Chapter 160 - Humanity Shall Not Kneel

His deceased mother had always told him to believe an old saying, "Where humans stand, humans will be protected."

She had believed with simple reverence that great immortals soaring above would protect the mortals.

But Jiang Chen did not.

He had watched his parents die without a single cultivator descending from the sky to save them. He had seen demonic beasts threaten the village while cultivators fought grand wars across the sky.

Praying changed nothing. Relying on immortal cultivators was a fool’s dream.

With steady breath, the boy took a firm step forward.

"Where humans stand..."

He pulled the spear back. His mother’s gentle words echoed in his mind, but his grip tightened.

"No!"

A fierce determination burned in his young eyes.

Channeling all the strength in his thin hands, he thrust the wooden spear straight.

"Where humans stand, humanity shall not kneel!"

With that declaration, something silent stirred deep within him. As if acknowledging his resolve, an ancient dao from a forgotten era resonated within him.

Around his neck lay a leather string holding an old bronze ring, the sole keepsake left by his late mother.

Deep within the bronze ring, a dormant crimson soul seed slowly absorbed the soul energy flowing in from the distance, pulsing with faint signs of life.

***

In the middle of Black Crow Ridge, as the mist gradually scattered away, Peak Master Lei Zhenwu stood tall while reading the crimson Jade Slip.

The other elders dragged the unconscious bodies of Scholar Yan and the Tiger Demon to the center of the valley. Thick arcs of silver lightning wrapped around their arms and sealed their cultivation bases.

Lei Zhenwu grabbed Scholar Yan by his collar and shook him violently. "Wake up! Where is this final vessel hidden? Speak up!"

Scholar Yan gave no response. The Tiger Demon beside him only let out a weak breath as it struggled to breathe.

"It is useless," Su Ming said, stepping forward as he studied them with his Essence Sight. "Their sea of consciousness has taken severe damage. If you force them awake it will worsen the damage, or worse, they will blow themselves up."

Lei Zhenwu released the scholar’s collar with a frustrated snarl. "Then what do we do? If these vessels die before we find the ninth, Demonic Ancestor Mo will achieve a perfect resurrection with the ninth seed."

Only soul cultivators familiar with soul cultivation could probably deduce the location of the ninth seed. Unfortunately, Lei Zhenwu specialized in the martial path. His raw physical strength was one of the best among the peak masters, but he was never good with soul-related techniques.

"Let us wait for the Sect Master then. When he comes back, he can perform soul tracking to find the ninth vessel," Lei Zhenwu suggested.

’Soul tracking?’ An idea struck Su Ming’s mind. He was a bona fide soul cultivator. Although his Dragon Soul Constitution came as a result of his soul cultivation technique, that was not the end of it.

Like Qi cultivation, attaining higher levels of soul cultivation also granted unique mystical abilities.

One of them was soul tracking.

"I can perform soul tracking," Su Ming said calmly.

Lei Zhenwu turned to him in surprise. "Soul tracking? You?"

"Yes, I cultivate my soul as well. The technique was a gift from the Sect Master," Su Ming answered with a nod.

’Oh!’ Lei Zhenwu was surprised. He never knew that Su Ming also cultivated his soul. He thought this young Peak Master was only a sword cultivator. ’The Sect Master must have seen good potential in him.’

With that understanding, he nodded as he cleared the way for Su Ming.

Su Ming crouched beside Scholar Yan. He placed his right palm against the scholar’s bloodied temple and focused his Essence Sight. A dark thread flickered in the depths of his perception, but it wavered like smoke in the wind. It was too weak to even grab hold of.

Without hesitation, Su Ming reached out with his left hand and pressed his palm onto the Tiger Demon’s head.

He pushed his Essence Sight to its absolute limits.

A dull throb echoed in his temples as two different yet similar souls aligned in his mind. With this, he was able to grasp the soul signature of Demonic Ancestor Mo.

Then Su Ming, with a thought, expanded his soul perception. The Void Dragon Soul opened its eyes as it projected its perception outward.

With the soul signature locked on, Su Ming finally activated soul tracking.

Buzz!

About thirty kilometers to the northwest. In a small mortal village.

As Su Ming received a slight backlash, he pulled his hands away and stood up.

"I found it. Keep these two alive. Do not let either of them perish."

"Understood," Lei Zhenwu replied, slamming two more golden talismans into the prisoners’ chests. "Go! I will guard them with my life! Contact me if you need any help!"

Su Ming circulated his spiritual energy and kicked off the ground with a sonic boom as his body blurred into the distant sky.

’I have to hurry,’ Su Ming thought.

***

As the distant thunder began to fade, the elders and terrified villagers came out of their cottages and gathered near the village entrance.

When they saw a figure clad in white robes descend from the sky without touching the ground, their faces turned pale with terror.

As Su Ming reached the mountain village, he landed gently before the wooden gate. Upon seeing him, the villagers dropped to their knees, pressing their foreheads against the ground.

"We greet the immortal cultivator!" the village elder greeted with a trembling voice.

Su Ming simply nodded. His divine sense swept past the kneeling crowd, locking onto the distance at the far end of the village.

There, a young boy stood barefoot in the dirt holding a wooden spear.

Unlike the villagers at the gate, the orphan boy did not pray. He did not bow. His hands gripped an old wooden spear, looking curiously at Su Ming.

Seeing Su Ming’s gaze shift, the village elder also looked behind him, only to see Jiang Chen standing there. A chill ran down his old spine.

"Jiang Chen!" the village elder screamed as he tried to lecture him. "Why aren’t you bowing down to greet the honorable immortal cultivator?!"

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I could not finish the arc in this Chapter 😭