The Human Emperor Chapter 1

Chapter 1 : Destruction of China

Wang Chong knew that this was his last mission in this world!

“Even if barbarians have kings, they are not comparable to our nation without kings” this was a proverb from the Analects of Confucius. Wang Chong never thought that in the far outreach of the universe, China would meet its demise!

And he was the final witness!

The sky was blazing. The earth was shaking. The large pile of corpses was enough to form mountains. The amount of bloodshed was enough to form rivers and streams. Wang Chong could even see a dense aura of death rising from the corpses of 10,000,000 Chinese citizens scattered across the land!

Countless foreign cavalries as vast as oceans were slowly surrounding us from all directions.

No one knew where these intruders came from nor did anyone know why they wreaked such destruction. All we know is that ten years ago these intruders, surrounded by a deadly aura, appeared out of thin air and demolished all of the empires in just a few years with much ease!

Along with the appearance of these intruders, the Earth collapsed, and space became disturbed. causing the loss of at least 10,000 lives!

Now Wang Chong commands the last remnants of China’s army.

In the center of this space, Wang Chong was leading China’s last army and waiting for his final battle.

Having experienced years of hardship, Wang Chong thought that his will power had already been tempered to a rather high level, but as the destined battle approached, his heart could still not stop trembling.

Sorrow, pain, and despair all welled up within his heart not out of fear for his own well-being, but rather that of his brothers as well as the fate of this land that gave birth to him!

“General, please forgive your subordinate for going on ahead!”

“It’s not your fault! General, you have already done your best!”

“No need to grieve! Our comrades have already made this realization. We did not cause the Great Tang Dynasty to lose face! Being able to fight alongside the general has made this life worthwhile!”

“General, let us meet again in the next life!”

“Fucking invaders, bring it on! Let us fight once more! Ha ha ha…”

……

A familiar figure let out his final hearty laughter and charged ahead resolutely, like a moth flying towards a flame.

“Goodbye, dearest brothers. Soon, I will be together with you again!”

Seeing each figure vanish one by one like the sun at sunset caused tears to drip down like raindrops from Wang Chong’s eyes.

Wang Chong was a spirit that doesn’t belong in this world. Normally, he would have been living out his university life in a safe and sunny world in a different time and space.

However thirty years ago, a mysterious meteor suddenly crashed into him transporting him

to an era similar to the Tang dynasty in Chinese history, where he became a fifteen year old son of a military family.

Having just arrived at a brand new world and feeling horribly out of place, he thought that nothing mattered to him and turned rather rebellious.

But when the disaster swept across China and took the lives of his loved ones one after another, Wang Chong was suddenly jolted awake to the reality of the situation and decided to put in some effort. Unfortunately, it was already too late.

In this world, Wang Chong experienced many things. His ten years of traveling around the world had caused him to miss the ideal age to begin practicing martial arts in this life. Fortunately, due to the experience he had accumulated from the many strategy games that he had played in his previous life, his military commanding ability was noticed by the seniors in the empire.

They completely transferred their Primal Qi to him, helping him become the empire’s army’s highest ranking general during the catastrophe to shoulder China’s final hope.[1]

However, it was a pity that it was too late; he already missed too many opportunities. Even though he tried his best, he still failed in the end!

Wang Chong slowly closed his eyes as he felt extreme sadness in his heart

He wasn’t afraid of death, but he couldn’t die just yet. He still had to be patient. There’s just one person he absolutely had to kill. If he didn’t kill this person, he wouldn’t be able to rest in peace even after death!

He was the cause of all of this! If it wasn’t for him, the empire wouldn’t have weakened to this point.

Wang Chong absolutely despised him!

Only through spilling his blood could Wang Chong wash away the immense hatred that filled his heart!

It’s just that his opponent was too sly. He never easily revealed himself, and never gave Wang Chong much of an opportunity to do anything. This time, he made himself bait by appearing in a dead end valley. Wang Chong knew that he wouldn’t be able to resist and will eventually show himself.

He had already hid himself for thirty years. But this time, in the moment of a complete victory, he definitely wouldn’t continue hiding.

“Wang Chong, give up already. I already discussed it with His Highness. If you are willing to surrender, we will let you live!”

Suddenly, a voice came from far away.

Behind the foreign army, a fat, trembling figure carefully exposed half a head. His eyes displayed a triumphant look with a trace of fear and dread.

He was, by no means, a coward, but god only knew why this guy was so strong. Although he didn’t have many troops, he was able to overcome opponents with troops ten times his own.

Although he had commanded China’s military forces for only a few years, the number of foreign soldiers who perished under his hands matched up to the sum of enemy deaths of the previous ten years!

If he wasn’t afraid of this guy, then he wouldn’t have hidden himself for so long.

“Traitor!”

Wang Chong looked at his figure, his eyes shot out vengeance. If these invaders weren’t assisted by someone, then how could they have caused so much destruction and conquered so much land in such a short period of time?

All of this was thanks to him!

“He he, Wang Chong, you live up to your name as China’s god of military tactics! A Wang family’s rich slacker becoming the China’s highest ranking general, it is really inconceivable! If those old men had chosen you as their heir thirty years earlier, or if the Wang family didn’t fall into ruin, maybe China would have a chance! But too bad, it is all too late!”

That figure proudly said:

“Wang Chong, I advise you as you a man with talent! His Highness already said that as long as you switch to our side, we will let you live! Also, we can transform you into one of us! How does it sound, do you want to reconsider?”

However, Wang Chong refused to listen.

“Kang Zhaluoshan!”

Wang Chong shouted out his name, his eyes filled with the flames of vengeance. After all this time, and waiting for this moment… This despicable guy finally couldn’t help but show his face:

“Let us be buried with the Great Tang Dynasty!”

The earth rumbled. A majestic aura shot out of Wang Chong’s spear. Suddenly, it was as if a blazing sun emerged from his spear, blinding everyone’s eyes.

“Retreat, retreat!”

……

Violent winds bellowed fiercely. Seeing Wang Chong appear before their eyes, the thousands of foreign soldiers broke out into a panic as they receded like a tidal wave.

“Protect God’s messenger!”

Some foreign experts reacted quickly and gathered beside Kang Zhaluoshan. Black flames and shocking auras erupted, but it was too late.

Bang! The color of the sky changed immediately. A ray of light descended from the heavens as if it was a meteor that was crashing from the sky enveloped hundreds of foreign experts and Kang Zhaluoshan.

“You!”

All that could be heard was the short bloodcurdling screech. The fat face in the presence of the vast waves of flame became horrifyingly twisted and quickly vanished into ashes.

Even in his death, he never would have expected that even with his back against the wall, Wang Chong would use all of his capability to dispose of him at a time like this!

He could resent and struggle against the spear, but he was still no match for that incredible spear stab!

“Finally!”

At this instance, Wang Chong had experienced indescribable pleasure!

Father, Mother, all of China’s citizens, you can finally rest in peace! …

In the face of death, Wang Chong let out a smile and nonchalantly watched the long spears that stabbed towards him.

Boom! At the final moment, a sound of an explosion rang out. Wang Chong detonated his dantian and took the thousands of foreign soldiers in the vicinity down with him…

It was said that the moment before death always felt the longest. It turned out to be true!

Wang Chong let out a melancholic smile, but his heart was peaceful.

After all these years, he could finally be relieved. But deep within his heart, there existed deep, indescribable pain and regret. At that moment, Wang Chong remembered his grandfather, great uncle, father, mother, older brothers, and cousin…

It would’ve been great if he wasn’t so rebellious in the beginning!

It would’ve been great if he had woken up to reality and used his natural talent in military tactics to protect the family and this land much sooner.

But it was all too late!

All who deeply loved him and all whom he had deeply loved were already no more.

If I could repeat my life again, I would not have done things the same way. Unfortunately, everything was already too late!

From now on, China would become the foreign army’s hunting ground. Thousands of years later, no one would know that a race called Chinese and a country called the Great Tang Dynasty ever existed in the world.

Wang Chong felt regret, frustration, and unwillingness.

“It shouldn’t have been like this!”

Wang Chong shed tears of regret. If his life could be repeated once more, he would redeem himself and make up for his mistakes. He was willing to give up anything and everything!

Boom!

When Wang Chong was having this thought, deep in the sky, lightning started to manifest. When the last of his life force was about to fade away, Wang Chong could see a vigorous meteor within the night sky.

Wasn’t this… the meteor that brought him to this world?

[The host has awakened, starting destiny force!]

Out of nowhere, a robotic voice, without the slightest of emotions, sounded in Wang Chong’s ears.

“Destined child!!! He’s the destined child! Quickly stop him!”

In the dark, countless foreign soldiers’ frightened voices could be heard. These beings, who did not know the meaning of death, revealed their fear and awe for the very first time.

However, Wang Chong did not know any of this. His eyes darkened, and Wang Chong’s consciousness completely sank into oblivion!

……

“Why should I call you, time traveler?”

It felt like it was an instant but it also felt like a few centuries had passed. Wang Chong was suddenly awakened by a voice that was filled with curiosity. This innocent and immature voice echoed clearly like a silver bell. Like a stone dropped into a pond, Wang Chong’s consciousness wavered like countless ripples.

Who was it? Whose voice was it?

Haven’t people said that a person dying is similar to a lamp going out? Why can I hear THAT voice? Is this… a hallucination?

“Hmph!”

When Wang Chong was thinking, a disgruntled voice could be heard. Wang Chong hadn’t realize what had happened yet, and then he was poked by something.

It was a finger!

Wang Chong immediately reacted.

Wait! If I am dead, how could I still feel my body?

Could it be that I am not dead!

This moment this idea crossed his mind, Wang Chong’s heart trembled like towering waves. With some effort, Wang Chong opened his eyes. Immediately, a ray of light entered his eyes.

Facing the light, his vision brightened. At a distance not far from where he stood, Wang Chong saw a little girl, around ten years old, pouting with a dissatisfied look on her face, staring at him.

“Don’t ignore me!”

The little girl poked at Wang Chong with her finger again.

“Little Sis?!”

Wang Chong looked in front of him with an unbelievable expression on his face. The little girl had eyebrows arched like a crescent shape, bright eyes, rosy skin, and wore a pair of small, red leather pants. It looked as if she was a beautifully crafted masterpiece.

It’s just that her two huge twintail braids revealed her mischievous nature. Who else could it be other than his youngest sister?

But wasn’t Little Sis…

Wang Chong stared at her completely dumbfounded.

Shouldn’t I be dead already? He clearly remembered, at the last moment, in order to kill Kang Zhaluoshan, he charged into the vast foreign army, so how could he see his little sister in front of him?

Little Sis is so small, she obviously looks like a ten year old. He is only older than his little sister by five years. If Little Sis is ten years old, then isn’t he…

Wang Chong lifted his arms then Wang Chong saw a pair of skinny and delicate arms. This was a different image compared to his memory.

Instantly, Wang Chong became speechless. Was… I really reborn?

Wang Chong was pleasantly surprised and also confused.

“Little Sis, pinch me.”

Wang Chong suddenly said.

As he spoke, Wang Chong saw a small delicate hand stretch out. The hand was enveloped with fuzzy white ripples.

These fuzzy ripples were condensed, similar to iron, and gave off a very powerful sensation.

“A Primal Qi of level 9!”

Wang Chong twitched. These fuzzy white ripples was a symbol of Primal Qi level 9 experts. How could he have forgotten that his little sister was naturally gifted with the incomparable strength of “Hercules”.

Asking her to pinch himself was just being masochistic!

“Little Sis, don’t…”

Wang Chong’s expression changed as he tried to stop her, but it was already too late. Hearing a crisp sound, Wang Chong could feel his bones breaking.

“Ouch, Little Sis quick, let go!”

Hearing Wang Chong’s scream, the little girl stuck her tongue out with an embarrassed expression and withdrew her fingers.

“Bro, don’t blame me. It was you who told me to do it,” said the little girl without the slightest intention of apologizing.

Wang Chong bitterly smiled. This was definitely the little sister from his memory who was naturally gifted and could easily raise things several times her weight. Her herculean strength wasn’t something that any ordinary person could withstand.

Although his arm was in much pain, Wang Chong felt exceptional joy. Sensing pain, being able to see… This all meant that this wasn’t a hallucination.

He was truly alive!

“Could it be that God had heard my wishes?”

At the moment, Wang Chong had a mix of emotions.

“Bro, I hate to say this but you should stop hanging around with that bastard, Ma Zhou. That guy isn’t a good person. He caused you to be punished by Father and accused you of abducting women. As if my brother needs to force himself upon females when they all flock over willingly! That bastard! The next time I see him, I’ll teach him a lesson and totally thrash him!”

The little girl secretly thought of something and suddenly, her eyebrows raised and her two small hands clenched and let out claking sounds. With an angry expression, she made her current emotion known.

“Little Sis…”

Having been moved by his little sister, Wang Yao’er’s[2], sincere words, Wang Chong hugged her tightly in his arms.

This was the Little Sis from my memories, a little sister who loved me very much. Unfortunately, I was too much of an asshole previously and wasn’t able to realize this until it was too late.

God has given me a second chance to relive this life. I would never let those things happen to Little Sis again.[3]

“Little Sis, thank you, but that isn’t necessary. I can handle that bastard, Ma Zhou, by myself,” said Wang Chong gently.

Wang Yao’er was startled. She lifted her head and looked at Wang Chong with amazement. This third brother of hers seemed a little different today.

He was normally sloppy and frequently hung out with a gang of scoundrels. It’s unusual for him to say such things.

“Oh right, bro, you still haven’t told me what a time traveler is? What’s the meaning of time traveler? Why haven’t I ever heard of it?”

Wang Yao’er asked and stared at Wang Chong with her round eyes full of questions. After all this time, she was most interested in the question that still wasn’t answered.

Wang Yao’er was very dissatisfied with not knowing what a time traveler meant.

“That…”

Even if Wang Chong was-thick skinned, after listening to his sister’s words, he touched his nose with an embarrassed expression.

About the term “time traveler”, it was when he first arrived into this world from his original universe. At the time, he was filled with resentment. He didn’t know anyone and was uncomfortable with the new environment. He felt as if he was a tourist in this world of illusions.

He then saw his twintail braided adorable little sister who came to find him and called him “third brother”, so he childishly teased her and made her call him “time traveler”.

However, Little Sis took this joke seriously. She persistently asked him of the meaning of “time traveler.”

Just thinking about this situation made him feel rather awkward.

“Um, a time traveler… is another word for handsome guy.”

“Handsome guy?” Little Sis’s eyes enlarged with a confused expression.

“It pretty much means charming!”

Wang Chong laughed.

“Bro don’t lie to me!”

Little Sis became furious. Although she was young, she was not easy to fool.

“Little Sis, I just thought of something. Father is probably coming home soon, you should quickly return inside or there will be trouble.”

Wang Chong almost broke out in cold sweat and quickly changed the subject. Little Sis was pure-hearted and believed in him, but if she found out that he lied to her, she would go on a rampage, and with her exceptional strength, he would experience some pain on his part.

“Hmph!”

Little Sis puffed her cheeks; she was still angry. Although she was young, she was not easy to fool. She thought that Wang Chong clearly wasn’t telling the truth.

Wang Chong was able to persuade her to leave, but she was still angry and dissatisfied when she left.

“Father will be home soon. Mother made me come find you to remind you to come to the great hall for dinner.”

Little Sis said angrily as she walked out the door.

“Boom!”

Hearing this, Wang Chong was shocked as if a lightning had stuck him. He suddenly trembled in fear.

Wang Chong wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. He really thought he had successfully sneaked in. It fooled his father, but he wasn’t able to escape Mother’s eyes.

But still, he wasn’t surprised. With Little Sis’s ability, how could he escape Buddha’s palm?[4]

After Little Sis left, Wang Chong closed the door. With his back against the wall, he lifted his head and stared at the tall roof with a cold look. His expression slowly turned peaceful. What happened today was abnormal, he needed time to process it.

Scenes right before his death floated in front of him. Images of the meteor slowly became clearer. Some distant memories that seemed to have been forgotten have now become clear.

Wang Chong remembered clearly that, in 2022 on Earth of another time and space, on a scorching summer day, he was walking on the street when a meteor fell from the sky, falling from the sky and hitting him and transporting him to a strange world.

Initially arriving here, he thought there would be some kind of “time traveler’s benefits”, but the reality was that everything was ordinary. Even up until the moment of “death”, other than his status as a general’s son, he was no different from any other ordinary person.

That mysterious meteor performed no other miracles other than bringing him to this strange world.

He would never have  guessed that the meteor would cause a strange phenomenon again at the moment of his death.

“Was it resentment? Or was it because of my unwillingness at the end?”

Wang Chong was conflicted with his thoughts.

No matter what happened, he was reborn. He had truly returned to the time of thirty years ago! He was fifteen, and Little Sis was ten!

This period was the time when China was at its most prosperous and strongest.

Whether if it was the Qin Dynasty or the Han Dynasty, no other dynasties could expand its territory to the extent that the Great Tang Dynasty had done. East till the East China Sea, West till the Pamirs South till Jiaozhi, North till Mount Yin — all of this territory was within the dynasty’s sphere of influence.[5]

With 600,000 troops, the Great Tang Dynasty firmly rooted itself and suppressed all the neighboring countries. The military was full of talented commanders and because of that, the Hu race succumbed to this huge empire. In just a few decades, the empire’s territory continuously expanded until it reached what it is today.

The Great Tang Dynasty was worthy of being called the center of the world.

This was China’s strongest period.

The ruler was even referred to as the holy emperor because of the strength and power of the nation. Everyone in China felt complacent and prideful at the might of their country.

However, other than Wang Chong, no one else knew that under the apparent prosperity, the empire was actually slowly deteriorating and walking down the road of ruin.

Under the illusion of prosperity, people became lax and several crises were concealed within.

On the plateau east of the Great Tang Dynasty, Tibet was rapidly rising in power and entering their most dominant period. Farther west, the Umayyad Caliphate abruptly fell, and Abbasid Caliphate, the most powerful dynasty in the history of the Arabian lands, took its place.[6]

To the northeast, Yeon Gaesomun was growing his army, and to the south, troubles were stirring around Erhai.[7]

All of these crises could erupt at any moment.

However, in the Great Tang Dynasty, everyone was immersed in this illusion of prosperity with no knowledge of these hidden dangers. Even when the barbarians were growing their armies and starting to focus their eyes on China, Confucianism was spreading a wave of new beliefs throughout the empire that attempted to abolish military forces, return territories, pursue righteousness, and trying to use courtesy to reform the barbarians in order to establish a long-term peace between them and the Chinese.[8]

This was an unprecedented case of crippling oneself: This was like a tiger without claws, a wolf without teeth, or a snake without venom!

Four years later, when the barbarians pounced like tigers and wolves and when a great catastrophe swept across the land, China no longer had the ability to resist.

After four years, all of these crises broke out at the same time and became a disaster that brought mass destruction in its wake, causing the huge, glorious empire to fall completely into ruin.

His beloved family had also declined during these four years. It broke down into pieces and became completely destroyed. What used to be a highly respected military family was beaten into the mud, struggling to escape.

In his previous life, he was living ignorantly. It wasn’t until everything was irreparable that he awakened to reality, but in this life, with a lifetime worth of knowledge and experience, he will not let history repeat itself.

In his past life, he had previously pondered over the reason why this huge empire became battered and broke up in such a short period of time. If he was able to implement the plan that he created “thirty years later”, then it’s still not too late.

But before all of this, he needed to prevent a major event that would occur in the family. Little Sis, Big Brother, Father, Mother and the entire Wang family… All of them would be affected by this incident.

Immediately after this incident, the entire Wang family would slowly decline and become unable to bounce back.

Those who loved him and whom he loved, after this incident, had experienced a series of events and “parted from him.”

And all of this happened not long after he arrived in this world.

He was ignorant at the time, but in this life, he will not give up!

How would he survive if his nest was destroyed? If he could not save his family from this fate, then how would he be able to save the world?

He must prevent it no matter what!

With this notion in mind, Wang Chong opened the door and walked outside. Seeing the familiar scenery, Wang Chong was clear that the upcoming event was going to be extremely important to him.

[1] The easiest way to think of Primal Qi is to imagine it is as an “essence” or “energy” that flows throughout the body. Or like Chakra or Ki in anime/manga. If you want more information click on this link

[2] Wang Yao’er is Wang Chong’s little sister

[3] He is referring the things that happened to her during the calamity/invasion. But the author didn’t include what happened to her during this part. So if you’re confused on exactly what happened don’t be because you aren’t supposed to know

[4] Buddha’s palm is chinese slang meaning no escape. Originating from journey to the west

[5] Okay this was a pain for both me and Sinwin. I was trying to find what and where these places
were to try to either make or find a map of it but to no avail. And apparently Sinwin said it was just hard to translate. Anyways if you were wondering these are actually places in China. But we can’t an exact map of it but we found one that would give you an idea of what it looks like

[6] Umayyad Caliphate is the second of the four arab Caliphates. Which has a semi important role in history. If you want to have a look of what the Umayyad/Abbasid Caliphate territory is here you go

The Abbasid Caliphate is basically what the Umayyad Caliphate turned into once Abbasid Rebels revolted because supposedly the Umayyad had a questionable moral character and government

Tibet is a was an empire in ancient asia. It is a bunch of territories. If you want to look at a map of Tibet here you go

[7] Yeon Gaesomun was a powerful military dictator and he is remembered for his numerous successful resistances in military conflicts with the Great Tang Dynasty. As for Erhai, Erhai is a lake in China

[8] Confucianism is a philosophical teaching during the Tang Dynasty which started changed their government system and their core beliefs. Then after that Confucianism developed with Buddhism and Taoism into Neo-Confucianism. Then what this did is basically cause China to adopt a more scholarly based government. This according to 20th century intellectuals blamed this for china’s weakness

Chapter end