The Human Emperor
chapter-1474

Chapter 1474: The Sudden Appearance of the Bamboo Hat Men!

Before Wang Chong could do anything, a massive fireball howled out of a distant cave and exploded in the crowd.

“Aaaah!”

A shockwave of energy ripped through the area, tossing ten-some screaming martial artists into the air, and black flames seethed and churned. These black flames were extremely clinging, and they even seemed capable of burning Stellar Energy.

“Save me! Hurry and save me!”

“Who’s attacking us?!”

“Ah!”

Screams, explosions, furious curses, and blind attacks echoed ceaselessly around the cavern, and all was in chaos. And this was only the beginning.

Right behind the black flames, a dazzling crescent moon of saber energy howled out. Thudthudthud! One martial artist after another was caught off guard, cut in half by this peerlessly sharp saber energy without even having time to dodge.

These people had survived the mandibles of the Darkshadow Spider, but died to this abrupt attack.

“Let’s go! Everyone must leave here!”

Wang Chong let out one last howl of warning, and he immediately charged into another cave.

The black flames were the Fire of Mara, and the crescent moon saber energy was from one of the bamboo hat men. Wang Chong was familiar with both these things. If it were just one person, Wang Chong would have never retreated, but Wang Chong was well aware that it wasn’t just one or two, but several dozen men in black waiting for him.

With his Psychic Energy, Wang Chong was even able to sense that man wearing the three-eyed deer mask who had turned his Stellar Energy into golden hands and forced open the barrier around the Origin Immortal Formation. This person’s energy made even Wang Chong shiver in fear.

Such strength was not something that they could stop. Staying here would only mean death. Moreover, in the brief time that had passed, Wang Chong had sensed three vicious energies locking onto his body from a distance.

It was the three bamboo hat men!

Bang!

Wang Chong placed a green leaf in his mouth, pushed his energy to its limits, and then used the Void Movement Technique to escape with astonishing speed.

Not long after Wang Chong was gone, a blood-chilling Stellar Energy filled the cavern. Swish! Swish! Swish! Right after this Stellar Energy, several massive arcs of saber energy flickered within the cavern, flitting past those fleeing martial artists.

Those fleeing martial artists touched by the saber energy suddenly went stiff. Their eyes opened wide, their eyeballs trembling, and their bodies oozed terror. But there was nothing they could do.

Whoosh!

In a gentle breeze, a bizarre figure appeared ten meters behind them.

This man was slightly leaning forward, a hand pressed against the hilt of the saber on his waist as if he had just sheathed it. And the bamboo hat on his head indicated his terrifying identity.

Splurch!

As the man sheathed his saber, those twenty to thirty fleeing martial artists at the very back split apart at the waist. The top halves of their bodies slid to the ground while their lower halves remained standing. After some time had passed, they collapsed like wooden pillars.

The thick scent of blood filled the air.

“He reacted very quickly!”

After easily dispatching these twenty-some powerful martial artists, the bamboo hat man turned to look in the direction Wang Chong had fled. They had come very quickly and done their utmost to conceal their energies. The Psychic Seal underground had also served as a natural aid to their efforts.

But after just a few moments, almost all the martial artists had fled. If not for Wang Chong’s preemptive warning, the men in black would have killed them all.

“This Child of Destruction is truly difficult to deal with. The thing that old scoundrel from Sindhu gave him means that we’ll be discovered before we can even get close to him.”

“Relax! He can’t get far!” said a deep and cold voice, tinged with evil and cruelty.

The two other bamboo hat men emerged from the cave in the back. The bamboo hat man at the very back possessed an almost boundless energy like that of a mighty storm. This was clearly their leader, the one who could transform into a golden giant.

Both of them had eyes gleaming with cold light so that they appeared like torches in the darkness.

There was no sunlight more than sixteen thousand meters underground, and one’s vision was extremely limited. Even Wang Chong had to use Psychic Energy to assist him. But for the three bamboo hat men, the underground cave network might as well have been bathed in sunlight, and they could make out every single detail.

The three stood side by side in the cave, and behind them, numerous black-clothed experts with cold auras and somber expressions emerged.

A few moments later, another powerful energy emerged behind them, as bright as the blazing sun. The man with the three-eyed deer mask slowly strode forward.

“Milord!”

All the other men in black lowered their heads at the sight of this man. Even the three bamboo hat men bowed, meek expressions on their faces.

The masked man said nothing, his gaze sweeping over the cavern. He quickly focused onto the massive ancient tree in the center and the spider threads hanging from it.

Although Wang Chong had cleaned up many of the threads, many more still remained.

The sight of those scattered white threads caused the masked man’s eyes to flash in surprise.

“Milord, what’s happened?” one of the bamboo hat men asked, noticing the shift in the masked man’s eyes.

The man in the three-eyed deer mask did not immediately answer, but his eyes turned contemplative.

“I truly didn’t think that someone would be able to drive away that many-legged beast. Last time we entered these caves, we lost quite a few men here,” the masked man indifferently said.

As he spoke, he focused on a thread that stretched from the top of the tree to the ground. He flicked his finger, and with a ding, that sharp thread that could cut through steel and even damage Wootz Steel was instantly cut in two.

If Wang Chong, Young Master Qingyang, and the other martial artists had been present, they would have been flabbergasted. It was obvious that this person had honed his bolts of energy to such a terrifying level that not even the white spider threads could cut through them.

And one could use this to extrapolate his level of cultivation.

Thwish!

Suddenly, with a piercing whistle, a black tube flew out of another cave. After it traveled some fifty or sixty meters, a hand extended and seized it. The man in black opened it, read its contents, and walked up behind the masked man.

The man in black bowed and reported, “Milord, we’ve searched the area. The people from the Origin Immortal Village have all vanished. They have probably already noticed us.”

The cavern instantly became deathly still.

“Is that so?”

The masked man suddenly sneered.

“They were the ones who essentially dug out all these interconnected caves. They’re the mice, and this is their nest. It was impossible to completely conceal our presence from them.”

“Then what do we do, Milord?” the man in black asked.

“Don’t worry about it. When the time comes, they will naturally appear before us. Yellow Warrior, I leave the Child of Destruction to you. Kill him as quickly as possible! And then we will go to complete the final mission,” the deer-masked man sternly said.

“Ha, Milord, be at ease. Leave this matter to me. That brat won’t get away!”

The leading bamboo hat man gave an evil smile, and then he waved his hand behind him.

“Everyone, follow me!”

Several individuals shot forward, and they had soon vanished into the cave network like ghosts.

……

Meanwhile, Wang Chong was frantically rushing through the caves. For some reason, Wang Chong felt that even though those men in black had not pursued, there was something constantly clinging to him, constantly staring into his back.

No matter how fast he moved, he couldn’t escape this sensation.

“What’s going on here? I’ve absorbed the Nightmare Beast’s Psychic Energy and evolved my own, so it should be impossible for someone to lock onto me without my notice!”

Wang Chong was using the Void Movement Technique to its absolute limit, appearing like a wisp of smoke as he advanced through the caves. His mind was rapidly turning as he tried to find out the problem, but he failed to make any headway.

But a few moments later, he felt a stifling feeling from his chest. Grimacing, Wang Chong took another green leaf out and put it in his mouth. The stifling sensation soon vanished and his Stellar Energy once more began to flow smoothly, his speed picking back up.

Thank goodness for these leaves! I should be able to last for a while!

Wang Chong inwardly sighed in relief.

But before Wang Chong could even complete a full breathing cycle, he heard a mocking voice behind him, like that of a cat playing with a mouse.

“Haha, kid, you truly are rather quick-witted, actually using the Righteous Alliance to deal with us. But this time, I’d like to see where you can run!”

“How could this be!?”

Wang Chong’s body trembled in shock. His Psychic Energy had already spread to all the surrounding caves, but he had seen no sign of that bamboo hat man.

There was no time for Wang Chong to deeply ponder, as an immense sense of danger surged forward, engulfing his mind and causing his blood to freeze.