Chapter 1180, Undercurrents Beneath the Surface

Translator: Silavin

  

Who would willingly accept a fate that marked them as someone else’s food from the moment of birth? Who among those treated as animals would not wish for freedom and dignity?

 

And furthermore, this fate was not theirs alone. It extended to their children, and their children’s children, without end.

 

If there was any chance, however small, of changing all of that, those countless captive members of the Human Race would pay any price imaginable.

 

“I need a group of people to assist me in refining Pills. Study diligently, and I will not merely alter your standing,” Qin Yichen’s gaze swept across the hundred-odd people before him, his voice mild on the surface, though it fell upon their ears with all the force of a thunderclap. “I can even send you back into the territory of Saints Heavenly City.”

 

At Qin Yichen’s promise, the hundred-odd members of the Human Race erupted into barely-contained emotion.

 

Saints Heavenly City, one of the great forbidden subjects among the Myriad Races.

 

Countless powerful experts from every species cast covetous eyes upon that territory at all times, waiting for any opportunity to carve it up. But it was also the most sacred place in the imaginations of every enslaved member of the Human Race.

 

Throughout history, even under the relentless suppression of the Myriad Races, no one could count the number of times members of the Human Race had attempted to flee, and every fleeing group had set their course towards the direction of Saints Heavenly City.

 

But without a towering existence like Ancestor Hongjun to lead the way, no one had ever been able to guide the Human Race out of the strongholds of the Myriad Races’ powerful experts.

 

Every single one of those countless fugitives had perished along the road.

 

Qin Yichen’s promise, were it to reach the ears of even a single powerful expert from the Myriad Races, would constitute news so staggeringly audacious it would set the entire continent on its ear.

 

And yet, gazing at this young man who looked no older than twenty, the hundred-odd members of the Human Race found, without quite understanding why, that they believed him, believed in this thing that was, by any reasonable measure, impossible.

 

With nothing but a few sentences, and without revealing a single detail about himself, Qin Yichen had neatly accomplished what he had come here to do.

 

The terror that had occupied every face in the room was gone. In its place was something that looked very much like rebirth. Every pair of eyes were set a light with barely-restrained excitement as they turned towards him.

 

Afterwards, Qin Yichen passed on several foundational Soul Cultivation Techniques to the assembled group.

 

An Alchemist was not something just anyone in the Human Race was qualified to become.

 

Among the Human Race, if one person in ten thousand possessed Spiritual Energy that reached the threshold required of an Alchemist, that was already considered remarkably good fortune. Qin Yichen had not, in truth, expected very much from this exercise.

 

After all, what he was doing here was simply his best effort, a small attempt to rescue some of his own people from the depths of their suffering.

 

What he had not anticipated was this: within a matter of only a few days, he discovered that nearly half of the hundred-odd members of the Human Race had already reached the threshold required of an Alchemist.

 

And as for the rest, their talent was by no means poor. Those who could not become Alchemists still showed considerable aptitude in Martial Arts Cultivation.

 

This, in its own way, was connected to the status of the Human Race.

 

Because countless species treated them as a food source, it was not uncommon for powerful experts among those Races to deliberately feed them Miracle Pills, using them to improve the quality of their Physiques.

 

The more exceptional their talent, the better the effect when consumed.

 

Subsequently, Qin Yichen also used his identity to secure a large, well-fortified estate in the inner district of Myriad Beasts City, using it as a secure location to house members of the Human Race.

 

To the outside world, this place was the most confidential operation of the Soaring Joy Chamber Of Commerce, from which an endless stream of precious Pills flowed outwards.

 

In truth, beneath that cover, it had quietly become a secret base for the Human Race.

 

…

 

Under Qin Yichen’s careful arrangements, half a year drifted past, and the day of Lord Mo Sheng’s Disciple Acceptance Ceremony drew steadily closer.

 

By this point, Myriad Beasts City was a sea of people, with powerful experts from every Race imaginable converging from all directions to witness the occasion.

 

When the hour arrived, the Supreme Expert Mo Sheng appeared in person.

 

This Supreme Expert, whose time was running short, was suffused with the energy of a man at the end of his years. Yet, his bearing remained stern and profound. His aged frame seems to contain an accumulated, almost frightening store of power coiled within it.

 

Even though all present knew that Mo Sheng’s final days were not far off, this Supreme Expert still sat before the assembled crowd like an immovable mountain, his presence ever commanding.

 

The ceremony for accepting a Disciple was an affair of immense scale, and the name of Qin Yichen had by now spread to every notable corner of the continent.

 

Under the guidance of the Saint Mo Yao, Qin Yichen was introduced to many important figures from every Major Race.

 

Of course, Qin Yichen also noted that while every face among these envoys presented a thoroughly pleasant and amenable expression, he could very clearly detect, beneath more than a few of those agreeable surfaces, the distinct presence of killing intent.

 

It was not difficult to reason why. In that battle within the Thunderous Blessings Mountain Range, he had killed quite a number of individuals who were, for various parties present. They were either beloved Disciples or prized geniuses from their Race.

 

Although Qin Yichen’s name now resounded across the continent, the more outstanding a person became, the more thoroughly they attracted the resentment of others. A tree that grows tall above the forest will always be the first one the wind tries to break.

 

Were it not for his particular identity, there was no telling how many unseen hands might already have reached out towards him from the shadows.

 

Naturally, the majority of the powerful experts who had come to offer congratulations still wore expressions of sincere flattery and eager deference.

 

After all, whether one considered the identity of a Divine Tier Race, or the reputation of Supreme Expert Mo Sheng standing behind him, both were the sort of things that inspired instinctive reverence.

 

“Brother Qin, this is our Elder, Qing Feng Cheng.”

 

During the Disciple Acceptance Ceremony, Qing Luan appeared alongside the Elders of his Race to present Qin Yichen with lavish gifts.

 

“Brother Qin, you killed quite a few well-known experts’ children last time around. For instance, that old fellow, Jing Zhen, a Saint. His Son was blown to scattered fragments by you in that battle at the Thunderous Blessings Mountain Range.”

 

After the ceremony, Qing Luan lingered at Qin Yichen’s side, occasionally pointing out, with considerable helpfulness, the various individuals present who bore a grudge against Qin Yichen.

 

“And that elderly woman over there, the woman called Tai Jue, she’s been stuck at the Peak Stage Saint Realm for a full thousand years. The Granddaughter she adored most had her head caved into her own ribcage by a single palm strike from you.”

 

Qing Luan introduced the enemy guests with considerable enthusiasm. Qin Yichen’s expression, as he listened, grew steadily darker.

 

During his time in the Silent Forest, the number of powerful experts who had died at his hands numbered at least two or three hundred.

 

And this Supreme Expert’s Disciple Acceptance Grand Ceremony had turned out to be, by all appearances, a veritable gathering of every grievance ever directed at him. Quite a few of those in attendance had almost certainly come for no other reason than to get a good look at his face. After all, it was better to track him down for revenge at a later date.

 

Not that any of them would dare lay a finger on him openly, of course.

 

But the moment he stepped outside Myriad Beasts City and ventured out to train, the nature and quantity of the ambushes waiting for him in the dark were, frankly, not pleasant to contemplate over.

 

“*Heheh!* Brother Qin, I seriously did not expect that even with your Race’s reputation behind you and Lord Mo Sheng’s name as a shield, you still managed to attract this many powerful experts who want to take a look at you. Your notoriety has clearly reached a rather alarming level.” Qing Luan smiled, looking like someone who found this development quietly entertaining.

 

“Brother Qing Luan, please do not joke around.”

 

Qin Yichen said, with a somewhat strained smile.

 

“I’m not joking at all, Brother Qin. After today, your portrait will spread to every corner of the continent. The moment you set foot outside, there will likely be no shortage of Saints arriving to settle their old scores.”

 

Qing Luan said this with complete seriousness.

 

*Thud*. Qin Yichen’s expression darkened by another shade.