Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San
Chapter 987: The Human Emperors Legacy

Chapter 987: The Human Emperor's Legacy

"Because the weapons he forged were exceptional, he gradually accumulated quite a bit of wealth. To forge even better weapons, he began experimenting with collecting the blood of various powerful races and infusing it into his forging process. As a result, he crafted weapons that were actually somewhat sentient, and far more powerful. However, due to his own lack of strength, there was still a limit. He could never truly forge something supremely powerful.

"But he was unwilling to accept that, and he continued his research. Eventually, he discovered a special metallic alloy, and he found that it could temporarily absorb someone's blood and, through it, also absorb bloodline power! Although the abilities it reproduced were significantly weaker than the originals, the fact of the matter was that they did indeed manifest. Naturally, he thought that in order to produce greater power, he should utilize the powers of stronger beings in his forging process.

"He began to research this special metal, studying how to make its ability to absorb and reproduce power greater and more controllable. This research spanned fifty years; after fifty years, he finally succeeded. From this alloy, he crafted thin sheets, not unlike paper. By having these sheets of metal absorb the blood of beings with special abilities, he could briefly wield those abilities himself to assist with his forging.

"Creating divine weapons had always been his dream. But what he didn't realize was that this 'paper' he had crafted... was already the prototype of a divine item. Once he imprinted over a hundred different bloodline abilities onto such papers and attempted to fuse them, something miraculous happened. The alloy actually gained sentience, much like how nymphs do it, and it returned power to him, enabling him to ascend to the ninth order in a single leap. By this point, he was already an old man, yet he was instantly rejuvenated!

"Only at that moment did he understand just how important his research had been. Thus, with even more determination, he continued to refine and improve his alloy. Though he had no innate bloodline abilities, the awakening of the alloy granted him a kind of pure internal energy that allowed him to manifest various bloodline powers through it. As his research progressed, his power grew rapidly. With the many abilities of his alloy pages, he eventually overcame tribulation and became... a Human King. Fifty years after that, he developed an entirely new power system unique to himself. And that system propelled him to the equivalent of our twelfth order of cultivation.

"It is widely known that becoming an Emperor requires overcoming a very special and exceedingly difficult tribulation. But because he had no actual innate abilities of his own, his tribulation was surprisingly easy to pass. By the time the Ancestral Court realized it, he had already succeeded. The Emperors of the Ancestral Court were astounded to find that the one who had ascended was a human; they were utterly incredulous. Thus, they joined forces and spent three years hunting him down before finally capturing him. They brought him to the Ancestral Court to interrogate him about how he became an Emperor, and he did not conceal anything. He told them everything truthfully. It was when he set foot here that his Celestial Pillar was formed inside Council Mountain.

"Although they knew what he had done, the formula for the alloy was forever lost; he had destroyed everything before being captured. And in the end, he chose suicide. Before his death, he told the Ancestral Court that all his secrets were within his Celestial Pillar. Whoever could one day be acknowledged by it would inherit his legacy.

"For the next ten years, the Ancestral Court investigated practically the entire human race, but they never found another like him. Even so, his legacy remains a miracle for humanity. And that legacy is right here before your eyes—this very Celestial Pillar. And I have to tell you, you should not underestimate his power just because his tribulation was easy and he had no innate abilities. An Emperor's strength is always directly proportional to the height of their Celestial Pillar; there are no exceptions whatsoever. All I need to say is this: my own Celestial Pillar is shorter. That should give you an idea of how powerful this human once was.

"None of us can guarantee that this Celestial Pillar will pass its legacy on to you. Still, the Ancestral Court has decided to bring it out for auction. The winning bidder may attempt to gain acknowledgment from the pillar at any time, and their clansmen may also try. But the Celestial Pillar must remain in the Ancestral Court. The winning clan will be the only one allowed to attempt recognition in the future. So this auction is not actually for a sale, but for a view, if I may call it that.

"This is the complete legacy of an Emperor, and if the legacy is passed on, I believe it will practically guarantee ascension to Emperorhood. However, I must warn you that, so far, no one has succeeded in being acknowledged by it. We even had some humans try it, and they all failed, so please keep that in mind. At the same time, the Ancestral Court can guarantee that the energy contained within this Celestial Pillar absolutely matches its height.

"The starting bid is fifty thousand amethystine coins. The minimum increment is one thousand. You may begin!

Whether it was Tang San, Mei Gongzi, or everyone else in the auction hall, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's story shook them to the core. A human once ascended to become an Emperor without any bloodline power, relying solely on intelligence and ingenuity. What an unbelievable feat!

Tang San and Mei Gongzi also had an entirely different thought, however. Abilities that could be used without innate bloodline power! That was precisely what they had been seeking: a cultivation method that could be passed down within the human race!

His hand clenched into a fist, then slowly relaxed.

He felt that the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor had deliberately brought out such an item at this time in order to target Mei Gongzi. Who apart from her would feel compelled to bid for it? And what would happen if she were to win this item?

Taking a deep breath, he resolved that under no circumstances could Mei Gongzi be allowed to win this item. Otherwise, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor, and by extension the entire Ancestral Court, would surely become even more wary of her. Perhaps they would even take action against Kali City again in the near future.

If there is to be danger, let it fall on me first.

In VIP Room Eleven, Mei Gongzi turned to Luo Qingzhu, "Second Mother, how much do we have?"

Luo Qingzhu furrowed her brow and said, "Child, it's not that I don't want you to bid, but we both know the Ancestral Court put this up for auction specifically to target you. You know the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor has always been extremely cautious of you. The Ancestral Court does not look favorably upon your human bloodline. Telling this story today was meant to emphasize exactly that. If you win this item, then whether you obtain the legacy or not, you will become even more of a liability in their eyes."

Mei Gongzi's lips pressed into a tight line. After a long silence, she said solemnly, "Second Mother, this is a legacy left behind by a human predecessor at the cost of his life. I know that if I win this item, I will be more heavily scrutinized by the Ancestral Court. But if I give up on it, I will regret it for the rest of my life. The entire humanity will regret it. If this pillar truly contains the secrets to a power that ordinary humans can inherit, then it could change the future of our race."

Luo Qingzhu let out a long sigh and said, "In the end, you still think of yourself as human. Is being human really so wonderful?"

Mei Gongzi fell silent. She understood that as a member of the demon race, Luo Qingzhu could not support her in this matter. Even within the Peacock Demon clan, who by now were her staunch supporters, her bloodline had long been a source of contention.

Thus, Luo Qingzhu's next words left Mei Gongzi all the more astonished.

"The amount we can currently mobilize without heavily impacting Kali City as a whole... is one hundred fifty thousand."