The Human Emperor

Chapter 2023: Substitution!

Genesis Supreme said nothing, subtly nodding as he looked at the subservient attitudes of An Yaluoshan, Tian Chengsi, and Cui Qianyou.

“Do you think I didn’t want to kill him? If I had delayed a second more, none of us would be standing here! Did you forget that the Sage Emperor was still in the capital?”

Genesis Supreme floated in the air, his hands behind his back as he spoke in a domineering tone.

“What? Didn’t you say before that if I could put that pearl in his hands, he would be able to completely suppress that power inside him?”

Genesis Supreme’s words were like a bucket of cold water for An Yaluoshan, finally clearing his mind.

“If he were that easy to take care of, he wouldn’t be Li Taiyi, and he wouldn’t have been a headache to us for so long.

“In addition, I reminded you before to meet us ten-some li outside the city. Did you treat it as wind passing by your ears? All of this happened, including the failure to kill Wang Chong, because you were incompetent!”

Genesis Supreme coldly glared at An Yaluoshan’s group.

An Yaluoshan and Wang Chong had gotten into a fight far too close to the capital, only ten-some paces from the outermost walls. This was still within the range of that massive formation covering the capital.

Most importantly, this could very easily draw Li Taiyi’s attention. This was why Genesis Supreme had initially sent over only the Tianfu Divine Lord’s men.

But unexpectedly, despite the Tianfu Divine Lord’s many men, they had been unable to defeat Wang Chong, forcing Genesis Supreme’s hand.

The thought of the energy Li Taiyi had unleashed at that final moment made even someone as strong as Genesis Supreme tremble in fear. Even if that man was suppressed by the Black Emperor Pearl, he could still unleash a frightening amount of power!

It was no wonder ‘Heaven’ had feared him for so long and needed to deal with him through such a circuitous method.

An Yaluoshan was speechless.

In this escape plan, everything had gone basically as they had predicted, but at that final moment, there had been a problem. Wang Chong had tampered with the Nine Revolutions Jade Marrow Pill, allowing him to intercept him outside the city wall. This was something he had not expected.

But at this moment, arguing was pointless.

“An Yaluoshan, I can understand that you want to deal with that Wang Chong, but it seems you will have to wait until next time! In addition…”

Genesis Supreme paused, his tone becoming much gentler.

“You did your mission well. The Black Emperor Pearl has been delivered, and it won’t be long until that man is truly dead. Once the dragon of the Central Plains changes, you can truly unite the world. At that time, will you still fear some so-called King of Foreign Lands?

“Stop worrying about these things. Once we return to Youzhou, we can begin your plan! I have already finished the second batch of Yeluohe for you, and they will be at Youzhou soon. With these soldiers, will there be any mortal army that can oppose you?

“As the Child of the World, you must vie for dominance of all under the heavens, must unite the entire world. Do not keep your focus always on that one person!” Genesis Supreme said.

The news that the second batch of Yeluohe was coming calmed An Yaluoshan down even more, and his eyes flashed.

“Alright; it’s time for me to leave. You should also begin your journey back to Youzhou!”

Genesis Supreme prepared to leave.

“Wait!” A voice came from behind An Yaluoshan. Yan Zhuang, who had remained silent all this time, finally decided to speak.

“Mm? It’s you!”

Genesis Supreme stopped and turned around, displeasure in his voice.

As an aloof and mighty god, he would allow someone like the Child of the World, chosen by the heavens, to occasionally throw a fit in front of him, but An Yaluoshan’s subordinates were mere ants. For them to speak in this tone to him was rather impudent.

“Venerable Genesis Supreme, this one has no ill intentions and meant no disrespect. But you have also seen that if Venerable Genesis Supreme did not arrive in time, our lord would have died to that Child of Destruction. Is the future master of the Central Plains not a little too weak? And if there is some mishap, it might affect the plans of Venerable Genesis Supreme and the other gods. I presume that this is not what the venerable ones above wish to see.

“Thus, I was wondering whether Venerable Genesis Supreme might have a method of increasing our lord’s strength. While this request might be difficult for others, I am sure that Venerable Genesis Supreme has the ability to fulfill it!”

Yan Zhuang showed surprising boldness, stepping forward to speak.

“What you say is not completely without reason.”

Genesis Supreme pensively frowned.

“Your current level of strength really is rather lacking. Fine; I was planning to give this to you after observing you a little longer, but… I might as well give these things ‘Heaven’ created to you now.”

After some thought, Genesis Supreme flipped his hand over. Light gushed out, and a second later, two black objects appeared in his hand, which appeared on close inspection to be a fist-sized suit of armor and a set of gauntlets.

Genesis Supreme threw out the armor and gauntlets, upon which they began to rapidly expand.

The armor was shiny and elegantly designed, brimming with power and majesty. Silky tendrils of light flowed across the armor, creating inscriptions and formations within it, and on the center of the helmet was the character for ‘Emperor’ (皇), written in ancient script. The entire suit of armor exuded a mysterious aura.

As the suit of armor rested on the ground, black wisps of smoke poured out from the chinks. An Yaluoshan and his subordinates stared in wide-eyed shock. Though they didn’t know the background of this armor, they could sense that it contained a terrifying storm of energy.

“These are the World Armor and Gauntlets. When you put on this armor and the gauntlets, your strength will rise to the Subtle realm, and you will be able to absorb the Power of the World at an even faster rate and gain greater control over the energy in your body. In addition, this armor was made using the toughest of divine armors from the last epoch, and no divine weapon is capable of piercing it. No one will be able to threaten you now!”

Genesis Supreme’s voice grew softer and softer.

Everyone raised their heads in surprise and saw that Genesis Supreme had already disappeared.

“…You’ll have to depend on yourselves for the rest!” Genesis Supreme’s voice came from the distance.

“They had such a powerful suit of armor, but they only handed it over now! If I had this armor before, I would have never been pushed so hard by him!”

An Yaluoshan stepped forward, his face indignant as he stroked the World Armor.

But before An Yaluoshan could finish, he gave a surprised yelp, like he had been jabbed. A moment later, the World Armor and Gauntlets rapidly shrank and soon vanished into An Yaluoshan’s body.

“This…”

An Yaluoshan’s subordinates glanced at each other in surprise, but in the end, they all looked toward An Yaluoshan. The armor had entered his body, so he should have been the one with the clearest understanding of the situation.

An Yaluoshan fell quiet as he sensed the situation in his body before saying, “It seems that I refined it, but for the time being, I can’t use it freely.”

“There’s no need to rush. We’ll have plenty of time once we get back. Getting the World Armor and Gauntlets from him means that we didn’t suffer too badly this time around,” Yan Zhuang said.

Yan Zhuang’s words made everyone fall silent.

“G-Gao Shang…” Cui Qianyou bitterly said.

A hint of grief appeared on all their faces.

They had been on the verge of success, but their error at the final moment had led to Gao Shang’s death.

Gao Shang was the strategist of the Youzhou group, and he wielded a great deal of influence in the army. By killing him at the last moment, Wang Chong had dealt them an enormous blow.

“Wang Chong! I won’t let you go!”

An Yaluoshan clenched his fists, his eyes red and his body shaking.

Anger, regret, shame… all kinds of emotions appeared in An Yaluoshan’s eyes.

An Yaluoshan was filled with remorse.

If he had been a little more cautious and reached the meeting point with Genesis Supreme without any mishap, this would never have happened.

Gao Shang’s death left An Yaluoshan’s heart aching even more than the failure to absorb the Dragon Qi.

Though Gao Shang was a scholar, he held a unique status in An Yaluoshan’s heart. Without him, the Youzhou group would have never been able to get this far, and he wouldn’t be sitting on the seat of Andong Protector-General at this time.

“Gao Shang! I, An Yaluoshan, let you down. Rest easy! I will avenge you!” An Yaluoshan said.

“Your Excellency, in truth… I am not Yan Zhuang!” ‘Yan Zhuang’ suddenly announced. He raised his right hand and tore off a thin mask, revealing an entirely different face.

Yan Zhuang? No, Gao Shang!

An Yaluoshan and the others were stupefied. It was clear that they had not known the truth.

“How could it be like this?” An Yaluoshan muttered, his face covered in disbelief.

In the Pavilion of Petal and Sepal, during the feast of all countries, ‘Yan Zhuang’ had been sitting right next to him. He had not once realized that this person might be Gao Shang.

“It was Yan Zhuang’s idea,” Gao Shang said, a complicated look in his eyes.

After a brief pause, Gao Shang went into more detail.

While they were in Youzhou, Yan Zhuang had already considered how dangerous this journey to the capital would be. Considering that Gao Shang was the number one strategist, he was certain to be a priority target of the enemy. Thus, Yan Zhuang had insisted that he and Gao Shang disguise themselves as each other.