Lord of the Earth

Houtu Niangniang, Ziwei Dadi.

These two true gods, who once held the title of "Four Emperors" of the human race, have clearly perished in battles against alien races...

Even the "Divine Court" it established has collapsed in the battle... leaving only some ruined areas!

Even so, for any human dynasty today, this is a true "national treasure," and its value is enough to be proven by its attribute rating of "above glass."

Therefore, Xia Tian was even more curious about what the third item of Earth's will, which was comparable to the previous two broken divine court items, would be.
"Boom!"

As the star power of the Ziwei Emperor and the earthly aura of the Houtu Goddess reverberated throughout the entire Qianxia region, a completely different yet equally heart-stirring will awakened from the mysterious source of human bloodline and enveloped Baiyujing!
At this moment, throughout the Qianxia territory, whether it was a veteran who had fought countless battles on the battlefield, a strategist in the imperial court, a farmer toiling in the fields, a craftsman hammering and forging in the workshops, or even an innocent child… countless people uncontrollably conjured up images in their minds that were blurry yet incredibly real, filled with hardship and sweat:

They "saw" their ragged ancestors huddled in the snow and ice, relying on thin animal hides to keep warm, their trembling hands struggling to rub wood, just to produce a tiny spark.

They "heard" from the torrential rain cave that the humans, facing the raging flood and the roars of ferocious beasts, let out desperate and unwilling screams.

They eventually united and used rudimentary stone tools to carve out the first drainage ditch!
They "felt" how, on the vast and dangerous land, their ancestors measured the world with their own feet, how they identified edible plants, how they avoided deadly poisonous insects and beasts, and how they fought fiercely with other tribes and terrifying alien races to compete for limited resources for survival, with each victory costing them blood.
They witnessed how, after discovering the human race, the gods "regarded it as a treasure," sending their subordinates to enslave and imprison humans in various ways, euphemistically calling it "protection," and forcing humans to provide them with the power of faith to ascend to "divine positions"...

They also "witnessed" how a majestic figure, revered as the "Human Emperor," united the scattered human race and confronted the gods in a bloody battle.

Ultimately, ignite that inextinguishable "fire of humanity" that symbolizes order and hope, and find a way out for the human race!
Boom!

Amidst the rumbling and turbulent Qi Yun Tian Chi, a faint yet incredibly tenacious light shone forth.

What appeared was not a complete palace, but a phantom of a palace far smaller in scale than the previous two, with an ancient and even somewhat crude style. The palace was built of huge stones and had a rough style, like a council hall in a tribal era. Above the door hung a blurry plaque with the ancient seal script characters "Human Emperor" faintly visible.

The entire palace phantom was far less ethereal and mysterious than the Ziwei Sky-Patrolling Pavilion, and less imposing and solemn than the Houtu Reincarnation Hall. It even appeared somewhat travel-worn, but it exuded a spirit of high morale that said, "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?"

【The Palace of the Human Emperor (Above the Glazed Tiles)】

[Type] Quasi-Supreme Artifact - Embryo
【characteristic】

Source of Fortune: As the starting point of the human race's path to prosperity, this palace can stabilize and purify the fortune of Qianxia, ​​making it closer to the fundamental human principle of "self-improvement". It can also continuously draw fortune power from any force of fortune!
The Flame of Humanity: An inextinguishable "Flame of Humanity" burns within the hall, greatly enhancing the comprehension, learning ability, and creativity of all citizens of Qianxia. New technology research and development, cultivation technique development, and cultural innovation are all significantly boosted. Each new piece of knowledge or skill increases the "intensity" of the flame; the stronger the flame, the faster the people of Qianxia learn and cultivate!

Ambition to Explore: Within the influence of the Emperor's Palace, the people and soldiers of Qianxia are more determined when facing difficulties and exploring the unknown. They can unleash their potential, thereby improving their cultivation in various ways and even breaking through their limits!

Passing on the Flame: The hall can imprint and store the essence of all knowledge, skills, and techniques of the Qianxia Dynasty. It contains the marks left by ancient sages of the human race who were once at the level of gods. Those who meet the requirements can undergo the "Trial of Passing on the Flame" to efficiently inherit various skills and enhance related techniques...

[Explanation] This is the palace formed by the first true god in human history—the Human Emperor—after leading humanity out of ignorance and establishing the initial order, based on the rudimentary concept of "Dynasty" he created. It does not rely on absolute power to suppress the gods, but rather symbolizes the beginning of humanity's path of unity, self-reliance, and creating the future through collective strength.

[Note] "Living together as a clan, establishing rules and regulations, and pooling the strength of the masses, one can conquer the world!" This is the foundation upon which the Human Emperor built his palace. It is not the pinnacle of power, but rather the origin of the path. Though the palace is simple, it embodies humanity's initial dream of refusing enslavement and striving for self-reliance, and possesses boundless potential. It is highly capable of growth and needs to be nurtured by the nation's destiny and the people's faith, ultimately having the opportunity to ascend to the status of a "Supreme Artifact"!
"Human Emperor?"

Summer's gaze suddenly sharpened.

Sensing the intent emanating from that ancient palace, he understood. Compared to the almost law-like power of the Ziwei Emperor and the Houtu Goddess, the "Human Emperor's Palace" was more like a guiding sage; it represented not bestowal, but inspiration and foundation-laying.

"Houtu and Ziwei were once powerful beings of our human race, their power so immense that even the true gods were wary of them. And this Human Emperor's Palace, though initially far inferior to the two, is a symbol of our human race truly forging its own path!"

Summer's gaze was intense.

"It is not extremely powerful, but the direction it represents is to gather the strength of our clan, create our own world, and not rely on external forces! The faith and struggle of future generations are its strongest source of power!"

The arrival of this temple is of extraordinary significance.

Its existence serves as a reminder to Qianxia and to all humankind: true strength lies not only in the amount of external support one receives, but also in the steadfastness of one's own path and the unity and progress of one's people!

The legacy of Ziwei and Houtu is a precious talisman.

What remains in the Emperor's Palace is a seed that can grow into a towering tree, a seed of "dynastic destiny" that needs to be nurtured by Qianxia and all future generations of humankind with faith and sweat!
This Human Emperor's Palace is the crystallization of the wisdom and spirit of the ancestors of the human race, the embodiment of the inheritance of civilization, and the embodiment of the collective will of the human race when its fortune was at its peak. It symbolizes the spark of knowledge and the continuation of civilization, and is the foundation for the rise of the race in the forest of all worlds!
"Heaven, Earth, and Man... these three, as always, represent three different meanings and paths..."

Summer murmurs.

The "reincarnation" characteristic represented by the fragments of the Houtu Divine Court is extremely tempting to the current Qianxia.

In particular, once Houtu's "Divine Court" is repaired, it may be possible to gain the ability to control "reincarnation"... This is of great significance to the current situation of the human race.

After all, humanity is now in the Eternal Land, "fighting head-on" with the gods who have descended.

Even though the true forms of those "true gods" representing the pinnacle of combat power have not yet fully descended...

However, every moment, a large number of humans are dying.

Even though Qianxia had made extensive preparations for this battle and held a defensive advantage, the number of soldiers killed in this battle still exceeded 10 billion!

Although a large portion of these were subordinate races, the number of human casualties also exceeded 500 million. In addition, countless human civilians perished in the "massacre" of cities by the unbridled actions of the alien gods.

Although, thanks to Houtu's transformation of the Spider Queen into the "illusory underworld" and the "Terracotta Warriors" that have now been strengthened to the "mysterious and yellow" level, the "true spirits" of these beings have been temporarily preserved.

However, achieving a complete "reincarnation" or "resurrection" for them is still difficult for Qianxia at present.

Then, the fragments of the Earth God Court showed Xia Tian a possibility—by establishing a complete reincarnation channel, these true spirits could be reborn, thus continuously replenishing combat power.

If this can be achieved, then one hundred million loyal soldiers may be able to exert the value of one billion people, which will greatly enhance the human race's ability to fight continuously.

Of course, the value of the fragments of the "Ziwei Emperor's" divine court should not be underestimated either...

After all, Xia Tian himself was also a "Ziwei Inheritance". He had obtained the "Ziwei Star Fragment" even earlier than the "Houtu Statue"!
More importantly, the "Divine Court," left behind by the "Ziwei Emperor who rules over all stars," can be used to monitor the world with the help of "starlight," and can be seen wherever the stars go.

For Qian Xia, the importance of intelligence is self-evident!

If the Embroidered Uniform Guard had not detected and eliminated those unstable factors within the organization in advance, and if Qianxia had not learned about the test of the "Human Tribulation" in advance through the "Forging Heavenly Court" secret scroll, internal and external troubles would have erupted simultaneously when the full-scale war broke out.

Even with numerous prodigies, Qianxia will inevitably find itself in an extremely dangerous situation.

After all, the gods gave humanity too little time to develop; the Qianxia Kingdom has been established for less than twenty years.

The fact that it has been able to develop to its current scale in such a short time is the best result that could be achieved by combining all aspects of "favorable timing, geographical advantage, and human harmony" with the advance planning of the ancient sages of humankind!
Furthermore, the overall monitoring capabilities provided by the Ziwei Divine Court are becoming increasingly important in the current situation.

The Earth's Will, as the former core of the Eternal Land, was originally able to provide lords with key resources and intelligence, and was an important reliance for human lords to overcome the initial crisis!

However, with the arrival of the gods, the will of Earth has become increasingly hidden, and it probably wouldn't have been revealed if Qianxia hadn't ascended to the "Imperial Dynasty".

In the future, this support may weaken further.

Therefore, possessing independent and powerful intelligence insight capabilities is key to Qianxia's ability to seize the initiative in an increasingly complex situation.

From this perspective, the value of the "Ziwei Divine Court" may not be lower than that of the "Houtu Divine Court".

"The will of Earth, this is truly bringing out all its most treasured possessions..."

This time, choosing from the three options feels more difficult than any decision I've made before!

The "Ziwei Sky-Patrolling Pavilion," representing intelligence and the power of the stars, and the "Houtu Reincarnation Palace," representing the power of life, death, and reincarnation, are both supreme treasures capable of transforming any force...

However, the existence of this "Human Emperor's Palace" also stirred up Xia Tian's heart.

It represents "orthodoxy" and "origin"!
Just like how only those in Japan with an "Emperor's Mask" can be considered legitimate.

This "Hall of the Human Emperor" is, to some extent, one of the "legal" cornerstones of the human race's destiny.

It should be understood that although the Imperial Seal of the State and the Nine Tripods were powerful and symbolized "legitimacy," this "legitimacy" was largely confined to the Chinese civilization sphere.

Even within the Western civilization, which also originates from Earth, there is limited acceptance of this, let alone other branches of humankind throughout the myriad worlds.

But this "Hall of the Human Emperor" is different.

As the legacy of the "Human Emperor," the first human to ascend to the position of a true god by leading the race and gathering fortune, he protected the entire human race and created the "path of fortune" for the entire race.

Its symbolic significance transcends geographical and cultural barriers, possessing a latent spiritual appeal to all humankind originating from Earth.

Most importantly, according to the attribute description of this "Human Emperor's Palace", it has a characteristic that can be described as heaven-defying - it can continuously draw the power of fortune from any force that follows the path of fortune!
Recalling this great calamity of the imperial dynasty, Qianxia relied on the Dao of Destiny to withstand the allied forces of all races with the strength of a single nation, and even killed hundreds of alien gods. The powerful combat strength it displayed was enough to shake the entire Eternal Land.

It is foreseeable that after this battle, many alien races that originally looked down on the human race, and even the various gods that have already descended, will likely begin to try to imitate and follow the aforementioned "path of destiny," whether out of concern or to improve their own strength.

If that's the case, then the "Human Emperor's Palace" will be able to reap the benefits and gather the "fortune of all races" into one body!
Its growth potential and ultimate height may surpass the two broken "Four Imperial" Divine Courts, truly possessing the infinite possibility of being promoted to "Supreme Artifacts"!

"Its potential is immeasurable..."

Summer took a deep breath and slowly swept her gaze across the three clusters of light that represented different paths and futures.

Every choice could potentially determine the future of Qianxia and even the entire human race. This caused Xia Tian, ​​who had been overjoyed after overcoming the "Heavenly Tribulation" and ascending to the imperial dynasty, to become somewhat serious.

"I choose..." (End of Chapter)