Chapter 597 - 595: The Hope of the Human Race

Chapter 597: Chapter 595: The Hope of the Human Race

Jiang Jichen, Xuanyuan Qingyi, and the two Nascent Soul Ancestors slipped away from the Luochen Sect unnoticed, heading toward the Extinct Spirit River.

The Extinct Spirit River was located at the very edge of the Human Realm within the Six Paths Illusion Realm.

To get there, they had to cross the entire Human Realm.

Of course, calling it the Human Realm was merely a relic of the past.

Following the departure of the Human Race’s Young Venerable, Xuanyuan Qingfeng, Xuanyuan Qingyi had led her clansmen to join the Luochen Sect. The Human Realm had ceased to exist, completely carved up and devoured by the other Five Realms.

In recent times, a steady stream of powerful experts had come to join the Luochen Sect.

With Xuanyuan Qingyi’s arrival and the Luochen Sect’s abundant Cultivation Resources, more and more people cast aside their fear of the Holy Mountain and joined their ranks.

Of course, Jiang Jichen had left all these matters to Zhou Qiang, Lishan, and the Three Strange Bandits. He had always preferred to be a hands-off leader.

However, it was an undeniable fact that the Luochen Sect was growing stronger by the day.

Meanwhile, the Holy Mountain, the Heavenly Dao Realm, and other major powers could only watch helplessly as the Luochen Sect continued to strengthen, unable to do a thing.

Once its members entered, they rarely came out, all of them busy raising their Cultivation in a state of constant preparation for war.

By now, everyone in the Six Paths Illusion Realm knew that a world-shaking war between the Luochen Sect and the Holy Mountain was inevitable.

When that time came, choosing a side would be crucial.

If the Holy Mountain defeated the Luochen Sect, it would maintain its undisputed dominance over the Six Paths Illusion Realm.

But what if, by some miracle, the Luochen Sect won?

Although most believed the chances of that were infinitesimally small.

But nothing in this world was absolute. Even the slightest possibility had a chance of becoming reality.

Of course, most people from the other Five Realms sided with the Holy Mountain. The rest remained on the sidelines, adopting a cautious, wait-and-see approach.

At this moment, Jiang Jichen, Xuanyuan Qingyi, and the two Nascent Soul Ancestors were traveling through the ruins of the former Human Realm.

Ruined sect gates and cities, mangled corpses strewn about, and shattered Spiritual Artifacts were a common sight.

The once dream-like, prosperous Human Realm had been reduced to a scorched, blood-soaked wasteland.

Some beings from the other realms despised the Human Race so much they couldn’t be bothered with enslavement; they slaughtered them directly, leaving no survivors.

Such tragedies were visible everywhere.

Jiang Jichen, Xuanyuan Qingyi, and the two Nascent Soul Ancestors witnessed such things often along their journey.

Yet, all four remained unmoved, their expressions cold and indifferent.

Even when they happened to pass a slaughter of humans in progress, they wouldn’t spare it a single glance, just walking past in cold indifference.

"Doesn’t the Xuanyuan Clan consider protecting the Human Race their duty? Qingyi, you can actually restrain yourself from intervening?"

Jiang Jichen asked.

"You said it yourself—the Xuanyuan Clan’s duty is to protect the Human Race. That means protecting the race as a whole, not one person, one family, one sect, or one territory. Besides, if I act, we will inevitably reveal our position. I fear the Holy Mountain and other powers would immediately deploy their strongest assets, and we would never make it to the Extinct Spirit River alive."

"Furthermore, even if I intervened, I couldn’t change their destiny. The one who can change their destiny is you, not me!"

Xuanyuan Qingyi replied, her tone uncharacteristically solemn.

But Jiang Jichen just gave a cold laugh. "Don’t try to pin the responsibility of protecting the Human Race on me. What does the life or death of the Human Race, or the shattering of the Six Paths, have to do with me? Everything I do is for myself and the people by my side, and that’s it."

"I’m not some great hero. I’m just a selfish, ordinary man!"

But to Jiang Jichen’s surprise, Xuanyuan Qingyi actually nodded. "Only when you can protect yourself and those by your side do you gain the strength to protect even more people. If you can’t even protect your own, then all the high-minded, righteous talk in the world is useless."

"You aren’t selfish, and you’re far from ordinary. You’ve simply recognized who you are, and because of that, you will never lose your way."

"It is people like you who are the true hope for the Human Race, even if you refuse to see it yourself!"

Xuanyuan Qingyi’s words unexpectedly stirred something in Jiang Jichen’s heart.

However, they did not dwell on the topic any further.

It was, after all, a heavy subject.

The Mortal World had undergone a massive upheaval, and the Human Race no longer had a sanctuary to call its own. And they... they were still too weak.

Perhaps they would not survive the coming storm of calamity, and would be crushed to dust, ultimately perishing.

The four of them continued onward.

「Two days later.」

They finally appeared stealthily on the banks of the Extinct Spirit River.

The Extinct Spirit River was a black river whose waters flowed silently toward an endless, dark abyss.

Its source was deep in the earth, directly beneath the Human Emperor Cave Mansion.

The river was not long, stretching only ten li.

It was flanked on both sides by the Death Forbidden Domain, an area no one dared to enter.

A single Void Bridge was the only path to the Human Emperor Cave Mansion.

Now, however, it was sealed, and it was impossible for anyone to cross.

Moreover, only a member of the Xuanyuan Clan had any hope of undoing the seal.

After all, it was a creation of the Human Emperor. Who else could possibly affect it?

Jiang Jichen looked up. The Human Emperor Cave Mansion was a stone peak with a single cave mouth granting access to its interior.

From the base of the peak, black water surged forth silently, flowing along the ten-li riverbed toward the endless abyss, never ceasing.

Legend had it that at the very end of the endless abyss lay the Land of Netherworld!

The black water possessed a terrifyingly corrosive power; even a Nascent Soul Old Monster would be instantly annihilated upon contact.

Thus, not even a Nascent Soul Ancestor would dare set foot in the Extinct Spirit River.

Xuanyuan Qingyi spoke. "In a moment, we will use the Human Emperor Secret Technique to strike the seal. The instant a crack appears, you must charge inside!"

Jiang Jichen nodded to show he understood.

Time was precious. Without further delay, Xuanyuan Qingyi and the two Nascent Soul Ancestors began moving their hands simultaneously, their fingers blurring as they formed mystical Dharma Seals.

The golden Dharma Seals shifted through various forms—like mountains, talismans, blades, and swords—as they were continuously driven into the Forbidden Seal Light Pattern.

After only a short while, the faces of Xuanyuan Qingyi and the two Nascent Soul Ancestors began to pale. The blurred movements of their hands became visibly strained.

Clearly, activating such a Secret Technique was no simple feat.

This was especially true for Xuanyuan Qingyi. Her Cultivation was the lowest, yet she had to be the one to lead the technique.

As a result, the pressure she had to bear and the power she had to expend were the greatest.

Beads of sweat dotted her pale forehead, and her face was drained of all color.

"Princess, if this is too much, don’t force it!"

one of the Xuanyuan Clan’s Nascent Soul Ancestors said.

"Forcing it open will cause you grievous harm! Please stop, Princess!"

the other Nascent Soul Ancestor from the Xuanyuan Clan added gravely.

"HAHA... I’m afraid it’s too late to stop now!"

But at that exact moment, a chilling voice echoed from nearby.

Simultaneously, figures streaked through the air from the distance, appearing in an instant on the banks of the Extinct Spirit River to surround Jiang Jichen, Xuanyuan Qingyi, and the two Nascent Soul Ancestors.

There were eight newcomers in total, and among them, unbelievably, were four true Nascent Soul Ancestors!

The remaining four were Pseudo-Nascent Soul Ancestors.

In that instant, Jiang Jichen and his companions were plunged into a desperate, fatal situation.