!

At this moment, Wang Chong saw the Dragonbeast slightly raise one of its feet, its loose muscles tensing. The danger level in Wang Chong’s mind shot upward until it could rise no higher.

Life or death would be decided at this moment!

Bang!

The earth quaked as the Dragonbeast’s foot slammed down, and then it disappeared like it had just been an illusion.

But it was also at this moment that the choking and dreadful stench of death assailed Wang Chong’s nostrils.

Given the strength displayed by the Dragonbeast and his own internal flare-up, he would be dead if that attack so much as scratched him.