Chapter 160 The Lost Memory

　　The ancient sword with its simple patterns slowly lit up with flowing light. This sword was Yeying, a famous sword from the time of the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan, later obtained by King Yu. In Wei Yuan's memory, this sword was still intact. Even the battle with the water god Gonggong had not broken it.

　　Gleams of light, like starlight, scattered from the ancient sword.

　　Bo Long felt a mix of suspicion and hidden fear, and retreated step by step.

　　Only Wei Yuan was left standing before the stone tablet.

　　The light emanating from the sword touched Wei Yuan's fingertips.

　　The young Daoist closed his fingers, gripping the light tightly.

　　Images buried in the past floated before his eyes.

　　………………

　　Ehuang said that after they died, they became gods, living at the bottom of the Xiang River, unable to leave, but occasionally able to converse with passing creatures. She once heard from a mountain spirit passing by the Xiang River that the Queen Mother of the West had descended the mountain, but was intercepted by King Yu, so Yuan's true spirit was not destroyed and could continue to be reborn through the Kunlun immortal flower.

　　But this was not accurate.

　　Mountain spirits were only a weak class among the gods of that era.

　　How could they know the stories of the gods on Kunlun Mountain?

　　Yuan's true spirit had already been captured by the Queen Mother of the West.

　　She was one of the most powerful goddesses of the entire Shan Hai era. Because the Heavenly Maiden had been punished, she personally took action. Finding a mere mortal's true spirit and soul, even within the boundaries of the Nine Provinces, was as easy as picking a fallen leaf.

　　It was just that there was a huge difference in the perception of time between gods and mortals.

　　At that time, Yuan's true spirit had already been cleansed in the world for more than ten years.

　　Past memories had dissipated and fallen into the human realm. Mortals were fragile in the eyes of the gods. Even the deepest memories were like traces left by water flowing on a wall, disappearing completely with a breeze and the sun. All that remained was the true spirit itself, blank and ignorant.

　　Yuan was captured by a divine general, and the Queen Mother of the West ascended the mountain slowly.

　　He looked down at the vast human world from Kunlun Mountain, only finding the scenery magnificent and beautiful, completely unaware of what he would face. He had few thoughts in his mind.

　　Logically speaking, having been captured and brought to Kunlun Mountain as a criminal, he had no way to move, let alone turn his head to survey the human world like a god.

　　But the divine general who captured him did not use force. In fact, rather than pinning his shoulders, the divine general seemed only to have placed his right hand on his shoulder. He waited until the Queen Mother of the West and the gods walked ahead, then hesitated and quietly asked:

　　"Do you remember me?"

　　"I am Gengchen."

　　"We have met before."

　　The ignorant true spirit only looked at him blankly. The tall and handsome divine general seemed somewhat helpless and sad. Facing the Huai River Water Lord, they had been comrades-in-arms. Or, if not comrades-in-arms, at least they had met. He had seen this not-so-powerful mortal raise the hammer in his hand, pouring his spirit, his everything, into forging chains.

　　He had also once raised a sword and roared at the fierce god Xiangliu.

　　But now he was like an ignorant child.

　　He no longer had the courage to confront the gods.

　　Gengchen was very strong, but he was still a divine general of Kunlun. Kunlun had ordered him to capture this person. Not to mention someone he had only met, even if it were a true friend, Gengchen could only act. This was his contract with Kunlun.

　　All he could do was, in the end, make Yuan less humble and in pain.

　　To allow him to retain his dignity as a person.

　　The ignorant true spirit looked towards the human world in the distance, his eyes bright, and praised earnestly:

　　"It's so beautiful..."

　　Gengchen said, "Yes, it is beautiful."

　　………………

　　Perhaps it was a coincidence, or perhaps it was to avoid some unnecessary trouble. They captured the true spirit and returned to Kunlun in less than a day. And on this day, the hero of the human race was escorted to Xuanyuan Hill, where he would inherit the highest position in the human world.

　　He had quelled the floods, exiled Gonggong, and killed the fierce god Xiangliu.

　　He had executed Fangfengshi in the land of Tushan, and ten thousand nations had come bearing jade and silk.

　　He had walked through the mountains and seas on foot, he had pointed his sword at the world, and ordered the Nine Provinces to cast the Nine Cauldrons.

　　The Nine Provinces, which had originally lived separately, had their first rudimentary form of unification.

　　This man's achievements had surpassed Shao Hao, Yao, and Shun. He could undoubtedly receive the title of Emperor, and today was the last day he would receive this title.

　　The human race held a grand ceremony at Xuanyuan Hill. In addition to the human race, all the mountain gods in the Shan Hai world rushed there, because the name of Emperor was not easily obtained. Since ancient times, only a few had received this title.

　　Just as gods are formed by contracts that can transcend the years, so too is an Emperor acknowledged by heaven and earth.

　　Di (帝) means to examine carefully.

　　It means that Heaven has no heart, forgets self and objects, is fair and far-reaching, and examines matters carefully, therefore, it is called Di.

　　This was a title that needed to be recognized by the entire world.

　　Gengchen regretted not being able to go to Xuanyuan Hill to congratulate him in person, but if he went, this true spirit would probably suffer even worse treatment. He raised his head and saw several other figures appearing in front of Kunlun Mountain.

　　The leader among them was Lu Wu, the mountain god of Kunlun Hill.

　　Lu Wu looked at the ignorant true spirit, his face calm and cold, and said, "It is him."

　　"Queen Mother of the West, you still made the best choice."

　　The graceful woman gazed at him with a calm expression.

　　Lu Wu waved his hand, and divine generals stepped out from behind him. They wore armor adorned with black and silver, and their movements were solemn and heavy. They reached out to take the true spirit, but retreated in unison the next moment, their hands trembling. Gengchen withdrew his hand. The divine general who had once defeated Wuzhiqi said in a gentle voice:

　　"You may step back."

　　"This is Kunlun Mountain. I will send...take him up."

　　Lu Wu looked calmly at the divine general who was the strongest in Kunlun's military might, and said:

　　"Queen Mother of the West, is this your intention?"

　　"You, who governs the order of Kunlun, will also do such a thing for personal feelings?"

　　The Queen Mother of the West was silent for a moment, then said, "Gengchen, step back."

　　"Your Ladyship..."

　　"Step back."

　　Gengchen opened his mouth, but in the end could only say, "As you command," withdrew his hand, and took two steps back. Then, the two divine generals, whose faces were covered by their helmets, stepped forward, placing their hands on the true spirit who was still looking at the human world. Their strength was immense, almost breaking Yuan's arms, and then they locked his neck with their hands, pressing him down hard.

　　There was none of the warmth and kindness of Gengchen's hand.

　　The hands of these two divine generals were covered in cold metal, and Yuan felt as if he were being pierced by frost, as if it went straight into his soul. They were escorting him as if he were the most lowly prisoner of war, or a death row inmate. It was almost a deliberate humiliation.

　　A surge of anger erupted in Gengchen's gentle eyes. He stepped forward, and the dragon-shaped energy around him scattered, but he crashed into Lu Wu of Kunlun Hill and his momentum was dissipated. Lu Wu narrowed his eyes and said, "Take him back to Kunlun Mountain, extinguish his true spirit, return it to heaven and earth, and warn others against following suit."

　　"Order must be an iron law."

　　Yuan was taken away, staggering as he went. He could no longer look at the bright and beautiful human world. Finally, they made him kneel on the ground, intending to shatter his true spirit on Kunlun Mountain. For some reason, a sense of unwillingness suddenly arose in his heart, and he struggled violently to raise his head.

　　The two divine generals suddenly realized something was wrong.

　　This mortal clearly had no cultivation, but his soul was surprisingly solid.

　　Even for gods, it was so difficult to force him to lower his head.

　　Yuan gritted his teeth and glared at the gods who were about to execute him. He saw the many divine generals around Kunlun Mountain, their expressions stern and cold. Apart from the Queen Mother of the West and Gengchen, he could only see a cold indifference in the eyes of these divine generals.

　　Lu Wu narrowed his eyes, as if the heavens and earth were pressing down.

　　Yuan knelt heavily on the ground, and the two divine generals, seemingly afraid that this human would still struggle, placed their feet heavily on his back. The true spirit made a soft, continuous sound. Then, they took out the instruments of punishment from the divine realm, intending to crush his true spirit.

　　Yuan still struggled unwillingly.

　　It seemed as if he was using all his strength, but he could not shake the divine generals at all. In the end, he could only raise his head, his appearance disheveled and ugly, and look into the distance.

　　Then, he saw the human world.

　　So beautiful…

　　His expression immediately softened. The gods activated their divine weapons, preparing to carry out the punishment. But at this moment, a violent sound suddenly appeared. Blood splattered, but it was not fragments of the true spirit, but from the tall divine general in front of him. A steel rod had pierced directly through the divine general's abdomen, and his entire body was nailed to the stone wall of Kunlun.

　　Not far below, a tall man stood there, his black hair falling over his shoulders, with two strands braided into small braids hanging in front, tied with golden threads. His expression was peaceful and majestic. He wore solemn royal robes, with patterns of the hundred tribes submitting to him.

　　Standing there, he was like the emperor of the human world, surrounded by all under Heaven.

　　"Yu?!"

　　A trace of anger appeared in Lu Wu's eyes.

　　"King Yu?!" Among the divine generals, one holding a halberd took a step back, panic in his eyes.

　　"Shouldn't he be at Xuanyuan Hill?!" A god whispered.

　　The emperor who should have been at Xuanyuan Hill had appeared under Kunlun Mountain, and had taken the initiative to attack and kill a god. This undoubtedly represented antagonism with the gods. At least, at least he could not be recognized by heaven and earth. Yuan looked blankly at the man who was being blocked, and for some reason, he felt a sense of familiarity.

　　Yu said softly, "Found you."

　　It was like a greeting.

　　Then, he reached out and tore off the majestic royal robe, revealing simple clothes.

　　He drew his sword.

　　He faced the Kunlun divine generals, rushing forward with his battle sword, roaring in anger, his momentum almost crushing the entire Kunlun Mountain. Alone, he was like an army drumming for advance. The Kunlun divine generals also summoned their weapons, descending from above like a black ocean, intending to overwhelm the man.

　　The sound of weapons clashing was deafening, and Yu was instantly submerged.

　　Gengchen closed his eyes, refusing to act.

　　When the other gods at Xuanyuan Hill arrived, they saw the fallen divine generals, still lying on the ground moaning softly, their blood staining the jade-like steps a dazzling color, grim and cold. Footprints stained with blood went up step by step.

　　Lu Wu raised his hand, holding a long-handled weapon, and controlling the weak true spirit with the other.

　　He directly blocked the man who had fought his way up from the foot of the mountain, covered in blood.

　　Finally, the two weapons collided heavily with immense divine power, colliding countless times. With a dazzling sound, the Yeying Sword, passed down from the beginning of the Age of Gods, was broken by Lu Wu. But Lu Wu's pupils contracted slightly. The man held the sword in his right hand, and gripped the blade of the broken sword in his left hand, directly piercing Lu Wu's abdomen.

　　Then, he released the blade, his hands and shoulders covered in blood, and forced Lu Wu away.

　　He held the sword in his right hand, and protected the true spirit with his left.

　　Yuan's true spirit had been cleansed in the human world for ten years, and past memories had long since faded away. He no longer remembered even the most profound people in his mind. But at this moment, for some reason, he felt a stinging sensation in his nose.

　　After this battle.

　　King Yu was stripped of the title of Emperor.

　　He was no longer ranked alongside the Yellow Emperor, Shao Hao, Zhuanxu, Yao, and Shun.

　　Even though he had driven away the floods and Gonggong, built the Emperor's Platform, and cast the Nine Cauldrons, he was ultimately not among the Three Sovereigns or the Five Emperors.

　　At this time, the true spirit looked at the man who had rushed out from Xuanyuan Hill, covered in blood, and the latter simply reached out his large hand and placed it on top of his head, grinning.

　　"Yo, Yuan!"

　　He said, "I'm here to save you!"

　　ps: There are many versions of the Five Emperors. This time, the Five Emperors are: the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan, Shao Hao who originated from phoenix worship, Zhuanxu who severed the connection between heaven and earth, Yao, and Shun.

　　ps: This is the first update today... Thank you for the generous reward from "Night Snack is Crazy"