“Heaven is most merciful?” Initially, Zhou Bao wanted to laugh at this statement, but after thinking about it for a while, he thought it was true. All living creatures in the world depended on heaven and earth, without which there would be no living space. Heaven and earth provided infinite vitality, food and shelter, and never asked for anything in return. The only requirement was to know one’s limits and not ask for too much. Even if you took too much and Heaven punished you by sending thunder to strike you, it would still leave you with some hope and benefits. Thus, who could be more merciful than Heaven? Zhou Bao thought that if it were him, there would never be so many good things available to all and he had already killed quite a number of creatures in the world, leaving only one or two to toy with.
Thinking of this, he finally nodded and sighed, “Well, you’re right. Heaven is indeed most merciful. Hehe, so, is the so-called Human Emperor in charge of all living creatures in this world and also in charge of keeping them under restraint?”
“This is the ideal throne, also known as the perfect throne. But how could there be such an ideal thing in the world? The Human Emperor’s position is only one of the many emperor positions between heaven and earth, and it is the easiest one to achieve. However, this supposedly most accessible seat has been vacant for tens of thousands of years. My goal is only to obtain a candidate for the Human Emperor.”
“Then, what’s the advantage of being a Human Emperor?”
“Being a Human Emperor, the chances of gaining success on the job will increase rapidly. As long as you do well, you’ll gain a lot of merit, and thus you can refine the Qi of heaven and earth. The Qi of heaven and earth is both majestic and powerful, and can ward off countless evil spirits. Second, the Human Emperor is, in principle, the ruler of all mankind, and master of innumerable resources. Most importantly, even if you are weak, you can rely on the rules of Way of Heaven to protect yourself. You can even kill your enemies and challenge people by bypassing their ranks. It does not matter if your opponent is one level or two above you, you will still be able to kill someone several levels above you, just like what you have done!”
“So overbearing?”
“Yes, it is that high-handed. And once you become the Human Emperor, you’ll have great power. You represent heaven and earth. Even immortals and experts, who can kill you easily, will not dare to fight with you. They’ll even be on good terms with you, regardless!”
Now, Zhou Bao understood the situation. This throne was like the imperial envoy’s majestic sword that was often mentioned in dramas from his previous life. No matter what your grade is, as long as you had the sword, you were entitled to behead anyone. Therefore, it was not the throne that people were fighting for, but the prestige and power that the emperor represented.
“Of course, the real Human Emperor’s position isn’t as simple as what I have described. However, what I am fighting for now is the candidate for the Human Emperor, not the real Human Emperor, so, there isn’t so much stress.”
“That’s good. What are the requirements for this candidate?”
“13 emperors are in the running for this position. But the real threats to me are Emperor Yang of the Li dynasty, Emperor Wolf of the Wu Dynasty and Ashoka of the Peacock Dynasty.” Yan Yuntian’s face twitched a few times when he recalled the incident. “I was originally the strongest contender, but with so much happening in the Jin recently, my competitive edge has weakened considerably. Although some people support me in Divine Wind Palace, there is no additional advantage unlike before. As a matter of fact, of the four emperors, the most promising is Emperor Yang. The Li dynasty is the most powerful dynasty under the control of Divine Wind Palace, and it’s also the most closely connected with Divine Wind Palace. Their interests are united, so Emperor Yang gets the most support.”
“How can I help you?”
“This will not be known until the time of the Human Emperor-selecting Ceremony. The Human Emperor-selecting Ceremony is the key to everything. Until then, any speculation is useless! ”
“When will the Ceremony begin?”
“Half a month later, in the Haitian Pavilion of Penglai Region.”
“What, I have to go to Penglai Region?” Zhou Bao paused. The Four Eastern Regions were four separate continents, and from the Central Mainland Region to the Penglai Region it was necessary to cross the sea. Zhou Bao, who had made the journey by sea previously, still had a lingering fear from the experience.
Yan Yuntian smiled, seeming to understand Zhou Bao’s concern, “Don’t worry, Four Eastern Regions are one. The Human Emperor-selecting Ceremony is a great event in Four Eastern Regions, so they will be using the Transmitting Formation!”
“Transmitting Formation? Isn’t that formation lost already?”
“It’s just that no one was able to set it, but we can still use it. Now every region of Seven-deity Regions has at least one Transmitting Formation. Since the cost of each transmission is so great that even the five biggest sects find it costly, it won’t be activated until an important event takes place.”
“You mean, there are several Transmitting Formations from Central Mainland Region to Three Western Regions?”
“Exactly!” Yan Yuntian answered. Then, as if recalling something, he laughed, “You can’t blame the five biggest sects for this. To use the Transmitting Formations, the two ends must cooperate. If Three Western Regions doesn’t agree, we can’t start it. Three Western Regions and Four Eastern Regions have a lot of conflicts and Three Western Regions won’t agree to start the Transmitting Formation just for Ye Qingtian and Fiery Eyes. It was good enough that they let you go to Three Western Regions.”
“Damn it, next time either send us over with the Transmitting Formation, or I won’t go, to prevent myself from dying without knowing the reason for it!”
Yan Yuntian smiled without saying anything.
“So, the Human Emperor-selecting Ceremony won’t begin until half a month later. I have nothing to do here. Well, then, in 15 days, I’ll come back here and travel with you to Penglai Region. What do you think?”
“Good, I won’t keep you. Go back and stay with Yunfei. We’ll see you in 15 days, okay?”
Zhou Bao nodded and cupped his hands in a farewell gesture. Then he launched the Three Realms Division and disappeared in front of Yan Yuntian.
“Alas!” It was not until Zhou Bao had disappeared for a while, in the time it took to burn a column of incense, that Yan Yuntian finally breathed a sigh of relief. His grave expression slowly relaxed.
“Father!” Silently, a voice rang in his ear. Yan Yuntian frowned but did not look up.
“Why are you not reading in the study room. What are you doing here?”
“Father, I want to persuade you to give up this Human Emperor-selecting Ceremony.”
“Give up?” Yan Yuntian turned away with a sneer, “Why? I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for years. Now you ask me to give it up. How can it be?”
“Father, I do this for our Jin and our Yan Family!”
“If it is for the Jin and the Yan Family, you should be helping me to get the candidate of Human Emperor with all your heart, rather than try to persuade me to give it up. When I ascend to the throne of the candidate of the Human Emperor, the throne of the Jin is yours. I don’t understand why you are so stubborn!”
There were many others in the world who were as stubborn as the Crown Prince. However, Zhou Bao was not a stubborn person. He was actually a man who was easily persuaded.
In his previous life, someone had said that he was easily swayed. He was then a small civil servant with no power, so no matter how amenable he was, he would not cause much trouble. However, it was different now. After coming back from the West Capital, he felt that something was wrong and realized that his decision to attend the Human Emperor-selecting Ceremony was a bit impulsive. Green Spirit had given him some sketchy information about the event but did not tell him the whole story. He was really too easily persuaded!
“Damn Green Spirit, now that you are independent and know a little about me, you want to take advantage of me. Humph, if I get my chance, I’ll get even with you!” Zhou Bao muttered curses under his breath.
He was in a bad mood and didn’t feel better until he had cursed Green Spirit very thoroughly. Then he sat down on the bed, “Urging me to meddle in the affairs of the Human Emperor-selecting Ceremony, he must have something up his sleeve. As an Old Demon, why does he care so much about the candidate for the Human Emperor? He should care about the demon throne like that of the Sea Emperor.” Thinking of this, Zhou Bao froze for an instant, “Demon Emperor of Sea Area, Yan Yuntian has said that there were many emperors between heaven and earth, so the Sea Area should have a Demon Emperor similar to the Human Emperor…!”
According to Yan Yuntian, Zhou Bao knew that the throne between heaven and earth was closely related to the Way of Heaven. Both the Human Emperor and the Celestial Emperor of the Sea Area were tightly bound by the rules of heaven and earth. Zhou Bao realized that Yan Yuntian had deliberately kept some information from him. There were definitely more benefits to being the Human Emperor than what Yan Yuntian had told him. With the mindset of a former civil servant, Zhou Bao first thought was of the advantages he could gain from it.
Yes, advantages!
In the final analysis, this throne was the dominant will between heaven and earth. It was an insurance that the almighty, who no one could be certain whether he existed at all, had set up in order to prevent intelligent living creatures from seizing it without the proper controls. Then, as the agent of this insurance, the Human Emperor naturally had the right to withhold some of the resources, spiritual qi and treasures which he had helped to preserve in heaven and earth. This was perfectly justified, and perhaps was the greatest benefit of the throne.
Plus, Yan Yuntian did not elaborate on the mysterious quality of the Qi of heaven and earth. Zhou Bao was certain that he had omitted to mention some very important facts.
“It seems that I must attend the Human Emperor-selecting Ceremony! Eh? What is happening?”
Just as he was thinking about the Human Emperor-selecting Ceremony, his body started to tremble violently and his face darkened. “Someone is making trouble in Azure Big World!”