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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 991 - Slaughtering the Skyquaking Giants!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C991 - Slaughtering the Skyquaking Giants!
Chapter 991: Slaughtering the Skyquaking Giants!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The Armor of B’hemah was sturdy beyond compare. It was capable of blocking the attacks of almost every kind of weapon and greatly reducing the power of attacks. Abu Muslim had felt like there was nothing in the world that could destroy the Armor of B’hemah. But now, this powerful Armor of B’hemah had been thoroughly shattered by the joint attacks of four Behemoths!
Abu Muslim was dumbfounded!
“Abu Muslim, I know you like to fight. Come; let’s fight until the end!”
Wang Chong’s voice resounded through the sky as he looked at the faraway Abu Muslim with a playful smile. No matter how powerful Abu Muslim was or how many of Arabia’s treasures he had gathered, by mastering the four Behemoths, Wang Chong wielded the strongest force on this battlefield. No weapon could compare to this might.
No single party in this place could resist the simultaneous assault of four Behemoths!
Whoosh!
Wang Chong had barely spoken when another enormous tongue of flame swept toward Abu Muslim. While Abu Muslim had been iron-fisted and callous before, daring enough to rely on the Eye of the Demon God to fight alone against the Consecrated, he was now restrained, his body dashing to the side to barely avoid the Burning One’s attack.
“Hmph! Think you can escape?”
Wang Chong sneered, knowing that Abu Muslim was now completely following his tempo. Whichever one of the Behemoths attacked, they would drain his energy until finally, he would have to face three Behemoths at once, at which point his death could be the only result. Roooar! The Consecrated suddenly opened its mouth, revealing its sharp teeth, and then began to flail around both its arms as it lunged at Abu Muslim. It was swiftly followed by the Reaper and the other Behemoth.
“Asmodai’s Fury!”
Abu Muslim paled and fired off a powerful punch, at the same time rapidly retreating to the west. But before he could get far, another gout of flame cut off his path of retreat. In the face of a full-power attack from the Burning One and without the Armor of B’hemah, even Abu Muslim was forced to evade.
“If you want to leave now, it won’t be so easy!”
Wang Chong coldly smiled as he commanded the three other Behemoths to surround Abu Muslim. Abu Muslim was extremely strong, stronger even than Gao Xianzhi, and he also possessed astonishing defensive capabilities. In these aspects, Abu Muslim was the best Great General that Wang Chong had ever seen. But in terms of battlefield experience and techniques, Abu Muslim would not be able to find any advantage against Wang Chong.
Bang!
A giant bear palm swung toward Abu Muslim from the front while another giant palm swatted at him from the rear. At the same time, Wang Chong commanded the Consecrated to get up close and swing down its arms over Abu Muslim’s head with the weight of Mount Tai. The three Behemoths worked in perfect harmony, weaving together their attacks so tightly that there was no time to catch one’s breath.
Abu Muslim dodged to the left and right to avoid this flurry of attacks, his face ashen and his grimace getting worse and worse as time went on, but he remained silent. At this stage of the battle, even someone as callous as Abu Muslim had nothing to say. Abu Muslim could not escape the blame for allowing the battle to descend into such a dire situation.
But as the commander of the army, even though he knew it was impossible to stand against Wang Chong, Abu Muslim still persisted, hoping to find that one last sliver of hope, hoping to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and reverse this unprecedented rout.
But at this moment, a scream suddenly filled his ears.
“Ziyad!”
Abu Muslim’s expression flickered as he recognized the voice. His heart tensing up, he immediately turned his head and saw that Ziyad, holding the Ocean Ring, had been struck by a fierce flame from the Burning One. Behind Ziyad, Abu Muslim also spotted what appeared to be a monster in the shape of a centipede.
“That’s Masil’s pet!”
Abu Muslim recognized this centipede monster. At some point, Wang Chong had taken control over this monster and sneaked it around behind Ziyad. It was precisely the abrupt appearance of this centipede monster blocking Ziyad’s retreat that caused Ziyad to be struck by the Burning One’s attack.
On the surface, Wang Chong had been putting all his effort into dealing with Abu Muslim, but this had actually been a diversion so he could attack Ziyad.
Upon understanding this, Abu Muslim felt his heart sink, and he felt an intense apprehension toward Wang Chong. This young Tang commander had extremely meticulous plans, making him far more frightening than any opponent he had ever faced.
“An excellent chance!”
Wang Chong had been observing Abu Muslim this entire time. On the surface, the assault on Abu Muslim had just been a diversion so that he could deal with Ziyad, but Wang Chong’s true goal had never really changed, had always been the highest Arab commander of the east. The moment Abu Muslim turned his head to Ziyad, Wang Chong immediately sensed that his moment had come.
An expert of Abu Muslim’s level had far too many skills and experiences to draw on. Even with four destructive and mighty Behemoths under his command, Wang Chong found it extremely difficult to kill him. Only by producing a slight flaw in his mindset would he have a chance of success.
Bang!
The moment Abu Muslim diverted his attention, Wang Chong had the giant ape, white bear, and the third Behemoth form a triangle that surrounded Abu Muslim in the center. The three Behemoths attacked simultaneously, cutting off all of Abu Muslim’s paths of retreat.
This was an incredibly rare opportunity that Wang Chong had been waiting for all this time, the strength in the Behemoths building up to incredible levels. Even before the enormous Behemoth palms had landed, the space in their center was made into a true vacuum by the sheer pressure. Without the protection of the Armor of B’hemah, Abu Muslim could only grimace at this terrifying assault.
For the first time in his life, the Governor of Iron and Blood smelled the pungent scent of death.
But suddenly, Abu Muslim’s thick brows rose as if he had noticed something. Bzzz! Before the attacks of the three Behemoths could fall, Abu Muslim slipped, like a fish through a net, through a gap in the attacks of the three Behemoths and out of Wang Chong’s lethal trap.
“Ziyad, hurry and get out of here!”
Abu Muslim pushed back the enormous Burning One with a tremendous punch, buying some time for Ziyad to catch his breath, and then swiftly fled into the distance. Although he was unwilling, Abu Muslim had finally decided to cease his struggles.
Although Wang Chong’s Saint Martial Tier 8 level of strength wasn’t even worth a glance from Abu Muslim, the intelligence and abilities he had displayed made Abu Muslim extremely uneasy.
Under his command, the four Behemoths displayed an unimaginable power that not even the Arabs could produce. Moreover, these Behemoths also worked together in astonishing harmony.
Despite Ziyad’s injuries, the assistance of Abu Muslim allowed him to smoothly escape. Without the slightest hesitation, his body flashed forward to catch up to Abu Muslim.
This time, however, Wang Chong did not pursue.
What’s going on here?
Wang Chong’s mind was in turmoil. He twisted his head to look at the nearby white bear, a dark cloud of worry on his brow.
Based on his original plan, the power of the three Behemoths was enough to either heavily injure or kill Abu Muslim, but when the three Behemoths had been preparing to deal the final blow, the white bear Behemoth had slowed down for half a beat. This minor delay had instantly created a gap in the trap that Abu Muslim had used to successfully escape.
I already have complete control over the four Behemoths: their limbs, torso, muscles, skin… How did this sort of thing happen?
Wang Chong was keenly aware that this was no normal development. But there was no time to think, and Wang Chong quickly turned his gaze to the front.
“All soldiers, hear my order. Reform and attack!”
Abu Muslim was fast, and Ziyad was only a little slower. Wang Chong would not be able to catch up to these two commanders, but it was different for the soldiers they had left behind. Moreover, besides the Arab soldiers, Wang Chong was still confronting one other enormous threat: the Skyquaking Giants!
Whoosh!
The Burning One raised its head and fired a gout of flame, striking a Skyquaking Giant a hundred zhang away.
With a scream, the eighteen-meter Skyquaking Giant was set aflame.
Wang Chong only glanced at this scene before shifting his gaze to the overall battlefield. From his vantage point on the giant ape, he could see countless Skyquaking Giants roaring as they tore through the battlefield.
Although the Skyquaking Giants were strong, their lack of intelligence was on full display. Wang Chong had taken control of the four Behemoths and now dominated the battlefield, causing countless Arab soldiers to retreat to the west in panic. Even Abu Muslim and Ziyad had been forced to beat a temporary retreat.
But these Skyquaking Giants remained unaware, all of them immersed in the battle before them. More than eighty percent of the Skyquaking Army was still fighting and showing no intention of retreating.
“Truly stubborn things! No wonder Abu Muslim only waited until the critical moment to let them out,” Wang Chong coldly said.
In the past, five or six of these enormous Skyquaking Giants would have been enough to deal a heavy blow to the Great Tang, but with the four Behemoths, these Skyquaking Giants were no longer worth mentioning.
The Skyquaking Giants might have been powerful, but before the dreadful Behemoths which were endowed with frightening offensive and defensive powers, they were little more than grains of dust.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 992 - Dominating the Battlefield!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C992 - Dominating the Battlefield!
Chapter 992: Dominating the Battlefield!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Roooar!
The white bear Behemoth roared as it shot forward, swinging down its enormous palm. A Skyquaking Giant raised his hands in fear and screamed as he was crushed into pulp.
At almost the same time, at Wang Chong’s command, the giant ape punched two twenty-meter-tall Skyquaking Giants, rendering their dark-green Giant God Armor into scrap metal and their bodies into two. The power of the Consecrated was far greater than that of the Burning One or the other Behemoths, and the Skyquaking Giants were certainly no match for it.
“Kill him!”
Surprisingly, the sight of their comrades being slaughtered failed to strike fear into the nearby Skyquaking Giants. Instead of fleeing, their eyes filled with bloodlust toward the giant ape.
The call of a single Skyquaking Giant immediately caused the earth to thunder. Eight Skyquaking Giants, their heights ranging from eighteen to twenty-three meters, furiously roared as they heedlessly threw themselves at the giant ape.
Boom! These Skyquaking Giants, wielding shields and long spears, nimbly attacked the giant ape from all angles.
Raaaaa! Some of the Skyquaking Giants even leaped onto the giant ape’s body and began climbing up towards its head. Their spears, shields and fists unleashed a storm of blows on the giant ape.
These Skyquaking Giants possessed incredible strength—one punch of theirs could shatter mountains and sunder steel. However, all of their attacks were blocked by the giant ape’s tenacious hide.
Wang Chong could only shake his head at this sight. Boom! The ape’s enormous arm descended from the sky, flattening the Skyquaking Giants that were trying to climb up its back. Blood squirted out from the green suits of armor in veritable waterfalls.
Bang!
A savage giant holding aloft his shield as he leaped through the air was struck by a punch from its left arm. Kacrack! The shield shattered as the tremendous power of this punch shattered every bone in the giant’s body and made blood gush out of every orifice. Thud! The Skyquaking Giant crashed to the ground like a punctured leather bag.
Boom! Bang! Crash! The giant ape was both swift and nimble. It slashed and swept with its arms, kicked with its feet, and slapped with its palms, using all kinds of techniques to paint the sky with the blood of these giants. A few seconds later, their corpses lay scattered across the ground, motionless.
It was far too easy for the giant ape to deal with these giants.
As the four Behemoths began to move, the Skyquaking Giants which had been like a thorn in the heart of the Tang instantly suffered heavy casualties. Twenty, fifty, eighty, one hundred and twenty… The Behemoths dealt with the Skyquaking Giant like they were cutting melons, and the mighty figures of the giants continually crashed to the ground.
As one batch of Skyquaking Giants after another charged fearlessly into the fray, another batch would be cut down like weeds. Finally…
“Run away!”
There was a wretched scream as the giants finally felt fear at the overwhelming power of the Behemoths. A Skyquaking Giant who was charging at the giant ape saw the bodies of his fallen comrades and stopped, fear appearing in his eyes as turned around and began to flee.
The first was the herald for a second, a third…
Although the giants had sacrificed intelligence for strength, becoming so dense that they had failed to notice the shift on the battlefield, they were still beings that possessed some modicum of intelligence. Even they knew to be afraid of death.
The rout was almost immediate, their courage crumbling rapidly. All the Skyquaking Giants finally lost their nerve and began to follow the Arabs westward.
By this time, nearly three hundred giants had already fallen.
“Kill!”
With the crisis of the Skyquaking Giants averted, all the Tang soldiers breathed a sigh of relief. Taking out their weapons, they swept toward the distant Arabs in a lethal tide. Whether it was the Behemoths or the Skyquaking Giants, these were not normal beings that commonly appeared on the battlefield.
In the end, it was soldiers that fought soldiers!
That was their kind of war!
……
“Damn it! What is going on here? How did Masil’s Behemoth Army fall under the control of these eastern humans? And where is the bastard himself?”
No one was more panicked and dismayed at this moment than the commander of the Skyquaking Army, Ghareeb Hassam. Even now, he couldn’t figure out how this battle in which victory had been certain had morphed into a defeat. Even the illustrious Governor of the East Abu Muslim and his deputy Ziyad had fled. And his heart chilled at the fact that more than two hundred of the mighty Skyquaking Army had been killed in such a brief period of time.
“Hurry and leave this place! These Tang are far stronger than rumored. We can’t stay and fight here. If we don’t flee, we really might die here!”
Ghareeb Hassam was panicked and anxious as he endeavored to flee. But then, he noticed something that immediately made him fume with rage.
“These bastards! They’re actually running away faster than me!”
Several hundred meters in front of Ghareeb Hassam, the Skyquaking Giants were fleeing for their lives, outrunning Ghareeb Hassam. This made Ghareeb Hassam want nothing more than to catch up to them and knock them to the ground.
Just when Ghareeb Hassam was prepared to catch up, he suddenly felt a strange feeling. In the blink of an eye, a flame more dazzling than the sun exploded in front of him. Ghareeb Hassam reeled back in shock.
But this was not the end. Booom! Something whistled through the sky, stirring up a storm as it crashed down in front of Ghareeb Hassam. When he saw the giant ape that had emerged before him, Ghareeb Hassam paled in consternation.
The Consecrated!
Ghareeb Hassam had never imagined that this strongest of the Behemoths would appear to block his path.
“Everyone else can leave, but you should obediently stay!” came a voice from the giant ape’s shoulder. Wang Chong looked down with a scornful gaze, his expression callous and his voice determined as he spoke to the giant commander.
There was no one more powerful in this army of giants than the ‘King of Giants’. He was nearly thirty meters in height, standing out like a crane amongst chickens, even amongst the other giants. But this was far from the only reason Wang Chong was determined to make him remain. Wang Chong’s gaze swept from Ghareeb Hassam’s head to his neck, chest, and finally to the enormous war halo under his feet.
This King of Giants was not different from the other giants merely because of his title, but because of that vast sea of energy that Wang Chong could sense from him.
Wang Chong had encountered giants in the war of the southwest, but this was the first time he had encountered a giant that knew martial arts. He had vast Stellar Energy reserves, and though he was not at the Brigadier General level, in terms of pure ‘power’, not even twenty Brigadier Generals could compare to him. Not even Great Generals could compare to him in this aspect.
In Wang Chong’s eyes, this was a moving and breathing Stellar Energy warehouse.
With this battle going on and Wang Chong, Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, and Wang Yan all badly injured, the King of Giants could not be allowed to leave.
“Foul brat, don’t get too arrogant. You think I don’t know that you’re the one controlling the Behemoths? Although I can’t beat the Consecrated, I can easily defeat you,” Ghareeb Hassam roared at Wang Chong.
“Oh?”
Wang Chong’s eyes widened in surprise. If this King of Giants was able to see the crux of the problem, then he was apparently smarter than he looked.
“A giant that can provoke me is truly interesting. But you should still just obediently lie down for me!”
Wang Chong grinned and swiftly ordered the giant ape to attack. Boom! The air howled as the ape’s steely fist thundered toward Ghareeb Hassam. Ghareeb Hassam’s expression flickered, and all he had time for was crossing his arms and taking up a defensive posture.
Ghareeb Hassam was very powerful, but there was still a large gap between him and the giant ape. Bang! It struck Ghareeb Hassam on the left shoulder, shattering the armor there and launching him like a cannonball. Boom! He crashed into the ground, creating a giant pit.
“Mm?”
But punching Ghareeb Hassam not only brought little pleasure to Wang Chong, but made him stop. His brows furrowed as he looked down at the giant ape’s arm. Wang Chong was under the impression that the giant ape’s fist would strike Ghareeb Hassam’s chest, not the left arm. Such a blow would have been sufficient to heavily injure Ghareeb Hassam and deprive him of all his fighting strength. But for some reason, the Consecrated’s attack had veered off at the last second.
“What is going on here?”
The sense of wrongness that Wang Chong felt was getting stronger and stronger. Whether it was the gap the white bear had revealed while trapping Abu Muslim or the sudden shift of the Consecrated’s attack, Wang Chong felt that ever since Masil had died, his control over the Behemoths had become much less smooth.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 993 - Strange Signs Amongst the Behemoths!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C993 - Strange Signs Amongst the Behemoths!
Chapter 993: Strange Signs Amongst the Behemoths!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Could all this be related to Masil?”
As Wang Chong thought about Masil’s last words, his brow creased even more. He knew all of Masil’s secrets already, and he had already won a complete victory in the battle of Psychic Energy, so Masil shouldn’t have been able to hide anything from him. Moreover, his control over the Behemoths was just growing more sluggish. It might have just been because he had been controlling them for too long. There might not have been any real problem.
With these thoughts, Wang Chong quickly calmed down and looked into the distance. On the ground, the King of Giants Ghareeb Hassam was in much better condition than expected, as he had not been struck in a vital point.
“Damn thing! Don’t give me another chance. Otherwise, I’ll eat you alive, tear you to pieces!”
As he crawled out of the ground, Ghareeb Hassam clenched his teeth in fury.
Wang Chong only sneered at these words. He understood Arabic and could understand everything this King of Giants said, but he did not argue or refute. He only quietly stared at Ghareeb Hassam and then gave the order.
Boom!
As Ghareeb Hassam raged and cursed, the sky overhead dimmed, and an enormous palm gave Ghareeb Hassam’s back a hefty slap. Rooooar! The enormous white bear withdrew its palm and roared after knocking Ghareeb Hassam unconscious.
“Still not smart enough!”
Wang Chong faintly smiled and swiftly turned the giant ape to begin striding toward the front lines. The battle was decided. The Skyquaking Army had fled and Abu Muslim and Ziyad had chosen to withdraw, so all that remained was to pursue the Arab soldiers. Unlike before, the Arabs had lost almost entirely elites in this battle. It was time to strike while the iron was hot and reap a greater harvest.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The giant ape swiftly strode forward. As Wang Chong observed the battlefield from its shoulder, he could hear countless panicked screams. More than one hundred thousand Arab cavalry had thrown aside their weapons and armor in their mad flight to the west. Behind them, the Tang army had gathered and was in hot pursuit.
Wherever the black tide of Tang soldiers reached, the Arabs would be cut down in great swaths. For the first time, the number of Arab corpses exceeded the number of Tang corpses.
“Now is the time for all of you to pay the price!”
Wang Chong had a smile on his face, but it quickly faded. He suddenly smelled a pungent odor carried along by the wind. He initially disregarded it, but he soon realized that this odor was only getting thicker, not fading away. Based on what Wang Chong could sense, this odor was coming from somewhere very close.
Drip!
The trickling and dripping of a liquid reached his ears. Though extremely soft, this sound was like a thunderclap to an expert of Wang Chong’s level. More importantly, the pungent odor multiplied in intensity.
“This is…?”
Wang Chong subconsciously turned his head, and witnessed a dumbfounding sight.
Black trickles of blood were flowing down from the giant ape’s left ear. The pungent odor Wang Chong had smelled had come from this blood. Wang Chong had been focused on the battlefield the entire time, but when he turned his gaze to the giant ape’s face, he suddenly realized that as this black blood dripped down, a look of pain appeared on the giant ape’s face.
“!!!”
No matter how slow Wang Chong was, he realized that something was wrong now. Wang Chong swiftly turned his gaze to the other Behemoths. Just as expected, he could also see grimaces of pain on their faces.
With regards to the weakest Behemoth, the Burning One, Wang Chong had only noticed that it was still spitting its flames, but only now did Wang Chong realize that the flames had lost all accuracy. He had only failed to see this because he had not ordered the Burning One to fire at any specific target.
Besides that, he could also see that the Burning One’s body was faintly trembling as if it was unable to stand steady.
Wang Chong’s heart sank and his face paled. Bzzz! A bolt of Psychic Energy shot through the air, burrowing through the center of the Burning One’s forehead.
“How could it be like this?!”
When he saw what was going on in the Burning One’s mind, he instantly found it impossible to keep his composure. Psychic Energy experts could control the Behemoths by occupying vital channels in their brains, and Wang Chong would have remained unconcerned as long as the channels remained normal. But when Wang Chong swept his Psychic Energy through the Burning One’s brain, he realized that this fire lizard was in an extremely poor state.
Although those vital channels in its brain were still normal, the rest of its brain was clearly withering away, some parts already black from necrosis.
This was what had made his heart sink like a stone.
“This shouldn’t be!”
Wang Chong’s mind reeled in shock. This situation was terrible news. But right now, he could not determine if this was simply a coincidence or if things were really as bad as he imagined. Bzzz!Wang Chong immediately withdrew his Psychic Energy and sent it into the white bear.
At first glance, the white bear’s brain did not seem as withered as the Burning One’s, but when Wang Chong scanned the other parts of the white bear’s body, his optimism waned. The white bear’s veins and arteries were beginning to bulge and crack. The white bear appeared fine on the surface, but its internals were a disaster zone.
In addition, as Wang Chong scanned the other parts of the white bear’s brain, he noticed that two channels related to Psychic Energy were showing signs of strain.
“How could this be!”
Wang Chong’s mind was trembling as he sent his Psychic Energy into the last Behemoth. Just as predicted, the last Behemoth’s brain was in similar disarray. Wang Chong began to sense an ill foreboding.
Is this because the minds of the Behemoths can’t endure long-term mental control?
This was the first possibility Wang Chong could think of.
The Behemoths were so enormously powerful that even Imperial Great Generals found them difficult to fight, but their weakness was their brains. Although they were massive, the four Behemoths, including the strongest Consecrated, had brains that were completely at odds with their body. This was why Wang Chong could control them.
But this sort of control had a price. Wang Chong had no way to confirm his speculation that the withering of their brains was due to Psychic Energy, but even if that wasn’t the case, it had to be related.
The Behemoths had the strength to dominate this battlefield. Anyone who controlled them would decide the outcome of the battle.
Wang Chong was currently facing a dilemma. He could control these four Behemoths until their brains completely withered away and died, or he could release his control of the Behemoths and delay their deaths. However, if this were to occur, the nature of the Behemoths would mean that they would certainly wreak havoc in the Tang army. Moreover, the fleeing Abu Muslim and Ziyad could use this chance to regather their army and launch a counterattack.
Such an event would result in defeat on the verge of victory.
Whoosh!
The winds howled around him, blowing his hair into disarray. Wang Chong stood unmoving on the giant ape’s shoulder, his mind in turmoil.
Release the Behemoths or watch them die—Wang Chong had to make a decision as quickly as possible!
“Chong-er! Hurry! Now is the best time to attack the Arabs!” shouted a vigorous voice from the ground. Wang Yan was riding toward Wang Chong on a bulky horse, his voice rousing his son from his stupor.
“Yes! Father, your child understands!”
Wang Chong blinked as his eyes refocused. He knew what he had to do.
The earth shook as the four momentarily still Behemoths slowly began to move once more, leading the army in pursuit of the Arabs.
“Fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh units, hear my order! All of you remain in the rear to guard against an attack from the Tibetans and Western Turks! The rest of you, pursue!”
Wang Chong’s voice rang out over the battlefield. Although the battle was won, Dalun Ruozan and his Tibetan soldiers still posed a problem. If they were attacked in the rear while pursuing the Arabs and lost Talas, they would have given up a major advantage for a minor gain.
“Yes, Lord Marquis!”
Energetic voices came from the rear. In the eyes of the soldiers, Wang Chong was a god. No matter how strong their enemy or how many there were, all of them believed with absolute conviction that they would emerge victorious.
Since he had made his decision, Wang Chong did not hesitate, ordering the four Behemoths to advance at full speed, causing them to even outrun the warhorses.
Each step of the Behemoths covered ten-some zhang, and in a few moments, they had caught up to the fleeing Arabs. Flames, bear palms, steely fists, and other kinds of attacks immediately began to rain down on the fleeing soldiers.
“Ah!”
Wretched screams filled the battlefield as the Arabs were mowed down. Sixty thousand, sixty-eight thousand, seventy thousand, eighty thousand… Nearly half of the two hundred thousand Arab soldiers had now died, and their losses were continuing to expand. This was an absolute nightmare to the Arab soldiers.
“Scram! Don’t block my way!”
“I’m a general! Get out of my way!”
“Ruuun! The Behemoths have caught up! ….AAAAAH!”
In front of the menace of death, everyone was the same, whether they were Tibetan, Turk, Arab, or Tang. The Arabs had been full of vim and vigor when they were chasing the defeated Tang, but now, they were bursting with fear. There was no cohesion in their ranks, horse and man trampling over each other as they fled.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 994 - The Flaw of the Behemoths!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C994 - The Flaw of the Behemoths!
Chapter 994: The Flaw of the Behemoths!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Stop! Get in line!”
In the chaos, an Arab general attempted to restrain and consolidate the army to prevent the soldiers from running over each other. But not long after he issued this order, an enormous foot squashed both him and the formations of soldiers that had just formed up into paste.
“Forget about the formations! Run!”
Screams came from behind the fleeing Arabs, but were swiftly extinguished as if someone had snapped their necks, causing shivers of fear to run through everyone who heard them.
This almost corporeal threat of death made even the bravest Arab soldier panic. But now that Wang Chong had stimulated all the potential of these Behemoths, these Arab soldiers could not flee fast enough. Eighty thousand, ninety thousand, ninety-six thousand… the Arab losses soared. Countless severed limbs, Arabian scimitars, and suits of armor carpeted the ground amidst seas and rivers of blood.
“It’s over! The Arabs have lost this battle. There’s no more suspense about that!”
On the high hills, amidst blustery winds, the three Tibetan commanders felt depressed. It was like the defeat of the Arabs had been their own defeat.
If the lips died, the teeth would be exposed to the chill. If the doughty Arabs had lost to the Tang, then it would be even more difficult for the Tibetans and their meager force to win.
“We should prepare to withdraw. If we stick around, we will be the ones suffering terrible losses!”
Huoshu Huicang’s first thought was to retreat. Just one of the Behemoths the Arabs had raised was enough to inflict massive losses on his men, let alone four.
“But the Arabs are still our allies. Before withdrawing, should we launch a diversionary assault to help them escape?” Dusong Mangpoje said, his mind in a complicated mood. He turned his head to Dalun Ruozan. Dalun Ruozan had made all the preparations and planning for this campaign, so only he could decide whether to withdraw or stay.
Dalun Ruozan said nothing. He calmly looked forward, his large sleeve flapping in the wind. Neither Huoshu Huicang nor Dusong Mangpoje could tell what he was thinking.
“No rush!” Dalun Ruozan suddenly said. “The Arabs truly have lost, but this war was far from as simple as you think it is.”
With these final words, Dalun Ruozan focused his eyes on the Behemoths, a sharpness to his gaze.
……
At this moment, on the western battlefield of Talas, the Arabs were in complete disarray as they retreated.
I just hope that they can last as long as possible. That’s all I can do! Wang Chong quietly said to himself.
Even though numerous Arabs were being felled, Wang Chong was not as happy or excited as one would imagine. His mind was controlling the four Behemoths, so he could clearly sense the changes in their bodies.
Fwoosh!
As the Burning One spat out flame after flame, it was no longer just suffering a problem of accuracy. Even the strength and heat of the flames were decreasing. Its body was shuddering and swaying, and though it hadn’t collapsed yet, each step seemed to take all the strength in its body. Each stagger forward seemed ready to turn into a full fall.
Nearby, the white bear Behemoth’s savage eyes were growing more and more crazed, and though its large mouth was opening and closing again and again, it made no noise. Only Wang Chong understood that its internals were in complete shambles, with many of the channels controlling its voice and body severely damaged. Its actions were increasingly uncoordinated, increasingly sluggish. In controlling it, Wang Chong had to consume far more Psychic Energy than at any point previous.
Next to the white bear Behemoth, the third Behemoth was faring no better.
Each second Wang Chong controlled the Behemoths, their condition worsened.
Boom!
After some time, there was an enormous boom as the weakest of the Behemoths, the Burning One, stiffened up and abruptly crashed to the ground, stirring vast clouds of dust. Its eyes closed, and it ceased to move. So sudden and unexpected was this event that it wasn’t just the Tang soldiers who were stunned. Even the distant Abu Muslim and Ziyad were dumbfounded.
“It’s the Burning One!”
“What’s going on here!”
The two Arab commanders had heard that thunderous crash and turned their heads to the giant lizard lying motionless in that vast cloud of dust.
Everyone knew the strength of the Behemoths. If the Great Tang continued to lead these four Behemoths in pursuit of the Arab army, Abu Muslim and Ziyad would have to order the army to keep retreating, no matter how reluctant they were in making that decision. They might have even had to retreat past Samarkand all the way to Khorasan. But now they looked at the unmoving Burning One, then they looked at each other, both seeing the queer look in the other’s eyes.
“Milord, before, with this Behemoth…” Ziyad said hesitantly.
The moment the Burning One fell, its aura had completely vanished, signifying that yet another Behemoth had perished on the battlefield of Talas. Ziyad had no idea what had happened, but if there was one person present who could singlehandedly injure the Burning One, perhaps even kill it, it could only be Abu Muslim with his Seventy-Two Demon God Pillars Art.
“It wasn’t me!”
Abu Muslim’s brow was tightly furrowed. Although Ziyad had not finished his question, Abu Muslim understood what he was trying to say.
“The Burning One might not have as strong of a defense as the Consecrated and the other Behemoths, but killing it is still no easy task. Moreover, I was busy fighting with that Tang Qixi Protector-General. I had no time to deal with the Burning One.”
Ziyad was stunned by these words.
If it was not Abu Muslim, just who would have the ability to kill the Burning One? Could it have been the Tang? But that was just absurd!
The death of the Burning One did not slow the Tang pursuit. The Arabs continued to suffer massive losses, their bodies strewn across the battlefield.
Awooooo!
After another interval, the white bear Behemoth suddenly halted its pursuit. With a brutal look in its eyes, it raised its front two paws and began to madly attack the surrounding ground and its own body. The air resounded with booms and bangs as gravel and dust soared into the skies.
“Ah!”
“Run! The white bear Behemoth has gone crazy! Everyone, keep your distance!”
The Great Tang soldiers that had been following the white bear Behemoth backed away in fright. If the white bear Behemoth attacked the Tang soldiers in its madness, it would no longer be just the Arabs taking on severe losses. But everyone soon realized that though the white bear Behemoth had gone insane, it remained where it was, neither advancing nor falling back.
The second one…
Standing on the giant ape’s shoulder, Wang Chong looked on in grief at the white bear Behemoth. He had thought that by taking control of the four Behemoths, he had obtained a powerful force, but now, another Behemoth had followed the Burning One in entering its death throes. The white bear was in the final madness that heralded its death. Booom! After a few more moments, the enormous white bear crashed to the ground and breathed its last. At the moment of its death, blood gushed out from the cracks in its skin, drenching its snow-white fur in red.
The death of the Burning One was like the first domino to fall, the opening curtain to the deaths of the four Behemoths. Following it was the white bear Behemoth, and then with a roar, the third Behemoth followed its comrades in death. It was no longer just Abu Muslim and Ziyad who were stunned. The tens of thousands of Arab soldiers and even Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje were struck dumb.
The four enormous bodies of the Behemoths placed tremendous pressure on any who faced them. Before, they had placed the pressure on the Tang soldiers, and just a few moments ago, this pressure had been exerted on the Tibetans and Arabs. But nobody had expected these Behemoths to start dying off. Only the Consecrated was left now.
Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje instantly glanced at Dalun Ruozan. When the two of them had been thinking about retreat, Dalun Ruozan had stopped them. Now that they thought about it, it was clear that he had an inkling that this might occur.
“I’m not that farsighted…” Dalun Ruozan indifferently, his eyes still focused on the battlefield. He had long ago predicted what Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje would be thinking.
“I just thought of a few things as I observed the reactions of those four Behemoths. The methods for raising and feeding these Behemoths that the Arabs used are all from an ancient civilization, one from many thousands of years ago. Nothing can remain in complete condition after so many years, so these methods must be incomplete, producing innate flaws in the product. If this weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have been able to so easily control them.”
Dalun Ruozan looked at Wang Chong as he spoke these last words.
Huoba Sangye suddenly spoke. “Great Minister, why don’t we… take this chance to attack them in the rear? We might turn defeat into victory, not only defeating the Great Tang but engendering a little gratitude in the hearts of Abu Muslim and the Arabs?”
He had been standing on the side for some time, listening to every word Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huicang, and Dusong Mangpoje had said. Only now did he choose to make his opinion known.
“It’s not that easy. See those soldiers in front of Talas? The Young Marquis already prepared himself against us,” Dalun Ruozan said with a shake of his head.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 995 - The Governor of Iron and Blood's Confusion!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C995 - The Governor of Iron and Blood's Confusion!
Chapter 995: The Governor of Iron and Blood’s Confusion!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Of the four Behemoths, only the giant ape was still alive, but this one alone would be enough to deal a destructive blow to the Tibetans. Moreover, an army burning with righteous indignation was bound to win. The Tang had just defeated the Arabs, so their morale was at its peak. To recklessly attack them at this moment was an exceedingly poor idea.
Wang Chong, strength that you’ve borrowed is not strength of your own. You’ve lost your greatest barrier and returned to the starting point. What will you do now? Dalun Ruozan inwardly mused.
As he gazed at the now-stationary giant ape and the young figure on its left shoulder, Dalun Ruozan gave a faint smile. For some reason, the sight of the Arabs withdrawing finally made him relax.
In the end, Wang Chong had not died to the Arabs.
There was still a chance to realize his dream, to personally defeat Wang Chong in the realm of strategy and schemes!
……
Several thousand zhang from Talas, the war drums began to thunder. Standing on the giant ape’s shoulder, Wang Chong finally gave the order to retreat. This order made it seem like the Tang army had run into an invisible wall that halted its pursuit.
At this moment, the Great Tang army displayed its superb level of training and discipline.
“Chong-er.”
The dignified, steady, and familiar voice of Wang Yan came from the ground. Wang Yan was seated on his stalwart horse as he looked up with worried eyes at his son.
“How is this giant ape doing? Can it hold?”
The death and collapse of Behemoth after Behemoth had deeply stunned both sides of this battle. Wang Yan still had no idea what was happening, nor did he ask. However, their consecutive deaths clearly indicated that something was very wrong.
“It’s fine. The Consecrated can still hold on!” Wang Chong indifferently said.
Although he was inwardly concerned, he showed none of this on his face. The deaths of the Behemoths were unavoidable. Regardless of what the specific reason was, this was already a fact. More importantly, the deaths of the three Behemoths had an even subtler effect on the battlefield.
In front, on the western horizon, the fleeing Arab army had already slowed down. They were still recovering from the shock, but they were clearly less frightened and panicked. From the giant ape’s shoulder, Wang Chong could even see that Abu Muslim and Ziyad were beginning to reconsolidate the army.
I hope that the giant ape can last a little longer…
Wang Chong turned to the giant ape. Both of the ape’s ears were leaking black blood, and from his perspective, he could even see that black blood was leaking from the giant ape’s eyes and nose. The pungent odor in the air was extremely thick now.
The giant ape’s condition was awful. Its breathing was extremely slow and heavy, like creaky bellows, and its aura was rapidly weakening. Wang Chong was already doing his utmost to slow the death of the giant ape’s brain, minimizing the Psychic Energy he sent into the giant ape’s mind. But the death of the giant ape appeared to be inevitable.
Wang Chong could only drag out the ape’s death as long as possible.
“Abu Muslim is not easy to deal with. With the death of these three Behemoths, Abu Muslim appears to have recovered his spirit, his ambitions on the Great Tang revived. If the last Behemoth dies, we will have to prepare for the worst scenario,” Wang Yan worriedly said.
Before coming west, no one had known of Abu Muslim’s name, but by now, everyone was aware of the Arabian Empire and Abu Muslim. This empire’s strength was far greater than they had all imagined.
And as the highest commander of the east, Abu Muslim was brimming with ambition. The smallest flaw would have him leaping like a tiger. He would never relinquish a chance to conquer and destroy his foes. Wang Yan had never fought such a powerful enemy in his life, but there had never been a Great General like the Governor of Iron and Blood, so thirsting with the desire for conquest.
This was someone who appeared to exist solely for battle!
For him, the desire for conquest surpassed the will to live, transforming into an instinct.
“Father, be at ease. He won’t.”
Wang Chong suddenly smiled at his father’s words. His sharp eyes peered into the distance, seemingly seeing through all things.
“The Arabs have suffered enormous losses, far more than we have in this battle. I’ve taken control of the Behemoth Army, and the Skyquaking Army has lost more than half its number. Without the assistance of these two powerful armies, Abu Muslim doesn’t have much of an advantage over us. More importantly… the Arab morale is in no state for another battle!”
Wang Chong spoke with absolute confidence. As the War Saint, Wang Chong saw far more than most. The only reason the Tang had been able to rally and counterattack in this battle was that he had found the flaw in the crucial Behemoths, allowing him to alter the course of this battle through Psychic Energy.
By using the Behemoths’ abilities, Wang Chong had been able to galvanize his army and launch a counterattack against the Arabs. But the Arabs were still fearful, panicked, and uneasy… So long as one Behemoth still existed, they would remain intimidated.
In this situation, the greatly spent and demoralized Arab soldiers could not start another battle. Only Abu Muslim himself was capable of doing anything, but one man against one army was simply fantasy.
Moreover, after consecutive battles, Abu Muslim’s reserves were spent, and even he needed some time to recover.
……
As Wang Chong observed Abu Muslim and the Arab army, Abu Muslim was also observing the halted Tang army.
Wang Chong’s judgment was correct. Abu Muslim was not faring very well. Using the Eye of the Demon God did not come without a price, and it was no easy feat to fight against four Behemoths at once.
Abu Muslim was no longer in his peak condition.
“Have you brought him over?” Abu Muslim suddenly asked without turning his head.
“Lord Governor, he is here.”
A brutish voice came from the rear, and then a small mountain of an Arab general threw over a red-robed attendant so thin that he seemed to be made of nothing but bones. With a thump, Masil’s attendant crashed into the ground in a cloud of dust.
Cough, cough!
The red-robed attendant got up from the ground, his face stained with blood. The servants and attendants of Masil did not know any martial arts, so their bodies were much weaker. Being tossed to the ground had inflicted significant wounds on him.
But this red-robed attendant had no time to worry about his injuries. He looked up in fear at the imposing figure before him, his legs trembling as if they were ready to drop him back to the floor at a moment’s notice.
“Lord… Lord Governor.”
The attendant’s voice was shaking so badly that it seemed like he was going to cry.
Abu Muslim slightly frowned, but he quickly put the matter aside.
“I ask you, what happened with those Behemoths? Their bodies were clearly fine, with no lethal injuries, so why did they abruptly die?”
The Behemoth Army was the strongest force of the Arabian Empire, far stronger than any other army, and it was the Caliph’s most cherished army. It was precisely for this reason that Abu Muslim had only asked to use the Behemoth Army after finding himself stuck in a stalemate at Talas for two months. But the Behemoths had first been controlled by the enemy, and then they had abruptly died. This news was certain to send an enormous shock through the empire.
The countries that the empire had conquered might begin to have rebellious thoughts and begin thinking about a revival.
“Milord, the Behemoths… the Behemoths will die because their brains, their brains are simply not that powerful.”
The attendant’s voice was panicky, his forehead drenched in sweat. In just a few moments, his hands and feet were soaked.
“Their brains? What do you mean?”
As Abu Muslim turned to face the attendant, Ziyad did so as well, his face fraught with confusion. The pressure exerted by the stares of these two commanders made the red-robed attendant even more afraid, and he bowed his head past his waist.
“I don’t know the specifics. This was only something I happened to hear while serving at Lord Masil’s side…” The attendant quivered, not daring to hide anything. “Although the Behemoths have extremely large bodies, their brains are very small and fragile. They can’t endure the control of Psychic Energy for very long. Thus, unless it was absolutely necessary, Lord Masil did not use Psychic Energy to control the Behemoths. He more often used indirect methods, doing his utmost to maximize the destructive nature of the Behemoths.
“The Behemoths are powerful, but they’re still essentially beasts that act on instinct. This instinct isn’t a problem when attacking cities or destroying fortifications. One only needs to make sure that the Behemoths don’t get too close to each other.
“I heard all of this from Lord Masil.”
The red-robed attendant’s body went stiff from fear as he fell silent.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 996 - Forced Retreat!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C996 - Forced Retreat!
Chapter 996: Forced Retreat!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Abu Muslim and Ziyad glanced at each other, and then these two highest commanders of the Arab army deeply frowned. They had never heard anything about what this red-robed attendant had said, nor did they know that the Behemoths would have such a massive flaw.
“So a Psychic Energy practitioner will be able to very easily control a Behemoth? And the Behemoths are only dying due to being controlled by Psychic Energy for too long?” Abu Muslim asked.
Abu Muslim had never imagined that the Tang Qixi Protector-General would be a Psychic Energy expert. It now seemed apparent that this was why Masil had died.
“That’s not necessarily all.”
Just when Abu Muslim believed that he knew all the secrets, the red-robed attendant hesitantly spoke up once more.
“In truth, in truth… when creating the Behemoths, this point was already taken into account. In order to prevent other Psychic Energy experts from controlling the Behemoths, the High Priest placed a seal on the minds of the Behemoths. All the Behemoths can only submit to Lord Masil and receive his orders. If Lord Masil dies, the seals the High Priest planted in the minds of the Behemoths will explode, and the Behemoths will begin to die off… No one can truly control our Behemoths for a very long time.”
The High Priest!
This name was like a sharp jab to both Abu Muslim and Ziyad. Fear appeared in their eyes, as well as a deep reverence. Every empire would be home to a few extremely unique existences, and the High Priest was one such existence.
Abu Muslim had only heard of the High Priest, but he had never had the opportunity to meet him. It was rumored that the High Priest was over two hundred years old. Abu Muslim had even heard of the High Priest when he was still just a boy. Everything regarding this man was an enigma.
In the Arabian Empire, some people even said that he had obtained Solomon’s legacy. Others said that he had learned the secret to immortality.
But no matter which rumor was true, there was one thing that was certain. The High Priest possessed supreme authority within the empire. No governor or Great General would dare to offend him.
In a flash, the area became eerily silent.
“Milord, if it was that person… then it’s only to be expected.”
Ziyad’s whispered voice finally broke the silence.
“嗯。”
“Mm.”
Abu Muslim nodded, his expression relaxing. Although he would find it hard to escape the blame for the loss of this battle and the death of Masil, if it was related to that person, then his blame would be much reduced. More importantly, if the High Priest really had created so many safeguards, then this battle was still not a complete loss. There was still a chance to seize the city.
Abu Muslim looked forward and commanded, “Pass on my order. All soldiers, retreat fifty li!”
Ziyad and the other Arab generals were all dumbfounded by this order.
“But, Milord, are we really just giving up?” Ziyad said, clearly unwilling.
The Burning One was dead, the Reaper was dead, and that other Behemoth had died as well. Of the four Behemoths, only the Consecrated was left. If the Consecrated fell, the Arabs would still have a chance to stage a comeback. Ziyad thought that Abu Muslim would at least stick around to watch for any opportunities to counterattack, but to his surprise, Abu Muslim had ordered an unequivocal retreat.
“We are not giving up, only reconsolidating the army. Today’s circumstances are extremely unfavorable to us. The four Behemoths were lost, the Skyquaking Army lost half its number, and one hundred thousand soldiers were killed… Whether we want to admit it or not, we can no longer fight today,” Abu Muslim sternly replied.
He was even more unwilling than Ziyad, and as the army’s highest commander, Abu Muslim did not have the word ‘defeat’ in his dictionary. But there was no changing the reality that he had been defeated.
The urgent task now was not to continue harassing the Tang. Only the foolhardy would do such a thing. The most important task was digesting the lessons and experiences of the defeat and seeking out a better chance for a counterattack.
“…Retreat! In this battle, I underestimated that Tang Qixi Protector-General too much. His effectiveness on this battlefield was far greater than I imagined, and he far surpasses Gao Xianzhi. His thoughts, schemes, courage, insight, and calculation ability make him probably the strongest enemy we have ever faced. If Arabia wishes to conquer the east and unite the continent, this person will be our greatest foe.”
Abu Muslim sharply stared at the youth on the shoulder of the giant ape.
At this moment, Abu Muslim felt a slight hint of regret. He had suddenly remembered the scouts he had sent to Qixi. After finishing the scouting of the Western Regions, he had made Qixi and Longxi the next targets. But at the time, Abu Muslim had felt that just destroying Gao Xianzhi and the Anxi Protectorate army would be enough.
He would still have plenty of time to investigate Qixi and Longxi after defeating Gao Xianzhi, so he had not placed too much emphasis on gathering information on these two areas. Even the matter of Fumeng Lingcha being replaced by this youth had not drawn too much of his attention.
From this perspective, the seeds of his defeat had been planted long ago.
“Look at the Consecrated. He has left the Consecrated to stand guard precisely to deal with us. In this battle, he would not give us a single chance, and that won’t change no matter how long we wait around. Retreat!”
Abu Muslim waved his hand, his voice firm and brooking no objection.
Rumble! The nearly one hundred thousand Arab cavalry kicked up clouds of dust as they retreated farther into the west.
In front of the first defense line, around fifty zhang from Talas, the ordered ranks of the Tang army breathed a sigh of relief.
Both the Great Tang and Arabia had suffered terrible losses from this battle, and all the soldiers were deeply fatigued.
“Everyone, withdraw!”
Wang Chong gave a deep glance into the distance and then turned his head, controlling the giant ape into striding toward Talas. In front of Talas, countless soldiers were busy at work, tending to the wounded in the middle of the crowd. Although the Tang had emerged victorious, it had come at a heavy price.
Countless soldiers and warhorses had been injured by the Behemoths and giants.
“Milord, how are you doing?”
Wang Chong jumped down from the giant ape, landing neatly on the ground and swiftly making his way to Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli.
Both Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli were clearly not doing well. With just a glance, Wang Chong could tell that their armor was in tatters and drenched in blood, their auras ragged and unstable. Let alone the Great General level, they would probably find it very hard to even reach the Saint Martial realm.
“Bad!” Cheng Qianli shook his head as he supported Gao Xianzhi, his expression filled with concern. “Milord was already injured when fighting the Behemoth, and after his fight with Abu Muslim, his injuries grew even more serious. I’ve already done all I could to use energy to protect his internal organs, but his condition is still poor!”
Everyone had seen Abu Muslim’s power. His Seventy-Two Demon God Pillars Art was able to contend singlehandedly against the Consecrated, something that probably no one else on the battlefield could do. As for his defense, it was so strong that it could even take the blows of the Behemoths. One could easily imagine the price Gao Xianzhi had to pay for fighting Abu Muslim in his weakened state.
“Don’t listen to his nonsense. My condition isn’t that serious. I’m not dying yet.”
Gao Xianzhi waved his hand and managed a feeble smile.
“Wang Chong, can the Consecrated really not last?”
“It’s very difficult!”
Wang Chong shook his head. Gao Xianzhi was injured, but he was as perceptive as ever. It was obvious that he had noticed the problems with the Consecrated.
“I’ve done all I can to extend its life, but some things can’t be reversed. In at most four days, this giant ape will die,” Wang Chong said.
“The morale of the entire army is now tied to the giant ape,” Gao Xianzhi said. “If it falls, it will have a massive effect on the army. More importantly, Abu Muslim will not easily give up. Once he notices this opportunity, he will definitely come charging back.” Despite his heavy injuries, he was still most concerned about the battlefield.
“He won’t get the chance!” Wang Chong indifferently said. “Since he didn’t succeed the first time, he won’t get any more chances in the future.”
“Don’t get careless. Abu Muslim is far too strong. In our current situation, none of us can stop him. In this period of time, we’ll have to rely on you and General Wang,” Gao Xianzhi said, his heart heavy.
Gao Xianzhi should have had the strength to stop Abu Muslim, but the situation had changed. If the giant ape were to die as well, very few people remaining in the army would be capable of contending against Abu Muslim.
“Milord is correct. Milord and I might not be able to help you much more. You will have to depend on yourself.”
Cheng Qianli was also rather depressed. His injuries were not as serious as Gao Xianzhi’s, but his situation was nothing to cheer about. Ziyad had been stronger than him, and the Ocean Ring he possessed had inflicted heavy wounds on Cheng Qianli each time it had impacted against him. In this battle, they had paid a far greater price than it appeared on the surface.
“Relax. The situation isn’t as bad as you think.”
To their surprise, Wang Chong smiled at their words, his expression relaxed.
Cheng Qianli and Gao Xianzhi stared at each other in surprise, completely failing to understand Wang Chong’s words.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 997 - Absorbing the Giant!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C997 - Absorbing the Giant!
Chapter 997: Absorbing the Giant!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Haha, if Milords are just worried about Abu Muslim, there’s no need to worry, because I’ve already thought of a way.”
Wang Chong faintly smiled.
Rooooar! At this moment, an earth-shaking bellow grabbed everyone’s attention.
“Damn Tang, I’ll definitely kill you! You despicable lowlife, using the Behemoth to ambush me. If you have the skill, let me go so we can fight one-on-one! That’s the way of a true warrior!”
The thunderous voice bursting with anger echoed over the entire battlefield.
Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli turned to look with raised brows, and what they saw was a fully armored giant nearly thirty meters tall, his hands and feet bound, ranting and raving as he was carried in the hand of the giant ape.
Wang Chong strode toward the captured King of Giants, Ghareeb Hassam, and stopped before him.
“Speak! What final words do you have!”
Wang Chong looked up at the king of giants. Ghareeb Hassam was currently being held upside-down from the giant ape’s hand like a bird in the hand of an enormous butcher.
Buzz!
Ghareeb Hassam’s pupils constricted, and the raging anger on his face finally showed a tinge of fear. At this moment, he finally understood that this human was far more frightening than he imagined.
“Release me. Human, you can’t do this. I’m the King of Giants. You can’t kill me. If you release me, the Caliph will definitely give you a big reward!”
“Are these your last words?”
Wang Chong looked up and smiled.
“No, no! NO! I still have things to say! You can’t treat me like this…”
Ghareeb Hassam’s face contorted with panic as he tried to get his words out, but Wang Chong had no more time for him.
“Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art!”
Wang Chong’s entire body flashed with light as he raised his hand and pressed it onto Ghareeb Hassam’s head. Like air out of a punctured balloon, the vast sea of energy within Ghareeb Hassam began to pour out and flow into Wang Chong.
It took more than an hour for Wang Chong to drain the last drop of energy from Ghareeb Hassam. With one last scream, Ghareeb Hassam’s body went limp, the last ember of vitality going out.
Incredible! I didn’t think that the King of Giants would have this much energy.
Wang Chong inwardly rejoiced as he ended the technique. His greatest harvest in this battle was probably this King of Giants. In this battle, Wang Chong had spent a great deal of energy on the constant fighting, but after absorbing the tremendous energy reserves in the giant, not only had he restored all his lost Stellar Energy, he had even risen from Saint Martial Tier 8 to Saint Martial Tier 9, the level of Brigadier Generals.
Moreover, Wang Chong’s strength had risen so high that he was now only a sliver away from advancing to the peak of the Saint Martial realm, the level of Great Generals.
“Only one last thing left!”
Wang Chong exhaled and quickly turned to Cheng Qianli and Gao Xianzhi, who were both slack-jawed and wide-eyed. For Wang Chong to suck the King of Giants dry of Stellar Energy right in front of them was truly unbelievable.
And as they emerged from their shock, they couldn’t help but feel a tiny sliver of envy and admiration.
“I finally understand why he didn’t want us to worry,” Cheng Qianli muttered.
“With this kind of technique, he will be stronger than any of us in the future. Even Abu Muslim might eventually be no match for him,” Gao Xianzhi praised.
Wang Chong had reached this level of achievement while still only seventeen years old. Any normal person who saw this would definitely feel envious, but not Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli. On the contrary, they were happy and gratified. It was truly a blessing for the Great Tang to have a person like this.
“Milords, please begin to meditate and cooperate with me…”
Complying with Wang Chong, both Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli seated themselves, crossed their legs, and calmed their minds. The moment they were prepared, Wang Chong pressed his slender palms on their backs.
A torrent of Stellar Energy immediately began to pour into them, causing their auras to rapidly swell and assisting them in repairing their damaged organs and meridians.
After a while, white steam began to rise from their heads, and Wang Chong finally drew back his hands.
“Milords, these are two pills. Take them and adjust your breathing. They can help you recover your energy even faster!”
As he spoke, Wang Chong took out two pills about the size of quail eggs and handed them over.
Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli slowly opened their eyes, and as they did, storms of energy rose from their bodies. If one observed their auras, who would believe that these two had been heavily injured just moments before?
The two did not immediately take the pills, instead using their bright eyes to carefully examine the youthful face before them as if seeing it for the first time. These two commanders of the Anxi Protectorate army had originally believed themselves to know Wang Chong very well, but every time they thought this, Wang Chong would always deliver to them a new surprise.
In just a few short moments, eighty percent of their injuries had been healed and all their energy restored. Even supreme experts like Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli found this impossible to imagine.
“Lord Wang, we’ve troubled you. Rest well. Leave the rest to us!”
The pair took the pills from Wang Chong as they stood up.
Wang Chong smiled, a nigh imperceptible hint of fatigue flickering through his eyes as he nodded.
“Reporting!”
Just when Wang Chong was preparing to turn and leave, he heard hurried footsteps and a voice tinged in panic.
“Milords, the giant ballista was destroyed. Both giant ballistae have been destroyed by the enemies.”
“What!”
All three were stunned by these words, Wang Chong twisting his head to look at the messenger. The two giant ballistae were of strategic importance. Even though the threat of the Behemoths was no longer present, the mere existence of the giant ballistae could still threaten any non-human beings the Great Tang might face.
No one would dare guarantee that the Arabs had no more special tricks up their sleeve.
The giant ballistae had been developed by Wang Chong, and more could be built in the future, but at this very moment, the giant ballistae were playing an important role in stabilizing the morale of the army.
After all the losses sustained in this battle, the giant ballistae had more potential value than actual value.
“Was it the Skyquaking Giants?” Wang Chong asked.
Only the Skyquaking Giants had the strength to destroy the giant ballistae. But he was still a little confused, as he had used the Behemoths to drive away all the Skyquaking Giants. Why had the messenger come now with the news that the last giant ballista had been destroyed?
The messenger lowered his head and gave a completely unexpected reply. “Lord Protector-General, it was not! The one who destroyed the giant ballista was the Celestial Wolf Great General of the Western Turkic Khaganate, Duwu Sili!”
For a moment, all three commanders were dumbfounded.
“I’ll explain what happened!”
An elderly voice suddenly spoke. Under the confused gazes of the three commanders, Zhang Shouzhi anxiously barged through the crowd, at the head of several craftsmen.
……
While Zhang Shouzhi was explaining how the giant ballista had been destroyed, in the distance, a stalwart figure on a mighty steed was galloping toward the hills in a cloud of dust.
“Great Minister, Duwu Sili is coming back.”
Three pairs of eyes on the hills focused on Duwu Sili, their gazes moving with him.
Both Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje had rather strange looks in their eyes as they watched the Celestial Wolf Great General. Nearby, the commander of the Mutri Great Cavalry, Huoba Sangye, was franker with his emotions. Although he was only a mere Brigadier General, Huoba Sangye did not hide his disdain.
“Hmph, and what could he do if he didn’t come back? The battle’s over, Abu Muslim has retreated, and he didn’t even get to see Wang Chong’s face. Did he want to stick around so the Tang could laugh at him?” Huoba Sangye jeered.
Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje arched their brows, but no one said anything.
The Celestial Wolf Great General had left with great bravado and momentum, but he had spent the entire battle engaged in a fierce conflict with Arabia’s Skyquaking Giants. As for the main target, Wang Chong, Duwu Sili hadn’t even seen him, so Huoba Sangye could not be blamed for his contempt. In truth, that Huoba Sangye had not claimed that Duwu Sili’s reputation was empty was quite decent.
After thinking about it for a few moments, Dusong Mangpoje decided to speak up on Duwu Sili’s behalf. “You can’t say it like that. Duwu Sili’s luck was just a little lacking. At the very least, you can’t deny that he destroyed the Great Tang’s last giant ballista. He had managed to come back with some result.”
Unexpectedly, Huoba Sangye’s mocking smile only widened at Dusong Mangpoje’s words. Huoshu Huicang’s eyes widened, his expression turning strange.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 998 - Duwu Sili's True Goal!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C998 - Duwu Sili's True Goal!
Chapter 998: Duwu Sili’s True Goal!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The giant ballistae were the Great Tang’s tools against the Arabian Behemoths, but now that six of these enormous beasts were dead and the last one was on the verge of death, the giant ballistae were heroes with no place to show their prowess. Whether Duwu Sili destroyed one or not, it would have a limited effect on this battle. Duwu Sili’s actions were more like a final effort to salvage his dignity. Everyone knew this, though they had the tact to not say it out loud.
“Hmph, what fighting with the giants? He saw that the Tang boy had gotten control over the four Behemoths and knew he couldn’t win, so he initially found the giants to drag himself down. But does he think us fools who can’t see this?” Huoba Sangye sneered.
Although Ü-Tsang did not revere martial prowess as much as the Arabian Empire, they were still a fierce people who revered true heroes. At the start, Huoba Sangye had highly anticipated Duwu Sili’s efforts, but none of his actions were worth his respect.
Gallop! Duwu Sili apparently seemed to understand that he had lost all his dignity, so while galloping toward the hills, he suddenly turned and began to head for the Turkic camp.
The hills instantly fell silent. Everyone watched quietly as the Celestial Wolf Great General vanished into the Western Turkic camp.
After a period of prolonged silence, everyone finally turned away. No one said anything, but even Dusong Mangpoje, who had spoken up for Duwu Sili just now, felt a little embarrassed. One could easily imagine how the rest of them had reacted.
“Haha, all of you are looking down too much on Duwu Sili.” Dalun Ruozan suddenly spoke, his sleeves gently fluttering in the wind. His back was to these generals, and his hair was being blown here and there by the wind, imbuing him with an elegant and graceful aura.
“If Duwu Sili really only had this much ability, he would have never become the Celestial Wolf Great General.”
These words immediately attracted the notice of Huoshu Huicang, Dusong Mangpoje, and Huoba Sangye, all of them turning with the other generals to Dalun Ruozan.
“Great Minister, you mean… that Duwu Sili was deliberately acting clumsy?” Huoshu Huicang probed.
“Haha, he wasn’t being clumsy. He always had a clear goal in mind. It was just that none of you could see it.”
Dalun Ruozan didn’t turn his head, but he knew what they were thinking like they were his own thoughts.
“Great Minister, if I may speak frankly, it is not that I do not believe Great Minister, but I truly cannot see just how Duwu Sili is formidable. Throughout this entire battle, I truly have not seen him render any substantial feats on the field,” Huoba Sangye said. Although he still believed in Dalun Ruozan, he could not readily subscribe to the argument that Duwu Sili was some capable general.
Dalun Ruozan chuckled, but he did not retort.
“Huoba, there are some things that you can’t just see by looking at the surface. Duwu Sili’s feats are far greater than you can imagine… Have none of you noticed that while he left alone, he returned with something else on the back of his horse?”
“What?!”
These words left the gathered generals dumbfounded.
Duwu Sili’s excursion had failed, and so all of them had only noticed that he had left in high spirits and returned furtively. Wang Chong was still alive, so anything else he did could not be considered substantial. As for whatever extra thing he had on the back of his horse, they truly had not cared.
But Dalun Ruozan’s words made all of them turn pensive as they began to recollect that sight.
Their expressions quickly turned strange.
“When Duwu Sili returned, it appeared that… he had another person on his horse!” a Tibetan general said, and his comment also caused the other people to remember. After all, it had only happened a few moments ago, and the memory was still fresh on their minds.
“But what’s so special about that?” Huoba Sangye said with a frown.
Even if this matter was confirmed, they still didn’t understand why Dalun Ruozan had brought the matter up. Had everything changed just because Duwu Sili had brought someone back?
“If Duwu Sili had been aiming for Wang Chong from the very start, there would naturally be nothing special about this, but what if that wasn’t the case? If Duwu Sili had never been going for Wang Chong from the very beginning, would all of you still think the same?”
Dalun Ruozan faintly smiled.
“Ah!”
For a moment, everyone was flabbergasted. Even Huoba Sangye’s mouth dropped open in speechlessness.
It was true! If Duwu Sili had been aiming at Wang Chong from the beginning and then turned around without meeting his goal, he would naturally have earned the contempt of his peers. But what if this had never been his true objective? All of them had been misguided by Duwu Sili’s bold words, so they had never even considered a different possibility.
Dalun Ruozan sensed what was going on behind him and smiled. Duwu Sili was truly a formidable individual. If it weren’t for the fact that he was more attentive than the rest, noticing a few minor details, he would have been just as deceived as Huoshu Huicang and Huoba Sangye.
But he was still known for his reputation as a wise minister. There was very little in this world that could be hidden from his eyes.
Dalun Ruozan looked up at the sky and leisurely said, “For some things, you can’t just listen to what others say. You also have to see what they actually do.”
He was not a pure scholar, but the demeanor, aura, and intelligence he showed would make any scholar admire him.
“Duwu Sili has always been skilled at hiding his true objective. How could someone who could become Irkin of the Western Turkic Khaganate and defeat Beiting Protector-General An Sishun be as incompetent as all of you claim him to be? He’s just too good at concealing his motives.”
“But, Great Minister, what sort of person would be worth Duwu Sili putting in so much effort to take them hostage? And why would he need to hide this from us?”
Huoshu Huicang stepped forward, walking up behind Dalun Ruozan and asking the critical question.
If the Celestial Wolf Great General really was as deep a schemer as Dalun Ruozan claimed, then it wouldn’t be them jeering at Duwu Sili, but Duwu Sili jeering at them. But not even Huoshu Huicang could understand why Duwu Sili had done all this.
“What else could it be? The only thing more important than killing Wang Chong would be that formation able to produce ‘formation phenomena’.”
Dalun Ruozan grinned as he leisurely announced Duwu Sili’s true goal.
These words were like a boulder crashing into a lake, immediately causing the minds of the gathered generals to toss and turn.
Formation phenomena!
No one had expected this to be Duwu Sili’s true goal. But those who knew the true weight of those words would know that Duwu Sili had definitely placed enormous weight on this operation. Even Huoba Sangye appeared stunned, a contemplative look in his eyes.
Dalun Ruozan chuckled, knowing that everyone had finally understood.
“…Duwu Sili had never been aiming at Wang Chong. In the previous battle, did none of you notice? When Wang Chong’s Wushang Cavalry produced formation phenomena, the expression in Duwu Sili’s eyes became completely different. I once sent men to investigate the Celestial Wolf Great General of the Western Turks, and though I didn’t manage to get my hands on much information, I managed to obtain the same conclusion from all the bits and pieces I gathered. This Celestial Wolf Great General has an extremely intense desire for power.
“Formation phenomena is the highest level any formation can attain, and not even Duwu Sili’s Celestial Wolf Illusory Formation has reached this level. If he were able to comprehend the secrets of the formation phenomena and upgrade his own Celestial Wolf Illusory Formation, the strength of Duwu Sili and his Celestial Wolf Cavalry would soar to even greater heights. Duwu Sili would naturally keep such an important matter very close to his chest… Did none of you notice that even though the battle is already over and Duwu Sili has returned to his camp, the Western Turkic soldiers are still extremely vigilant?” Dalun Ruozan lightly said.
The generals followed Dalun Ruozan’s gaze and saw that it was just as Dalun Ruozan had said. The Western Turks, who had been completely uninvolved in the fierce battle between the Arabs and the Tang, had suddenly become extremely vigilant and cautious upon Duwu Sili’s return, all of them warily keeping a watch on their surroundings.
None of the generals had any more doubts.
“An impressive Celestial Wolf Great General… We all underestimated him!”
Dusong Mangpoje finally sighed.
Duwu Sili had hidden his motives far too well. At this moment, Dusong Mangpoje finally understood how Beiting Protector-General An Sishun had lost to him. Duwu Sili was both incredibly strong and extremely tricky, his actions unorthodox and clouded in deception. How could one deal with a person like that?
“Haha, understand his style, don’t be affected by his words, and you naturally won’t fall prey to his tricks,” Dalun Ruozan indifferently said. This comment of his clearly elucidated the basis on which one should interact with Duwu Sili.
Duwu Sili was an intelligent man, but unfortunately, he was far from the only intelligent man on this battlefield. Dusong Mangpoje knew that at least three people on this battlefield would be able to see through his intentions. Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje were not familiar with him and had very few interactions with him, nor could they be described as expert schemers. It was very normal for them to have been deceived.
But this was not any sort of profound technique to Dalun Ruozan.
“Let’s go! Duwu Sili has already succeeded in capturing an important individual of the Great Tang. However, the person on the other end is not to be lightly provoked. He should be finding out very soon. The Great Tang is coming off a major victory and is currently at the peak of its morale. Even Abu Muslim has withdrawn, so we should also beat a temporary retreat! Until that giant ape dies, we can’t fight with him.”
Dalun Ruozan smiled as he waved his hand and gave the order to withdraw.
Rumble!
A few moments later, the tens of thousands of Tibetan cavalry withdrew to their camp in a churning cloud of dust. In a few moments, they had utterly vanished from the eastern battlefield.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 999 - The Aftereffects of the Battle!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C999 - The Aftereffects of the Battle!
Chapter 999: The Aftereffects of the Battle!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Within the Western Turkic camp, Duwu Sili heard a ruckus and emerged from his tent. When he saw that it was Dalun Ruozan and his soldiers withdrawing, a strange light flickered through his eyes.
“This Dalun Ruozan… is truly difficult to deal with! The army is withdrawing without even notifying me. Could this be considered a small warning?”
A thoughtful smile appeared in Duwu Sili’s eyes. It wasn’t that no one could see through his style and grasp his true intentions, but very few people were like Dalun Ruozan, able to see through him in just a few meetings.
“Pass on my order! The army should withdraw! Follow the Tibetans to the east!” Duwu Sili swiftly ordered.
“But Milord, what do we do about the person in the tent?” a voice asked.
If one listened carefully, one could hear a few noises from within the tent.
“Take him with us. This person is currently worth a fortune. If something happens to him, I’ll be asking you personally!” Duwu Sili said.
“Yes!”
Within the tent, the person’s heart chilled and he did not dare to speak any further.
Rumble! Not long after the Tibetans withdrew, Duwu Sili led his remaining soldiers and wolves in the same direction.
……
In front of Talas, Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, Wang Yan, and Wang Chong had all fallen silent upon hearing Zhang Shouzhi’s explanation. Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huicang, Dusong Mangpoje, and the tens of thousands of Tibetan cavalry had not moved. The only person who had come was Duwu Sili, who was hoping to strike while the iron was hot, but he had managed to destroy the last and vital giant ballista.
The Tang had managed to hold fast against the Skyquaking Army, resisting its frenzied assaults to protect this giant ballista, but they had not managed to guard against the surprise strike from Duwu Sili as he turned to leave. When those thousands of parts scattered through the sky, the last giant ballista of Talas was no more.
“Can it be repaired?” Gao Xianzhi almost instinctively blurted out. This was his first reaction.
Zhang Shouzhi had managed the construction of the giant ballista from concept to reality, so no one was more familiar with it than him. He was also probably the only person capable of repairing it.
“It’s very difficult.”
Zhang Shouzhi shook his head, his expression grim.
“Duwu Sili is a top-class Imperial Great General, and his attacks are on a different level. A single giant can destroy the giant ballista, much less an Imperial Great General. I looked it over, and nearly eighty percent of the giant ballista’s parts were pulverized into powder, and some of those were very precious and high-quality parts. Just gathering the materials, casting the parts, and adding the inscriptions was extremely time-consuming. There is only a very small chance that we can repair those parts, as the materials were extremely precious.”
Gao Xianzhi instantly fell silent.
In this battle, the giant ballistae had rendered great service. If they were destroyed, the morale of the army would suffer a significant blow. After all, no one knew if the Arabs had more inhuman forces at their command.
“It’s fine. Just leave this matter to me,” Wang Chong lightly said.
Others might not know what other inhuman forces the Arabian Empire had, but Wang Chong knew that the Behemoth Army and the Skyquaking Army were their two strongest forces. The Arabian Empire did not have the ability to transfer over any more inhuman forces in such a short amount of time.
“Senior Zhang, let’s proceed according to the old rules. Gather up the damaged parts from the two giant ballistae and use them to build another one. As for whether they can actually fire bolts, that’s no longer important. The most important thing is to raise the morale of the troops. In addition, although we know that building another giant ballista will be very difficult, the Arabs and Tibetans don’t know that. Building an imitation will at least have an intimidating effect,” Wang Chong confidently declared.
He now controlled the last Behemoth on the battlefield of Talas. In truth, there was no need to build another giant ballista so quickly.
Even if they could build one, they could take their time doing it.
“Understood! If this is the case, this old man can quickly build another one.”
Zhang Shouzhi nodded, understanding Wang Chong’s intention.
Previously, Wang Chong had used a pile of fake Tang ballistae to trick the Tibetans, and it was clear that he planned to use the same trick.
Rumble!
As they were speaking, a rumbling came from the hills, dust pluming into the air as an army began to withdraw.
“It’s the Tibetans!” Xue Qianjun said in delight, his face excited as the pressure from today’s battle was finally relieved. “The Arabs have retreated, and the Tibetans definitely saw this and decided to do the same.”
Rumble!
As this was said, the Western Turks also began to retreat.
Everyone was relieved and excited to see this. If the threat of the Turks and Tibetans was removed, the Tang would be in a much better position.
“It’s not that simple!”
Wang Chong shook his head, his brow beginning to crease as he watched the two armies withdraw. As he spoke, Wang Chong, Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, and Wang Yan began to stand up.
“Wang Chong is correct,” Gao Xianzhi agreed. “This battle truly did have an effect on the Tibetans and Western Turks, but whether it’s the Celestial Wolf Great General Duwu Sili, Huoshu Huicang, or Dalun Ruozan, none of them are people who easily give up.”
The withdrawal of these armies eased the pressure on the Tang, but Gao Xianzhi remained deeply suspicious.
“Remember, you can never claim a true victory unless you have truly defeated the enemy, and until you do, you can never let down your guard.”
Wang Chong slightly raised his head. In this aspect, he was in complete agreement with Gao Xianzhi. As highly-ranked Tang commanders, the two shared many points of agreement.
The surroundings fell silent as everyone watched the Tibetans and Turks leave. As Wang Chong gazed at the Western Turks, his brows rose and fell as if he was thinking about something.
“Wang Chong, what’s wrong?”
Gao Xianzhi immediately sensed something and turned his head.
“Something’s off,” Wang Chong said with a furrowed brow, and his words immediately had everyone’s attention.
“Wang Chong, what’s wrong? What have you realized?” Cheng Qianli asked. Although he hadn’t spent much time with Wang Chong, Cheng Qianli knew that this young Qixi Protector-General would never say anything without reason. If he said that something was off, then something must definitely have happened.
“I don’t know.”
Wang Chong slowly drew back his gaze.
“This isn’t my first clash with Dalun Ruozan, so I have an understanding of his style. The battle is over and the Arabs have lost, so for Dalun Ruozan to withdraw his army and wait for a better moment is completely in line with his way of doing things. But this Celestial Wolf Great General… I feel like there’s something off about him.”
“Duwu Sili?”
Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli glanced at each other in surprise. The two had not expected Wang Chong to have placed his focus on Duwu Sili.
“Lord Protector-General, you have more experience than I do. Have you ever interacted with this Duwu Sili before? Do you have an understanding of him?”
“This… Duwu Sili and I fight in different regions. We’ve never had many direct interactions, so I have never paid him too much attention.”
Gao Xianzhi’s brow creased in recollection.
“Based on what I know, Duwu Sili is known to outsiders as someone very hard to deal with. He gained his status as Irkin through cold-blooded means, killing the previous Irkin… That person was very famous amongst the Western Turks.”
Wang Chong’s brow furrowed even deeper, the strange feeling in his heart intensifying.
All fell silent as everyone stared at Wang Chong, no one daring to disturb him. Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, and Wang Yan also became pensive. However, unlike Wang Chong, they found it very hard to sense anything wrong about this simple retreat.
Wang Chong suddenly turned to Zhang Shouzhi and said, “Senior Zhang Shouzhi, could you recount again what you said before?”
Zhang Shouzhi was confused, but he hurriedly retold the story of the giant ballista’s destruction.
Everyone listened very carefully to his tale, but no one, not even Gao Xianzhi or Cheng Qianli, understood what this was for. They could draw no connection between Duwu Sili’s destruction of the giant ballista and Wang Chong’s strange feeling that something was off.
It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Everyone had confusion in their eyes, but Wang Chong’s gaze was slowly beginning to sharpen.
“It’s wrong! Duwu Sili’s actions were strange!” Wang Chong firmly declared.
“Wang Chong, what have you discovered? What was off about Duwu Sili destroying the giant ballista?” Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli hurriedly asked.
“It’s not a problem with the giant ballista, but a problem with Duwu Sili. Lord Protector-General, General Cheng, let me ask you, what do you think Duwu Sili’s goal was in crossing the second defense line alone?”
“Of course, it was to deal with…”
Cheng Qianli immediately opened his mouth, but when he was about to say the words ‘Wang Chong’, his voice stopped and his face froze.
“Have you realized?”
Wang Chong glanced at Cheng Qianli, knowing that he had understood.
“On the surface, Duwu Sili seemed to be coming for us, but throughout this entire battle, we didn’t even see him. This Duwu Sili is definitely strange. His objective was not us. He must have had another target.”
As Wang Chong’s mind cleared, his eyes grew sharper and sharper. Next to him, Gao Xianzhi’s eyes were also beginning to fill with worry. It would have been fine if Duwu Sili had been aiming at them, but if this wasn’t the case, then they had a real problem on their hands. Even worse was that the battle was already over. Regardless of what Duwu Sili’s goal was, he had probably already succeeded.
“Xue Qianjun! Pass on my order! Gather the army! Give it a thorough inspection! Focus particularly on the ballista soldiers and the Wushang Cavalry! I want every detail reported!”
Wang Chong’s gaze became piercingly cold.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 1000 - Duwu Sili's Ambition!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C1000 - Duwu Sili's Ambition!
Chapter 1000: Duwu Sili’s Ambition!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
In the distance, the Western Turks had long ago vanished. Meanwhile, Xue Qianjun quickly finished his inspection.
“Lord Marquis! It’s bad! Sir Chen Bin has gone missing! We’ve searched the entire camp, but we didn’t find him!’
“What?!!”
Wang Chong instantly paled at his words, and even Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli looked over in consternation. Although they didn’t have a very deep understanding of Wang Chong’s subordinates, they did know the name of Chen Bin. He was the commander of Wang Chong’s ballista army, a role in which he was very proficient. Under his command, the same ballistae displayed a completely different level of power. He had an extremely important status in Wang Chong’s army.
Although he was not charging the enemy along with other Tang soldiers, many of the Arabs, Tibetans, and Turks that had died in this battle had fallen at his hand. He had truly rendered great service and was an extremely crucial individual.
The lack of this person would have an enormous effect on this Battle of Talas!
“Search again! Have you searched inside Talas, within the walls? And also… call over the ballista soldiers! And also Chen Bin’s guards. Do not even they know where Chen Bin is?”
Wang Chong’s voice turned harsh and severe.
“Yes!”
The messenger’s face showed a hint of nervousness. The marquis was rarely this harsh, but everyone knew that Chen Bin’s disappearance was no laughing matter.
The messenger quickly departed, and the entire army began to implement Wang Chong’s order. Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, and their own subordinates also did not just stand around. The result of the second inspection was soon produced, though no one wished to hear the result.
It had been confirmed that when withdrawing, Duwu Sili had taken a person with him, and this person was Chen Bin! Because Chen Bin had been injured while dealing with the Skyquaking Giants, he had been lying on the ground, mixed in with the wounded and dead. Thus, when Duwu Sili left with him, it had not attracted too much attention.
And when the majority of the wounded were moved into Talas and other heavily guarded areas, the ballista soldiers believed that he had already been taken into the city. Put together with the chaos of the battle and that everyone only had time to think about themselves, they did not have the time to notice these things. Thus, the fact that Chen Bin had been taken hostage remained undiscovered for a time.
This news was like a bomb exploding in everyone’s minds. The atmosphere instantly turned heavy, with people like Zhang Shouzhi all showing grim expressions.
“What I don’t understand is that Duwu Sili is the famed Celestial Wolf Great General, one of the three strongest Great Generals of the Western Turkic Khaganate. Why would he take Chen Bin hostage?”
The third-ranked commander of the Anxi Protectorate army, Xi Yuanqing, suddenly spoke from his position next to Cheng Qianli. He had only rushed over when he heard the news. His deepest impression of Chen Bin had been the scene when he was efficiently and callously cutting down the Arabs while commanding the ballista army.
Although his level of martial arts was not high, the abilities he had displayed left many stronger generals in the dust. But Xi Yuanqing still did not understand why the mighty Celestial Wolf Great General had taken Chen Bin hostage.
“Could it be that Duwu Sili took Chen Bin away to learn the secrets of the ballistae and create his own ballista army?” Xi Yuanqing said.
“Impossible!”
Xi Yuanqing was immediately interrupted by Zhang Shouzhi.
“Ballistae have always been one of the highest secrets of the Great Tang. A diagram is required to build a ballista. It’s not something that you can build just by looking at its exterior. If you did that, you would just get a giant iron crossbow at best. Moreover, that’s a matter to be handled by craftsmen, while soldiers are responsible for the actual fighting. Chen Bin might be the commander of the ballistae, but he doesn’t have the diagram on him. It would be impossible for Duwu Sili to obtain the secret of the ballistae from him.
“In addition, the ballistae required a high level of skill in forging and a complete system of smithing. This is not something a steppe empire like the Western Turks can realize. Even if they did get their hands on the ballista diagram, it would be useless in their hands! They wouldn’t be able to forge even one ballista!”
Zhang Shouzhi’s expression was firm. In the field of smithing, his authority was absolute. The construction of the City of Steel and the realization of the giant ballista both raised Zhang Shouzhi’s reputation to incredible levels, and he was an undisputed grandmaster of the field. This was particularly true with regards to the construction of the grand project that was the City of Steel. As he had overseen the entire project, he had achieved an almost divine status in the hearts of many craftsmen.
If he said that the Western Turkic Khaganate could not build a ballista even with the diagram, then this was the case.
“But what if the Western Turkic Khaganate cooperates with Arabia to build ballistae?” another officer of the Anxi Protectorate army asked.
The Western Turks, Tibetans, and Arabs were currently in a three-way alliance. Everyone feared a worst-case scenario where the Western Turks collaborated with the Arabs.
The Western Turkic Khaganate truly did lack the necessary skills to forge a ballista, but the Arabs were different. They were completely capable of such a feat.
“Not possible!”
Before Zhang Shouzhi could reply, Gao Xianzhi shook his head and rejected the notion.
“The Arabs are quite proud, and they only began to truly get into conflict with us and interact with ballistae for two months. During that period, the Arabs had not yet formed an alliance with the Western Turks. Their alliance is still newly-formed, with each side still doubting the other. This is definitely not a situation where the three parties trust each another enough to work together to build a ballista. Moreover, Abu Muslim is the style of commander who would prefer to see Duwu Sili leading an army to cooperate with the Arabs in attacking us, not a mere ballista diagram. Thus, this situation is impossible. At the very least, Duwu Sili doing something like this has nothing to do with Abu Muslim.”
“But if the Western Turkic Khaganate can’t make ballistae and Duwu Sili doesn’t plan to cooperate with the Arabs, why did he take Chen Bin hostage?” Xue Qianjun muttered.
His words cast a silence on the gathered officers. Chen Bin was the commander of the ballista army. If Duwu Sili had not taken him hostage for the ballistae, then what was it for? No one could answer this question.
“There’s no need to think about it anymore. If Duwu Sili didn’t come for the ballistae, then he could only be after one other thing: the Wushang Cavalry!” Wang Chong suddenly declared.
In Talas, the strongest and most effective forces the Great Tang had were the ballista army and the well-armed and -armored Wushang Cavalry. If it wasn’t the ballistae, then there was only one choice left.
“But, Wang Chong, wasn’t Chen Bin the commander of the ballista army? If Duwu Sili wanted to do something to the Wushang Cavalry, why would he take Chen Bin?”
Gao Xianzhi slightly frowned in confusion. The mighty Celestial Wolf Great General dominated the steppe and would not make such a low-class error. Gao Xianzhi was rather befuddled by this situation.
“…In addition, if Duwu Sili wanted to move against the Wushang, he would just attack. Even if he wanted the Meteoric Metal armor or Wootz Steel swords of the Wushang Cavalry, he wouldn’t need to take someone hostage.”
The Wushang Cavalry possessed unimaginable power, and as a commander, Gao Xianzhi could not have possibly failed to notice this. Moreover, Wang Chong had never hidden the secrets of the Meteoric Metal and Wootz Steel swords from him.
“This problem probably has its roots in the armor.”
Wang Chong’s lips curved into an almost undetectable and bitter smile.
“All the officers under my command are equipped with Meteoric Metal armor and Wootz Steel swords, with the generals possessing equipment of even higher quality. Duwu Sili isn’t familiar with the structure of my army, so he must have only noticed that the Wushang Cavalry were equipped with special armor, taking note of nothing else. As a result, he took Chen Bin to be part of the Wushang Cavalry. As for Duwu Sili’s goal in taking a hostage, he’s probably after formation phenomena.”
Buzz!
Everyone had been confused at first, but the words ‘formation phenomena’ instantly made them understand. Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli, who had a broad range of experience, particularly understood the weight behind these words.
Gao Xianzhi’s heart instantly sank. As a top-class commander, he only needed Wang Chong to say a little for him to swiftly understand the implications.
“This situation is looking rather bad. Formation phenomena are no minor affair,” Gao Xianzhi gravely said. “In truth, after this battle was over, I was planning to ask you about it. And it’s hard to blame Duwu Sili for desiring your formation phenomena. The Celestial Wolf Cavalry is one of the three most powerful cavalry forces of the Western Turkic Khaganate. If Duwu Sili could get his hands on the secret of formation phenomena and push the Celestial Wolf Illusory Formation to the highest level, he will be a powerful foe of our Great Tang, whether now or in the future. In addition, I don’t have much of an understanding of your subordinates, but there’s a matter I want to ask you. Chen Bin is the commander of the ballista army, so does he know anything about the Wushang Cavalry’s formation phenomena?”
“He knows.”
Wang Chong nodded.
“Before I formed the ballista army, he was actually one of the Wushang Cavalry’s officers. Although he doesn’t know every secret, he knows around eighty percent of them.”
“Wang Chong, the Western Turks are an empire of cavalry, and they use far more formations than we do. If Duwu Sili gets his hands on the secret of formation phenomena and spreads it through the Western Turkic Khaganate, you understand what that will mean. So if you will forgive me, let me ask another question. Given your understanding of Chen Bin, if Duwu Sili wants to get the secret of the formation phenomena from him, will he succeed?”
Gao Xianzhi spoke very tactfully, but his expression grew even more serious. Duwu Sili had never been one to make petty schemes. As one of the strongest Great Generals of the Western Turkic Khaganate and the esteemed Irkin, he was not one to only think about strengthening his Celestial Wolf Cavalry. This was no longer a simple matter of Chen Bin’s capture affecting the ballista army. This was now a strategic matter that could affect the balance of power between the Great Tang and the Western Turkic Khaganate.
“Haaaa…”
Wang Chong gave a long sigh as he slowly raised his head and looked to the east.
“What I’m worried about now is not whether Duwu Sili can get his hands on the secret of formation phenomena, but the fact that he won’t get the secret!”
A deep concern tinged Wang Chong’s voice.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 1001 - Discovery!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C1001 - Discovery!
Chapter 1001: Discovery!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli were dazed by Wang Chong’s words, but as they began to understand, they fell silent, and the air became oppressive.
Chen Bin had served at Wang Chong’s side for a very long time. He began fighting side by side with Wang Chong in the southwest, rendering great service, then served Wang Chong during the construction of the City of Steel and in the clashes with Dusong Mangpoje on the Tibetan Plateau, and finally, he led the ballista army at this Battle of Talas. Chen Bin had done everything he could to assist Wang Chong and had been an able subordinate.
Wang Chong was not worried about whether Chen Bin would divulge the secret, as this was absolutely impossible for someone of Chen Bin’s character. But if he swore an oath to never speak, someone of Duwu Sili’s style was liable to kill him.
“Lord Marquis, what should we do now?”
Xue Qianjun finally voiced the question on everyone’s mind. Chen Bin was very popular amongst the troops, and after fighting alongside his comrades in battle, he would hold a feast and make merry, treating the soldiers like his own brothers. One could easily imagine what they all felt when they heard that Chen Bin had been taken hostage.
“Come! Bring me ink and paper. I want to write a letter to Duwu Sili. I will personally handle this matter.”
Wang Chong looked eastward, a chilling light in his eyes.
……
Time slowly passed, and as the sun began to sink into the west, the sky darkened. Sixty li from Talas, countless wolves wandered the earth. Behind this vast pack of wolves, an enormous banner of a golden wolf on blue fluttered in the air, and behind this banner were countless tents. Duwu Sili had led the Turkic army to set up camp here.
With this stage of the battle over, the Turkic army should have been able to relax, but the reality was completely different. The camp was strictly guarded both within and without, the air saturated with tension.
“How is it?”
In the white tent in the very center of the camp, Duwu Sili turned to look at one of the shamans accompanying the army.
“Milord, his injuries are very serious. He was heavily wounded before you even took him hostage. In his current condition, it will be hard for him to take even a few rounds of interrogation, much less torture,” concluded an emaciated shaman, his figure shrouded in a black robe and exuding a thick herbal aroma.
He glanced at Chen Bin, laid out on a bed of lambskin, with deeply worried eyes. This Tang’s body was stained with blood and his clothes were in tatters. His injuries already appeared very serious.
And yet his interior was even worse than his exterior. Forty percent of his bones were broken, his meridians were in chaos, and his internal organs had shifted… Any one of these injuries would eventually be fatal, much less all of them together.
Chen Bin propped himself up and jeered, “You don’t need to waste your time… Kah, no matter what you want to know, I won’t tell you.” But he was only able to manage these few words before he began to fiercely cough, each time spitting blood which speckled his pale face.
“You’ve lost too much blood. If you get any further agitated, you will die.”
The emaciated Turkic shaman slowly walked over, speaking in an extremely soothing voice. War was a matter for soldiers. This shaman saw only the sick and the healthy. The sight of this Han did not incite any emotions in him. All he saw was an ordinary person.
“Haha, who cares if I die? If I craved life and feared death, I would have never stepped onto the battlefield. Duwu Sili, don’t waste your effort. I won’t tell you any secrets about formation phenomena. You should just hurry up and kill me.”
Chen Bin gave a faint smile, a fearless expression on his face. Even the shaman could not help but feel a hint of admiration toward this dauntless attitude.
“Hmph, you want to die? It’s not that easy. Until I get what I want, even dying will be a challenge for you!”
Duwu Sili’s gaze chilled as he strode forward and seized Chen Bin’s numb right hand. Rumble! Golden light flashed as majestic energy imbued with boundless vitality surged into Chen Bin’s body.
“Ah!”
Chen Bin yelled, his body straightening as the enormous vitality flooded through his body. The power of this vitality caused the injuries on Chen Bin’s body to heal with astonishing speed. At some point, a magnificent and nearly tangible golden light had engulfed the entire tent.
“If Duwu Sili wants to save someone, no one can stop him! Obediently confess the secret of formation phenomena to me!”
Duwu Sili’s voice boomed like thunder within the tent.
Much later, when night had fallen, Duwu Sili finally emerged from the tent. His face was a little pale, but his expression overall was one of extreme joy. He had consumed a great deal of energy for this Tang. Anyone else would think this person extremely unworthy of Duwu Sili’s efforts, but Duwu Sili thought the exact opposite.
In his eyes, this Tang represented infinite possibilities for the Western Turkic Khaganate.
If he could get the secret of formation phenomena from this Tang and then spread this secret through the Western Turkic Khaganate, the Khaganate had a chance of becoming an even stronger existence than Arabia. After all, even though the Arabian warhorses were the best in the world, the Western Turks had far more warhorses.
This puny Talas is no longer important. As long as I can get that thing, I will become the War God of the Western Turkic Khaganate. Perhaps I can even go a little farther… supplanting is a possibility.
Duwu Sili’s mind thought of that forbidden word, but it got to his lips and went no further. Until he truly succeeded, Duwu Sili did not want to leave a single incriminating clue.
The winds blew around him, and as he looked up at the dark skies and the glistening stars, Duwu Sili suddenly felt much more relaxed.
“Reporting!”
At this moment, he heard a voice. Duwu Sili’s brows creased together as he turned and saw a Turkic messenger rushing toward him.
“What’s all the fuss about?” Duwu Sili said unhappily.
“Reporting! Great General, a Tang scout was spotted on the perimeter. Our men went to stop him, but we discovered that he fired an arrow at our gate. This was tied to the arrow.”
The messenger got down on one knee and offered up the arrow and the letter that was tied to it.
“What?!”
Duwu Sili’s brow rose as his right hand lightly snatched at air. The messenger felt the weight on his hands lighten as the arrow and letter flew into Duwu Sili’s hands.
A Great General’s seal!
The large words in red imprinted on the back of the letter caused Duwu Sili’s pupils to constrict and his face to pale.
This was not Duwu Sili’s first time interacting with the Great Tang. He had contended the most against Beiting Protector-General An Sishun, and he was no stranger at all to this seal. This was a seal that only the Great Generals of the Central Plains could use. In the region of Talas, only one person could use this seal, and this person was not Wang Chong, but Gao Xianzhi.
“It came very quickly!”
Duwu Sili was rather surprised. He had expected that it would be quite a few hours before Chen Bin’s capture was discovered. He had not expected the letter to come so quickly.
“These fellows are truly difficult to deal with.”
A hint of apprehension flitted through his eyes as he opened the letter.
……
Though night had fallen, Talas was still brightly lit. Wang Chong, Li Siye, Huang Botian, Kong Zi-an, Xue Qianjun, and the other officers of the Qixi Protectorate army were gathered together. Although Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Sanyuan had chosen to return to their camp, they had sent Xi Yuanqing to represent them.
Both Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli were in very awkward positions. Chen Bin’s capture had to do with formation phenomena, and for them to agree to or oppose any plan was not proper. However, that they had sent Xi Yuanqing to represent them—a man whose status was only beneath theirs—was enough to show the importance they placed on this matter.
When the scout responsible for delivering the letter walked into the hall, Li Siye, Kong Zi-an, Huang Botian, Sun Zhiming, and the others began to stand.
“How was it? Any news?”
Wang Chong did not stand, but the anxiety in his eyes was enough to show that his concern was no less than the others’.
“Lord Marquis!”
The scout ignored the others, walking straight to Wang Chong and getting down on one knee.
“The letter was successfully delivered. I personally fired the letter into the Turkic camp and saw their men take the letter away. But even though I waited outside for a long time, they never sent a reply letter.”
“What!”
Everyone immediately felt a tug at their hearts upon hearing this news.
“You’re sure that the letter was delivered?”
“Maybe they didn’t notice the letter on the arrow?”
“How long did you wait? What if Duwu Sili was writing a reply and you just happened to miss him?”
All of the officers began to nervously voice their questions.
“No.” The scout shook his head and respectfully replied, “I personally saw them take the arrow out of the gate and remove the letter. I even saw a person rush to the commander’s tent to deliver it.”
“Enough!”
Seeing that the officers in the hall wanted to ask more, Wang Chong finally stepped in. The hall immediately fell silent as everyone looked to Wang Chong.
“I know that all of you are very worried about Chen Bin’s safety, but I hope that all of you can be a little calmer at this time. Since the scout has confirmed that the letter was delivered, the letter must have been delivered. The Great Tang scouts don’t even fear death! Do you think they can’t even deliver a letter?!”
Wang Chong’s eyes turned sharp and fierce as they swept over the gathered officers. In a flash, everyone lowered their heads in shame. The scout also gave a sigh of relief, shooting Wang Chong a look of gratitude.
The scouts of the Great Tang were the finest in the world, whether it was in strength, experience, loyalty, or commitment to the mission. All of them knew this, but just as Wang Chong had said, their concern for Chen Bin’s safety had made them lose their composure.
“Let me ask you, what did you see in the Western Turks’ camp? Tell me every detail, big and small,” Wang Chong said.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 1002 - n Army Approaches the Western Turkic Camp!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C1002 - n Army Approaches the Western Turkic Camp!
Chapter 1002: An Army Approaches the Western Turkic Camp!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Yes, Lord Marquis!”
The scout revealed everything he had seen in the Western Turkic camp.
The entire reception hall was so quiet as he spoke that one could hear a pin drop. Wang Chong never did anything without a purpose, and no one dared to interrupt him at a time like this.
“Let me ask you this. When you were delivering the letter, how did the Western Turks react? And how did they react after you sent the letter?” Wang Chong asked.
“This… When I first arrived, the entire Western Turkic camp was extremely vigilant. The moment I appeared on the perimeter, someone came to stop me. This was no different from if I had probed the camp of any other faction, but around two hours after I delivered the letter, a large group of cavalry charged out of the camp and drove me away. It was a completely different attitude from before.”
Wang Chong’s brow shot up at these words, but he made no other comment.
“I understand. You are dismissed.”
“Yes, Lord Marquis!”
The scout quickly departed, and the room fell even more quiet. Everyone looked to Wang Chong in anticipation.
“Lord Marquis, what have you discovered?” Xue Qianjun cautiously asked.
“Right now, we can confirm that Chen Bin is still alive and that he is in the Western Turks’ camp.”
Wang Chong’s gaze swept over the officers as he said those long-anticipated words.
Whoosh!
Everyone instantly exhaled in relief. Their hearts which had been high-strung with tension could finally be set back down.
“Wonderful!”
“If Chen Bin is okay, this is a blessing in the middle of a disaster!”
“Now we just need to find a way to rescue Chen Bin. Lord Marquis, what do you think we should do?”
The officers excitedly turned to Wang Chong. Although none of them understood how Wang Chong could conclude that Chen Bin was still alive and safe, none of them doubted his conclusion.
“Everyone, sit.”
Wang Chong spread apart his hands and gestured to the officers. Even though he had confirmed that Chen Bin was still alive, Wang Chong was far less relaxed than his subordinates imagined.
“This matter is not that simple. Chen Bin might be alive, but Duwu Sili is clearly indicating that he doesn’t want to negotiate with us. If my guess is right, he’s probably thinking of ways to buy more time in the hopes that Chen Bin will give him the answer he wants. Chen Bin is probably not faring very well right now.”
Wang Chong’s eyes flickered with worry.
The joyful officers instantly had a bucket of cold water dumped onto them, their moods sinking. The battlefield was an extremely cruel and callous place where all methods were acceptable. The armies of each faction had their own set of torture and interrogation techniques to extract information from their enemies.
If Duwu Sili wanted the secret of formation phenomena, he would definitely be torturing Chen Bin at this moment, a fact which made everyone’s hearts frantic with worry.
The silent Xi Yuanqing finally stepped forward and spoke. “Lord Marquis, the Lord Protector-General told me to tell you that if it was needed, we could send people to work with Lord Marquis and sneak into the Turkic camp to save Chen Bin.
“As long as the method is appropriate, success is completely possible. In short, no matter what, we can’t let the secret of formation phenomena fall into the hands of the Western Turks.”
“Lord Marquis, let me go.” Li Siye also spoke, his voice as loud as a bell. “The Wushang Cavalry under my command should have a good chance of saving Chen Bin.”
“Lord Marquis, me too!”
“I as well!”
Li Siye’s words triggered a chain of volunteers.
“There’s no need!”
Wang Chong shook his head, rejecting all their proposals. He then turned his head to Xi Yuanqing.
“General Xi, I appreciate your kindness, but we should think about our plans a little longer. Duwu Sili is no weakling. Since he’s been scheming for so long, he’s definitely made ample preparations. Moreover, we still don’t understand what Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje are doing. Carelessly sending troops might lead to us walking into a trap. In the end, we might end up being too clever for our own good.”
“Lord Marquis, I know that you care deeply for your subordinates and do not want to sacrifice any more people, but if Duwu Sili does obtain the secret of formation phenomena, the effects will not be something that just the ten-some of us here will be able to mitigate,” Xi Yuanqing seriously said. The righteous did not grasp for wealth and the kind did not command soldiers. Commanders would occasionally have to make sacrifices.
“Haha, General Xi, you misunderstand.”
To Xi Yuanqing’s surprise, Wang Chong chuckled in response.
“Chen Bin must be saved, but not through this method. I’ve already thought everything over. Chen Bin will not divulge the secret, and the more Duwu Sili can’t get what he wants, the more intent he will be on keeping Chen Bin alive. But if we attempt to sneak into the camp to save Chen Bin, we might force Duwu Sili’s hand and put Chen Bin in even more danger. This would be at cross-purposes with our actual goal.”
“Ah!”
Even Xi Yuanqing found himself surprised by this response, momentarily unable to respond.
“Be at ease. In a while, once Duwu Sili can’t get what he wants, he’ll come looking for me on his own.”
Wang Chong rapped a finger against the table, an assured tone in his voice.
After sending off Xi Yuanqing, leaving only the officers of the Qixi Protectorate army in the room, Wang Chong turned serious. He had appeared self-assured before Xi Yuanqing, but only he knew just how worried he really was.
Wang Chong suddenly raised his head and ordered, “Li Siye, get ready. Chen Bin can’t wait. Gather all the Wushang Cavalry and follow me to meet Duwu Sili!”
Li Siye was at first stunned, but he swiftly lowered his head and assented. “Yes, Lord Marquis!”
Rumble! A few moments later, the Wushang Cavalry had gathered and set off for the Western Turkic camp sixty li away under the cover of darkness.
……
Wang Chong’s judgment was correct, and Chen Bin’s present situation was truly perilous. Although Duwu Sili would never kill him, Duwu Sili wouldn’t mind using torture to get the secret of formation phenomena, as long as it was not to the point of death.
“Bastard!”
A few hours later, Duwu Sili flicked the blood off his wrists and strode out of his tent, his mouth spitting curses.
“Does he really think I won’t dare to kill him? If you still won’t speak, I’ll kill and capture another person. I can ask them for the secret of formation phenomena just the same.”
Duwu Sili’s eyes glowed with anger.
As a supreme Great General of the Western Turks, Duwu Sili rarely found a foe he could not deal with. He had even defeated An Sishun, much less any others. But this Tang called Chen Bin had received all manner of torture, yet had still refused to divulge the secret he desired.
Duwu Sili was furious, but also defeated. Duwu Sili found it impossible to understand how some nameless soldier could be so stubborn, refusing to speak his secrets despite all the torture being inflicted upon him.
Duwu Sili called over the emaciated shaman, his voice one of barely suppressed anger.
“Treat him. Make sure that not a single wound remains. At sunrise, I need him to be perfectly unharmed so that the interrogation can continue.”
“Yes, Milord,” the shaman lightly replied, neither nodding nor shaking his head as he silently walked into the tent.
As Duwu Sili walked out of the tent, laughter came from within, bursting with ridicule and the resolve to die.
“Haha, Duwu Sili, come! No matter how much torture you inflict, if I say a single word, I wouldn’t be fit to be a Han, much less a subordinate of Lord Marquis! Let me tell you, obtaining the secret of formation phenomena is just wishful thinking!”
“Bastard!”
Duwu Sili’s eyes turned vicious, and his fists creaked and cracked. A surge of killing intent appeared in his eyes for a brief moment, but in the end, Duwu Sili restrained himself. His muscular and steely fists finally relaxed.
I’ll let it go a little longer before killing you!
With this thought, Duwu Sili took his leave.
“Great General, it’s bad!”
As Duwu Sili began to leave the tent, a cloud of dust and the sound of horse hooves began to approach him. Before his warhorse had even come to a full stop, the rider jumped down and rushed to kneel before Duwu Sili.
“The scouts on the front lines have sent a report that a large force of enemy soldiers is rapidly approaching. We estimate their numbers to be five thousand, and they seem very much like the Great Tang’s Wushang Cavalry. The scouts are currently working on getting a more detailed report. General Hulangye has sent word asking for Great General to please make a decision!”
“What?!”
Duwu Sili immediately grimaced at these words. After sending a letter, Wang Chong was now leading an army. Duwu Sili had not expected his foe’s reaction to be so fast. And he was making such a ruckus for just a single subordinate.
“Pass on my order. Gather the army and have them stand ready for combat! In addition, call the Celestial Wolf Cavalry and have them follow me!” Duwu Sili sternly commanded.
In a flash, the Western Turkic camp became harsh and stern, all the soldiers readying to face a powerful foe.
The Wushang Cavalry!
They might not have known of this name two days ago, but now, all of them knew the name of this supreme fighting force. This was a strength that was even able to defeat the Celestial Wolf Cavalry and the Tibetan Mutri Great Cavalry.
Although no one voiced these words out loud, they had all privately begun to wonder if this force was the strongest force of cavalry in the continent.
Whoosh!
As the golden wolf banner at the front of the Turkic camp blew in the wind, a fully-armored Duwu Sili rode forth on his mighty Turkic steed. Around and behind him were the Celestial Wolf Cavalry wearing their savage armor, and farther behind were the intimidating ranks of elite Turkic cavalry.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 1003 - Clash!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C1003 - Clash!
Chapter 1003: Clash!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Under the fluttering banner, the tens of thousands of Turkic cavalry, led by Duwu Sili, looked in a single direction. The darkness was quiet, as if nothing was happening, but it was permeated with an air of unease. Everyone knew that in that direction, at the very limits of their vision, the illustrious and dreadful Wushang Cavalry were galloping toward them.
A faint rumbling came from the distance, which rapidly intensified until it seemed like it was a vast landslide approaching. Beneath the feet of Duwu Sili, the ground began to tremble.
“They’re here!” a Western Turkic general suddenly said.
There was no need for him to say any more. If one looked in the direction of Talas to the west, one could see a roiling flood of black steel approaching, moving as quickly as lightning. Leading this army was the enormous dragon banner of the Great Tang, which exuded an intimidating aura as it fluttered in the wind.
The Great Tang of the Central Plains!
This was not the first time the Turks had heard of this country, nor was it the first they had ever fought with them. Before today, they had always regarded this country with a little scorn and disdain. But then, they had seen the Great Tang reverse the tides of this Battle of Talas, sweeping away Abu Muslim and his vast Arab army. Now, all of them felt fear and shock.
This name now held a completely different weight.
“Shamask, Chekun Benba, listen for my order. Get ready to fight at any moment!” Duwu Sili said, gazing into the distance.
“Yes, Milord!”
The two bowed and affirmed. Shamask in particular was burning with a desire for battle.
“Milord, be at ease. This general will do his utmost!” Shamask declared.
In the battle with the Wushang Cavalry, Shamask had lost all his dignity. This matter was now in the past, but it remained an enormous disgrace for Shamask. He spent every moment thinking of ways to wipe away this smear on his record.
Time slowly passed, the atmosphere turning more solemn. As the Turks watched, Wang Chong and his Wushang Cavalry approached with astonishing speed. Eight thousand zhang, six thousand zhang, four thousand zhang, two thousand zhang… Wang Chong finally stopped.
The two armies stood in a distant standoff, the air between them saturated with tension. The countless gray wolves in the Turkic camp bared their teeth and prepared to attack. The Turkic elites were even more nervous than the wolves, their bodies tensed up, their eyes focused, and their sweating hands tightly gripping their weapons.
The sight of the Tang sweeping unstoppably through the Arabs had left a deep fear on each of their hearts. In comparison, Wang Chong’s Wushang Cavalry were far more composed and leisurely.
“Great General, have you thought about my proposal?”
At a distance of more than one thousand zhang, Wang Chong rode up on his White-hoofed Shadow and cut straight to the point. His sharp voice cut like a knife through the darkness, shattering the silence between the two armies.
“Hmph!”
Duwu Sili glared at Wang Chong and rode forward, sweeping his halberd before him.
“Brat! I have no idea what you’re talking about, but there is one thing I know. That you dared to come to my door and find me means that you are so reckless that you have no idea what death is. You escaped me last time, but I’d like to see who can save you now!”
Duwu Sili’s eyes exploded with killing intent.
Wang Chong’s strength was insufficient, but he had a mountain of schemes and tricks. His Godking Yama transformation only made him a basic Great General, yet he had been able to stop a peak Great General like Duwu Sili. The mere mention of this filled Duwu Sili with shame. Although he was after the formation phenomena, Duwu Sili wouldn’t mind if he could kill Wang Chong in the process.
“Hahaha…”
Wang Chong heartily chuckled at Duwu Sili’s words. Not only was he unafraid, he even rode a few more steps forward.
“Since that’s the case, Great General, why don’t you try?”
“Impudent!”
Duwu Sili’s pupils constricted as his body exploded with rage. Boom! While everyone was still under the impression that the opposing commanders were still exchanging ‘pleasantries’, unconsciously believing that they were not yet going to fight, Duwu Sili suddenly shot forward in a flash of light, creating a sonic boom in the air around him. Duwu Sili used the Celestial Wolf’s Divine Procession to transform into a black beam of light that thundered toward Wang Chong.
The power behind this attack was terrifying. As his black halberd moved, it cut through the air like it was water, and the air in a radius of several dozen zhang around him began to twist and contort into black fissures that seemed to reach into the underworld.
Even more frightening was the destructive energy contained within the halberd. As Duwu Sili moved forward, he was like a giant plough digging through the earth, and countless rocks and bits of earth exploded in every direction, leaving behind large pits and holes.
“Great General!”
Even Shamask and Chekun Benba were alarmed by this abrupt attack. By the time they reacted, Duwu Sili was already in front of the Tang army, unleashing his heaven-shaking attack on Wang Chong.
“Lord Marquis!”
“Not good!”
The Wushang Cavalry were similarly alarmed. No one had expected Duwu Sili to abruptly attack.
But Wang Chong was not surprised at all.
Wang Chong faintly smiled as he countered.
Boom!
In a flash of light and howl of wind, the Godking Yama appeared and clashed with Duwu Sili. For a moment, the entire world seemed like it would tear apart, enormous shockwaves and explosions forcing the Wushang Cavalry and Turks to back up while covering their ears.
A cold snort could be heard amidst the fierce winds, and Wang Chong’s Godking Yama could be seen standing firm in its position. Duwu Sili, on the other hand, was forced back a distance before stabilizing himself in the air.
Silence!
The battlefield was deathly still.
Everyone felt their hearts leaping into their throats. That battle had simply been too fast, ending before they had even finished reacting. When one reached the cultivation level of Wang Chong or Duwu Sili, many soldiers could only look up in fear and admiration. No one besides Wang Chong and Duwu Sili knew the exact specifics of that battle.
“This foul brat!”
As Duwu Sili sat upon his black divine steed, floating in the air, a sharp and savage killing intent flickered through his eyes. He appeared calm on the outside, but great waves were raging in his mind. He clearly understood what had transpired. Duwu Sili was one of the strongest Great Generals of the world, and this point was beyond question. Although he was still a little lacking compared to someone like the Governor of Iron and Blood Abu Muslim, he undoubtedly surpassed Wang Chong.
But this attack that had contained all his power had been firmly blocked by Wang Chong, and without the use of any technique or skill. In just a day, the Godking Yama had ascended to a whole new level of strength.
“Just what in the world happened? How did this brat’s strength rise so quickly!”
Duwu Sili clenched his fists in disbelief.
In that exchange just now, he had been floating in the air using the Celestial Wolf’s Divine Procession, not firmly planted on the ground like Wang Chong, so he had been in the more disadvantageous position. But there was no question that Wang Chong’s strength had risen to the point where it could equal his own.
Duwu Sili found this simply unacceptable.
He could not allow some obscure junior to stand on his level!
“How was it? Duwu Sili, do you want to try again?”
As Duwu Sili tried to digest this fact, Wang Chong spoke, his expression elegant and natural. Even though he was facing a powerful Great General like Duwu Sili, he felt no fear. After absorbing all the energy of the King of Giants Ghareeb Hassam, Wang Chong had reached an astonishing level of power. He was now a true Brigadier General, one who was only a sliver away from reaching the Great General level.
One could easily imagine the power of the Godking Yama at this level of strength.
“Bastard thing, do you really think I can’t kill you!”
Duwu Sili leveled his black halberd, contorting the air in a radius of several dozen zhang with torrents of killing intent. Even from a distance, he exuded an aura of dread and terror.
“Duwu Sili, I know that you’ve captured one of my men. Bring him out! If he’s missing even a hair on his body, you know what I will do.”
Wang Chong pretended not to hear. He spoke in a flat tone to Duwu Sili, but his voice was backed by a powerful threat.
In any negotiation, strength was the most basic foundation.
Wang Chong might not have had the right to negotiate in Duwu Sili’s eyes before, but in this clash, he had amply displayed his power and gained this right!
The winds blew across the battlefield as the Turks and Wushang Cavalry stared at their respective commanders. All of them understood that everything hinged on the conversation between these two commanders. There were no hostilities as of now, but a gruesome battle could ensue at any moment.
The atmosphere was tense.
“Watch his hands!” Shamask suddenly whispered. “If something looks fishy, Milord will give us the signal. Everyone should attack as soon as the signal is received!”
“Mm.”
Chekun Benba nodded his head. Both of them stared at Duwu Sili’s right palm. After serving Duwu Sili for so long, they had both come to understand Duwu Sili’s unique habits. He would never issue an obvious call to attack, but would signal his orders using special hand gestures. At that moment, the Celestial Wolf Cavalry would explode forward, catching the enemy off guard.
All was quiet as Duwu Sili stared at the Great Tang youth with constantly shifting eyes. No one knew what he was thinking.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 1004 - Dalun Ruozan, the Oriole Stalking Behind! “Hah!”
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C1004 - Dalun Ruozan, the Oriole Stalking Behind! “Hah!”
Chapter 1004: Dalun Ruozan, the Oriole Stalking Behind!
“Hah!”
After some time, Duwu Sili suddenly chuckled sinisterly.
“Boy, you think too highly of yourself! Correct! The man you want truly is in my hands, but for what reason do you think I should hand him over? You only brought five thousand soldiers with you and want to take someone from me? Isn’t that a little too simpleminded? Aren’t you worried that I will join with the Tibetans and kill you and your Wushang Cavalry?”
With these last words, the already seething killing intent on Duwu Sili’s body instantly swelled. This nearly tangible killing intent shrouded the air, causing the surrounding temperature to drop.
“Hahaha…”
Wang Chong was not only unafraid of Duwu Sili’s words, he even laughed.
“If this were really the case, Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huicang, and Dusong Mangpoje would have already showed up, not waited this long. If my guess is correct, by hiding the fact that you were after the formation phenomena from them, you’ve already caused cracks to appear in your alliance. Otherwise, why would you lead your army to set up camp here alone!”
Buzz!
These words seemed to give Duwu Sili a sharp jab, and his entire body trembled. Although Wang Chong had only been speaking casually, his words had struck true. For his own gain, he had entered the battlefield alone while hiding his true goal: the formation phenomena. But afterward, he was exposed by Dalun Ruozan, and though the Tibetans had not directly accused him of anything, their relationship was clearly very awkward.
This was obvious purely from the fact that the two sides had set up their camps in separate areas.
“This brat… what a vicious gaze.”
Duwu Sili began to unwittingly clench his fists, his joints cracking as his desire to kill Wang Chong increased.
Wang Chong’s gaze was far too sharp. Duwu Sili felt like he could hide nothing from him.
“Brat, you’re too proud!” Duwu Sili harshly shot back. No matter what Wang Chong guessed, he would never admit to it. “Regardless of what happened between me and the Tibetans, don’t forget that it’s that Great Minister of Ü-Tsang who wants to kill you the most. Heheh, if he knew that you only brought five thousand soldiers, what do you think he would do?”
Behind Wang Chong, Li Siye, Kong Zi-an, and Huang Botian all grimaced at these words. Although the Wushang Cavalry were one of the strongest forces in the world and feared no one, the combined might of four mighty individuals like Duwu Sili, Huoshu Huicang, Dusong Mangpoje, and Dalun Ruozan was something that even they would find hard to stop.
“Interesting. The art of war is the art of deception. Great General is correct. Dalun Ruozan truly might appear here. But how do you know that I only brought five thousand Wushang Cavalry?”
Wang Chong faintly smiled, his expression brimming with confidence.
Duwu Sili grimaced at these words, and his gaze unconsciously flitted past Wang Chong and peered into the darkness. He had believed that Wang Chong had only brought his five thousand soldiers, but if Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli had also come, the situation was completely different.
He needed to rethink his plans.
But when he saw that callous ridicule in Wang Chong’s eyes, Duwu Sili understood and flew into a rage.
“Bastard! Do you really think I can’t do anything to you! You value your subordinates, right? Don’t think that I won’t just kill him and have you leave with nothing!”
“You dare!”
Wang Chong’s expression instantly chilled, and thick killing intent exploded from his eyes. Not even in front of a supreme Great General like Duwu Sili did he try to hide his desire to kill.
Clangclangclang! The Wushang Cavalry behind Wang Chong began to pull out their swords and aim them at Duwu Sili.
“Haha, just a nameless soldier. I, Duwu Sili, have killed countless such people. There is no one in this world that I would not dare to kill!”
Duwu Sili roared in laughter. At his level of cultivation, there was truly nothing he did not dare to do. He was even willing to lose his chance at the formation phenomena if needed.
After all, he just needed to capture another person.
“Bastard!”
Li Siye, Kong Zi-an, Cheng Sanyuan, and Su Shixuan all hollered in rage, their eyes turning red. Wang Chong’s eyes were also roiling with killing intent, as not even he had expected to hear these words from Duwu Sili. But Wang Chong quickly managed to calm down.
“Very good!”
Wang Chong looked at Duwu Sili and sneered.
“It seems like we no longer have any need to talk. Since you’ve made your decision, we’ll do as you say! But in the future, you will never have another chance to get the formation phenomena. Oh, and I forgot to tell you that I left some soldiers back in Qixi’s City of Steel. Starting from now, for every ‘Chen Bin’ you kill, I’ll kill ten thousand herdsmen on your Turkic steppe. If you kill two, twenty thousand Turks will be buried with them! Li Siye, let’s go!”
Wang Chong gave the order and prepared to withdraw.
At his words, Duwu Sili paled. The Western Turkic Khaganate bordered the Great Tang at Qixi. Many herdsmen and nomads lived on that part of the steppe, and many tribes let their sheep and cows graze there. Ishbara Khagan had once ordered those nomads to withdraw to avoid being caught up in the war with the Great Tang.
But the underground rivers flowing through that steppe made the place verdant and lush, so the tribes and herdsmen still decided to graze their herds in that part of the steppe. All the prohibitions were useless.
Duwu Sili had never been some softhearted general, and he would not care how many people Wang Chong killed. But these were still the herdsmen of the Western Turks. Duwu Sili could disregard Wang Chong’s actions, but Ishbara Khagan could not. When the Fourth Prince had been taken hostage, Ishbara Khagan had strenuously objected to exchanging two hundred thousand warhorses for the prince, but once Wang Chong had ventured into the steppe and killed many people, Ishbara Khagan had immediately agreed.
Besides that, a large part of the reason Ishbara Khagan had dispatched soldiers to Talas to assist Dalun Ruozan and the Tibetans was that he was enraged over the Qixi Protectorate army’s slaughter of his people. If Wang Chong chose this moment to once more dispatch men into the Turkic steppe for another round of massacre and it was made known that this was because of Duwu Sili, he would be the one to receive Ishbara Khagan’s ire.
“Bastard! Too despicable!”
Duwu Sili’s eyes spat flame. He was forced to admit that Wang Chong had seized his weak point. In this clash, he had not been able to gain a single advantage.
“Wait!”
Duwu Sili called back Wang Chong. Although he had said that he would kill Chen Bin, this had been nothing more than an empty threat. The secret to formation phenomena was far too important for him to make decisions based on emotion. But just at this moment…
“Dalun Ruozan, come out!”
Wang Chong had barely walked a few steps when he stopped and called out into the surroundings.
All was quiet, and Duwu Sili was frozen, the words he had intended to say immediately swallowed back down. Behind him, Shamask, Chekun Benba, and the thousands of Turkic cavalry were equally dumbfounded.
Dalun Ruozan?
When had he come? How did they not know!?
Moreover, weren’t Dalun Ruozan and the Tibetan army encamped twenty li in the rear? Why would they appear here?
In the thick darkness, the earth and sky seemed to be one, and the only thing one could make out was a few prominent silhouettes. Just when everyone believed that Wang Chong had made a mistake, all of them heard a familiar voice.
“Heh, Young Marquis, since you’ve come, why are you in such a hurry to leave?”
A faint chuckle drifted out of the darkness, not from behind Duwu Sili, but from behind the five thousand Wushang Cavalry. As this voice echoed in the air, an elegant and scholarly figure emerged from an area several thousand zhang behind the Wushang Cavalry. He was flanked by a stalwart figure with a saber slung at his waist, appearing like a guardian god.
From another direction emerged yet another Tibetan general, a storm of energy rising from his body. The two groups of Tibetans stood to the left and right, pincering the Wushang Cavalry between them. If one added in Duwu Sili’s Turks, the three parties had completely surrounded Wang Chong.
Dalun Ruozan! Huoshu Huicang! Dusong Mangpoje!
The sight of those three familiar figures left all the Western Turkic soldiers flabbergasted. Even Duwu Sili couldn’t stop his eyes from twitching.
“Great General, I heard from you that a guest would be coming, so I personally came to take a look. Does Great General mind?”
Dalun Ruozan faintly smiled as he walked forward together with Huoshu Huicang.
“I naturally won’t object to Great Minister’s visit,” Duwu Sili said, his face stiff and awkward.
When he had surveyed the area before, he had not noticed any Great General figures in the vicinity. Now that he thought about it, Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huicang, and Dusong Mangpoje must have used the moment when he was fighting with Wang Chong to sneak up.
At a moment like this, the person Duwu Sili wanted to see the least was undoubtedly Dalun Ruozan.
“Haha, Dalun Ruozan truly admires Great General’s magnanimity.”
With a smile, Dalun Ruozan turned to Wang Chong.
“Dalun Ruozan, you really did come!”
On the other end, Wang Chong, still in the form of the Godking Yama, spoke before Dalun Ruozan could.
“Haha, I waited for Lord Marquis for half a day.”
Dalun Ruozan continued to smile as he walked forward. Rumble!The distant mountains began to shake, and thick smoke began to rise into the sky, obvious even in the darkness. If one peered into the distance, one would see countless cavalry wearing armor of gold and red riding out with astonishing speed from behind the Wushang Cavalry, their heroic figures wrapped in waves of golden-red.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 1005 - The Giant Ape Sweeps Aside All!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C1005 - The Giant Ape Sweeps Aside All!
Chapter 1005: The Giant Ape Sweeps Aside All!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The Mutri Great Cavalry!
Wang Chong’s pupils constricted as he recognized the mighty flood of elite cavalry approaching him. He had not expected Dalun Ruozan to have also brought this supreme force of cavalry with him on this excursion. The Mutri Great Cavalry, the Celestial Wolf Cavalry, and the three Imperial Great Generals presented enough force to deal a destructive blow to Wang Chong and his five thousand Wushang Cavalry.
In truth, Dalun Ruozan was making no attempt to hide his intentions. As he spoke, the encirclement formed from the elite forces of two empires was rapidly closing. At the same time, two heavy and droning streams of energy locked onto Wang Chong.
Wang Chong felt his body sink and gave a tiny grimace. But this was not the end, and with a bang, a third stream of Great General–level energy flew through the air and locked onto Wang Chong.
Duwu Sili had chosen to join the fray.
Although he didn’t want to see Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huicang, Duwu Sili had chosen without hesitation to work with them. As an Imperial Great General, he would prioritize the overarching situation. The strategic objective would always surpass individual wants and grudges.
“Brat, you can blame no one else. I said before, you are too proud!” Duwu Sili growled.
He had originally planned to make a private deal with Wang Chong, but Dalun Ruozan had completely ruined his plans. Rather than let the other party leave, it was far better to finish him off once and for all. If he could capture Wang Chong alive, that would be the best result. At the very least, it would be far more useful to interrogate him than Chen Bin.
The situation was instantly reversed, and the five thousand Wushang Cavalry were now in an unprecedented crisis. As Li Siye, Huang Botian, and Kong Zi-an saw the soldiers and three Great Generals close around them, all of them began to pale.
All of them could smell the odor of death like never before.
“Hahaha…”
Just when Dalun Ruozan’s trap was complete and the two armies had surrounded the Wushang Cavalry and were preparing to attack, Wang Chong began to laugh, no tension to be seen on his face. This unusual attitude left everyone dazed. Even Dalun Ruozan couldn’t help but stop.
“Dalun Ruozan, do you really think you can keep me?”
Wang Chong’s voice was extremely confident, and as his gaze whisked past Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huicang, and Dusong Mangpoje, a tide of energy surged out from his body. There was no fear on his face, and he appeared to believe that everything had been taken care of.
The sight of Wang Chong’s expression made Dalun Ruozan’s heart thump in shock. This was not his first clash with Wang Chong, and no one understood more than him just how crafty and hard to deal with he was. His every step was only carried out after long and careful thought. Even though he seemed sloppy and reckless, he was laying traps with every move, and when one was at their most arrogant was precisely when one would fail.
Dalun Ruozan had learned this harsh lesson in the war of the southwest. Almost instinctively, Dalun Ruozan looked behind him. But the darkness was quiet and empty.
“Heheh, Wang Chong, I know that you’re as crafty as a fox, but I would really like to see how you plan to escape this. Three Great Generals and countless elite cavalrymen are here. If you can escape this, I can really call you the War God of the Great Tang. Even Gao Xianzhi will have to admit his inferiority.”
Dalun Ruozan grinned.
Without the slightest warning, Dalun Ruozan shot a glance at Huoshu Huicang. Speed was paramount in warfare, and a long delay could allow more problems to occur. No matter what tricks Wang Chong had up his sleeve, they were currently too far away to be of any help. If they could kill Wang Chong as quickly as possible, everything would come to an end.
A Great Tang without Wang Chong might still be powerful, but in Dalun Ruozan’s eyes, it was no longer worth that much apprehension.
Wang Chong, I’m sorry. Even though I wanted to have a contest of strategy with you, in the end, both schemes and martial arts are for the sake of victory. I trust that if it were me in this situation… you would do the same, Dalun Ruozan said silently as he looked at the enormous Godking Yama.
Dalun Ruozan might have been full of regret, but Huoshu Huicang had no such distractions. Soldiers had a duty to follow orders, and he was never one to doubt Dalun Ruozan’s commands. In a flash, he had pulled out his dazzling golden-red saber and leaped into the air, flying like a shooting star toward the Godking Yama.
At the same time, a golden light began to explode from Huoshu Huicang, and then this Great General of the Ngari Royal Lineage began to rapidly grow in size. In the blink of an eye, he had become an enormous golden Buddha. The powerful energy raging around it battered at everyone’s senses.
Bang!
Before Huoshu Huicang could arrive, a massive golden vajra pestle impacted against the dazzling saber energy Huoshu Huicang had unleashed. The world was illuminated in golden radiance. Upon reaching the Brigadier General level, all of Wang Chong’s Stellar Energy had become golden, and this clash of Stellar Energy threatened to tear apart the darkness.
Huoshu Huicang’s attack acted as the opening curtain for this lethal trap targeting Wang Chong, the rising star of the Great Tang.
Boom!
Without any warning, Dusong Mangpoje pulled out his saber, his eyes flashing with cold light as he rose from the earth and shot like a blazing comet toward Wang Chong.
At the same time, Duwu Sili also moved. He had not obtained the secret of formation phenomena yet and had no desire to kill Wang Chong so quickly, but despite all that, he still made the wise decision. Working together with Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje, he attacked Wang Chong.
The air howled with a sonic boom as Duwu Sili used the Celestial Wolf’s Divine Procession to shoot toward Wang Chong like an arrow.
In this moment, three Great Generals attacked together, causing the world to tremble in terror at the dreadful power they unleashed.
“Milord!”
“Lord Marquis!”
On the ground, Li Siye, Kong Zi-an, and the others all cried out in panic, their faces deathly pale.
Shamask and Chekun Benba revealed faint smiles.
However…
Boom!
As Dusong Mangpoje flew through the air at Wang Chong, he suddenly heard the earth explode open. An enormous black ape arm rose from the earth, and its palm swatted away Dusong Mangpoje like it was swatting a fly.
Rooooar! The giant ape’s bellows caused the earth to shiver. Under countless shocked eyes, this enormous being rose from the earth to fully reveal itself.
“Waaaaa!” The abrupt appearance of this enormous creature made all the Mutri Great Cavalry recoil in shock and begin fleeing.
On the other side, the thousands of Turkic cavalry, including the Celestial Wolf Cavalry, also began to scream as they fell back.
Duwu Sili’s eyes went wide like he had seen a ghost, and he began to rapidly back up.
“The Consecrated!”
Duwu Sili felt like he had been struck by lightning, his mind in turmoil and even somewhat at a loss. He had never expected the giant ape to appear before him like this. The ape’s offensive and defensive capabilities were far superior to those of any Imperial Great General. It was simply not something he could deal with.
This Behemoth was enough to change the course of an entire battle.
Most incomprehensible to Duwu Sili was that he had been very careful to ensure that Wang Chong had not brought this giant ape with him. And there was no way Wang Chong would be able to fool him, not unless…
“Damn it!”
As if understanding something, Duwu Sili clenched his fists in anger. But despite his anger and unwillingness, Duwu Sili had no other choice than to temporarily evade the Behemoth.
Without the assistance of Dusong Mangpoje, he and Huoshu Huicang would find it nearly impossible to swiftly kill Wang Chong. If the Behemoth were to join the fight, not only would the Western Turkic army suffer heavy casualties, both he and Huoshu Huicang would find it hard to protect themselves and were highly likely to die.
Boom! In the distance, the giant ape stomped down. “Ah!” Screams came out of a churning cloud of dust as several dozen Mutri Great Cavalry were crushed into paste, even their armor being crunched into round metal disks.
Duwu Sili grew even more anxious at this sight and immediately called out, “Back! Retreat! All soldiers, withdraw!”
“Hahaha, Duwu Sili, why are you in such a rush? Didn’t you want to attack us just now? Why leave now?” Wang Chong chortled.
Boom! As Wang Chong spoke, the giant ape punched, immediately sending shockwaves through the earth. Several dozen Mutri Great Cavalry were immediately pulverized by the giant ape’s fist while even more were thrown into the air by the intense vibrations.
Plush! While still in midair, the chests of these Mutri Great Cavalry shook and they vomited blood, severe injuries having been inflicted on their bodies.
Although the Mutri Great Cavalry had formidable defenses, they were far from a match for the Consecrated, which could injure even Great Generals.
Roooar!
The giant ape roared as its massive body fell upon the Mutri Great Cavalry like a dreadful war machine. In a flash, they were sent fleeing in every direction.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 1006 - Duwu Sili’s Compromise!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C1006 - Duwu Sili’s Compromise!
Chapter 1006: Duwu Sili’s Compromise!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Retreat! Hurry and retreat!”
Dalun Ruozan’s eyes widened, his expression contorting as it lost all of its former confidence. In a flash, he understood that he had once more fallen into Wang Chong’s trap. Dalun Ruozan had never imagined that it was possible to hide such a large ape, but Wang Chong had buried it in advance some distance from the Turkic camp.
Only after he had finished preparing this had he led out the Wushang Cavalry.
Dalun Ruozan had only been thinking about dealing with Wang Chong, and had forgotten that Wang Chong had other tricks at his disposal.
I was still too careless! As expected, in fighting with him, you can’t leave a single thing up to chance!
Dalun Ruozan clenched his fists, his face suffused with rage.
He had always thought that this operation was too easy, but the thought of killing Wang Chong had dominated his mind. If Wang Chong could be killed, it would have an enormous effect on the Battle of Talas, Ü-Tsang, the Western Turkic Khaganate, and all the other countries bordering the Great Tang.
All of them would have one less huge threat to deal with.
If Wang Chong continued to develop in this manner, in the future, no one would be able to stop him!
But in the end, Wang Chong had exploited his momentary ‘greed’!
“Everyone, retreat!”
Dalun Ruozan’s eyes were filled with panic. The giant ape’s attacks were far too astonishing, and the several thousand Mutri Great Cavalry could do nothing against it. Moreover, this time, even Dalun Ruozan was in its range.
Roooar! An enormous fist suddenly began to fly toward Dalun Ruozan.
“Great Minister!”
Cries of alarm came from all around, and Dalun Ruozan himself paled. He was astonishingly intelligent and also knew a little martial arts, but this was only in his superb and meticulous control over Stellar Energy. His true cultivation level wasn’t very high at all, at least not up to Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje’s level.
“Beast, halt!”
With a furious roar, a curved saber flew through the air to smash into the ape’s fist with a thunderous impact. The earth-shattering power of this saber managed to push the giant ape’s steely fist several zhang off course. This was the scimitar thrown by the distant Dusong Mangpoje, who had an extremely nervous expression.
But Dusong Mangpoje had still underestimated the power of the giant ape in Wang Chong’s hands. Rumble! As the right hand was jolted off course, the giant ape raised its left arm and punched at Dalun Ruozan with an equally astonishing power.
Buzz!
The earth quaked and dust churned several dozen zhang into the air. The ground sank where the fist landed, forming countless cracks and fissures around the impact site.
“What a pity!”
In the distance, Wang Chong couldn’t help but sigh from within the Godking Yama as he watched the ape punch down. Duwu Sili, Huoshu Huicang, and Dusong Mangpoje truly were powerful Great Generals, but the greatest threat was Dalun Ruozan. He was the brains of the three Great Generals, applying their strength where it could be most effective.
Dalun Ruozan had been scheming against him in this operation, but Wang Chong had also been scheming against Dalun Ruozan.
“Great Minister, are you okay?”
In the distance, Huoshu Huicang loosened his grip and scattered the dust on his body with a burst of Stellar Energy. As he looked at Dalun Ruozan in front of him, he showed an expression of deep concern and anxiety. At that moment, Huoshu Huicang had sensed that Dalun Ruozan was in danger and immediately acted to rescue him from under the ape’s hand.
Huoshu Huicang had managed the Ngari Royal Lineage together with Dalun Ruozan for more than twenty years now. The two had shared life and death together, confronting innumerable challenges, and had developed an extremely deep friendship.
From a certain perspective, their relationship had transcended that of superior and subordinate and become one of best friends until the very end.
“I’m fine!”
Dalun Ruozan shook his head, his eyes looking past Huoshu Huicang to rest on the distant Wang Chong. In that moment, countless thoughts flitted through his eyes. Dalun Ruozan was not someone who did not care about his own safety. It was just that he knew that he was safe the moment Huoshu Huicang had appeared.
What he was more concerned about at this moment was still Wang Chong.
Although the giant ape was invincible, Wang Chong was not. If Huoshu Huicang, Dusong Mangpoje, and Duwu Sili could combine their strengths, they could still kill Wang Chong!
But this thought remained in Dalun Ruozan’s mind for only a few seconds before a voice extinguished any hopes of it being realized.
“Hahaha, Dusong Mangpoje, Duwu Sili, Huoshu Huicang… I can’t believe that as Great Generals, the three of you would team up on a single youth. Do none of you have any shame? Come! I, Gao Xianzhi, will accompany you!”
A loud voice rose from the distance. At the start, it appeared to be several hundred li away, but in the blink of an eye, its source appeared in everyone’s perception. As everyone turned their heads, they saw that the owner of that voice was now several thousand zhang away, arriving with the power of a destructive storm.
They could all see several figures approaching at incredible speeds under the faint starlight. The leader had a slender figure and elegant demeanor, as well as an aura that was like an unsheathed sword. Anyone who saw this man would feel insignificant and compelled to pay respect.
Gao Xianzhi!
At this sight of this figure, Dusong Mangpoje, Huoshu Huicang, and Duwu Sili all grimaced. Wang Chong and the giant ape were already hard enough to deal with. With the appearance of Western Regions War God Gao Xianzhi, this situation was getting worse and worse.
“Too powerful! He was clearly severely wounded by Abu Muslim! How did he recover so quickly!?”
Duwu Sili’s face was twitching in shock.
Even Dalun Ruozan appeared apprehensive.
Judging by the speed and aura of Gao Xianzhi, he had mostly recovered from his injuries. The Anxi War God was even more powerful than Wang Chong, and if Gao Xianzhi had appeared, the other elite commanders of the Great Tang were not far behind. If they did not retreat now, they might truly be forced into a fight.
“Run!”
Dalun Ruozan dispelled any thought of dealing with Wang Chong tonight. All the Mutri Great Cavalry began to rapidly withdraw. Just a moment later, a massive vajra pestle flew through the air and crashed down in front of the Mutri Great Cavalry, the enormous construct of Stellar Energy thrusting into the earth.
Rooooar! At almost the same time, the giant ape leaped forward with a savage expression. Boom! It landed in front of the Mutri Great Cavalry, blocking their retreat. Crash! An enormous fist crashed down, pulverizing the ten-some Mutri Great Cavalry at the very front and sundering the earth.
The giant ape proceeded to immediately unleash a barrage of attacks against the Mutri Great Cavalry.
Even if there was no chance of stopping Great Generals like Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje, the giant ape was more than enough to deal with the Mutri Great Cavalry. Even if the Mutri Great Cavalry could flee, they would only do so after paying a heavy price.
“Ah!”
The horsemen of the famed Mutri Great Cavalry screamed as they were thrown into the air by the giant ape’s attacks like blades of grass.
In just a few short moments, two to three hundred of the precious Mutri Great Cavalry had been killed.
“Kill!”
This was not the only danger the Mutri Great Cavalry were facing. At almost the same time, Li Siye pulled out his sword, instinctively sensing an opportunity, and rapidly gathered his troops for a charge on the Mutri Great Cavalry.
“Halt!”
A thunderous roar suddenly rumbled through the night sky.
“Brat, do you still want the life of that Chen Bin? If you don’t stop now, I’ll kill him first, and then we can have our battle!”
Duwu Sili floated in the air, both shocked and enraged. The giant ape had appeared too abruptly, and now even Gao Xianzhi had appeared. The outcome of the battle was still up in the air, but if he did not stop Wang Chong and the giant ape, his own forces would suffer terrible casualties.
Buzz!
In a flash, the battlefield fell silent. The savage killing machine that was the giant ape suddenly stopped its attacks on the Turks and Tibetans, its scarlet eyes turning to the distant Duwu Sili.
“Duwu Sili, so… you propose a transaction?” Wang Chong indifferently said.
The battle fell eerily silent as Li Siye, Kong Zi-an, and all the other soldiers turned to look toward the two commanders.
Even Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huicang, and Dusong Mangpoje turned to look. If Wang Chong was so well-prepared, then this was a poor time for a battle. But now, the only people who could stop it were Duwu Sili and his hostage Chen Bin.
“I said nothing of the sort!”
Duwu Sili’s eyes narrowed as he quickly regained his composure. In front of so many people, he would never admit to such a thing.
Wang Chong only smiled and gave Duwu Sili a profound glance.
“Wang Chong, this is an extremely rare opportunity. No one knows when the giant ape will die. While it’s still useful, this is the best chance to use it to finish off the Western Turks and Tibetans.” A soft voice suddenly spoke into his ear as Cheng Qianli and Gao Xianzhi arrived at his side. The Mutri Great Cavalry saw this pair and began to back away with fear in their eyes.
The reputation of a man was like the shadow of a tree. No one did not know the name of the Anxi Protectorate army’s commander, and even the Mutri Great Cavalry somewhat feared him.
“There’s no hurry! The giant ape has already killed some Mutri Great Cavalry, and they’re a bit more prepared now, making wiping them out nearly impossible. The only ones who can move at this time are Duwu Sili and his Turkic cavalry, but the giant ape isn’t even needed to deal with these ordinary Turkic soldiers. When we go to save Chen Bin, we can wipe them out all the same,” Wang Chong confidently said.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 1007 - Transaction! (I)
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C1007 - Transaction! (I)
Chapter 1007: Transaction! (I)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by Michyrr
Now was truly an excellent chance to further reduce the fighting power of the Western Turks and Tibetans. However, the giant ape could only kill for two or three days before dying, whereas Chen Bin’s influence on the army was much more long-term. Under his command, the ballista army would be able to kill far more enemies than the giant ape.
“This… is fine!”
Cheng Qianli hesitated for a moment before giving a nod.
“Duwu Sili, we’ll do as you wish. I can withdraw my troops now, but remember, the third quarter of the Noon Period is the last time we can make our transaction. Bring Chen Bin to me unharmed, and you still have one last chance to get the secret of formation phenomena from me. But if there is no transaction at the third quarter of the Noon Period, I will not agree to any transaction regarding formation phenomena. In addition, if Chen Bin is not returned to my camp by that time, we will have our vengeance. Duwu Sili, you will pay a hundred times the price! Let’s go!”
With a cold snort, Wang Chong turned his head and led his army away. This time, no one stopped him, not Duwu Sili nor Dalun Ruozan and company. All the Mutri Great Cavalry had scattered, naturally yielding them the path.
In the end, all of them remained still until Wang Chong’s army had disappeared into the darkness.
“Great General!”
Once Wang Chong was gone, Dalun Ruozan turned with a faint smile to Duwu Sili.
This simple smile made Duwu Sili’s heart jump with ill foreboding.
In truth, the people from whom he most wanted to conceal the fact that he had taken Chen Bin hostage were Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huicang. Otherwise, he would have never acted out such a play to conceal his motives. But the plans of men were no match for the plans of heaven, and one could not count on any luck or fortune when dealing with someone like Dalun Ruozan. Not only had Dalun Ruozan exposed his plan, he had forced Duwu Sili into an extremely passive position.
“Great Minister!” Duwu Sili called out as he stepped forward with a bold face.
“Hahah, I just so happened to hear that Qixi Protector-General mention something about formation phenomena. If Great General had a lead on such a wonderful thing, Great General should have informed us ahead of time. Perhaps Huoshu and I could have assisted in Great General’s scheme and the formation phenomena would have already been ours.”
Dalun Ruozan gestured at Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje, and the two Great Generals as well as the Mutri Great Cavalry merged together and rode up to Duwu Sili.
Duwu Sili instantly paled at Dalun Ruozan’s words. Dalun Ruozan had spoken in a roundabout fashion, but his meaning was obvious: he also wanted a share of the secret of formation phenomena.
This was exactly what Duwu Sili had hoped to avoid. Although the Western Turks and Tibetans lived on very different altitudes, they were both steppe countries that lived a primarily nomadic lifestyle. Both empires also emphasized cavalry. If Duwu Sili could get his hands on the secret of formation phenomena, he could overturn the Western Turkic Khaganate and reforge it into an even stronger Turkic Khaganate. Thus, there was no doubt that Dalun Ruozan could do the same with Ü-Tsang.
“Great Minister truly has excellent eyes. As expected, nothing can be hidden from Great Minister! Even if Great Minister did not bring up this matter, I was prepared in a little while to tell Great Minister myself. Alas… that boy is just too crafty!”
Although he was extremely reluctant, Duwu Sili could only force himself to say these words.
Although Dalun Ruozan was insignificant as a martial artist, he was a master of scheming that even Duwu Sili would find hard to deceive. Now that Dalun Ruozan had discovered what was going and forced Duwu Sili into a passive position, it was better to just confess.
“What Great General says is true. After all, this is the Tang Emperor’s personal disciple. He truly is difficult to deal with!”
Dalun Ruozan faintly smiled, exuding a superior bearing.
Dalun Ruozan didn’t believe a single word out of Duwu Sili’s mouth, but both of them had decided wisely to overlook this point. As long as Duwu Sili was willing to share, Dalun Ruozan didn’t really care about the trivialities.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Duwu Sili, Dalun Ruozan left with his men.
Once Dalun Ruozan had left, Chekun Benba finally blurted out in anger, “Milord, Dalun Ruozan says that Wang Chong is crafty, but he’s probably the craftiest of them all. We were the ones to plant the trees, but he’s done nothing and is now plucking the fruit. This is too despicable!”
“That’s right. These Tibetans are truly too much! Do they really think they own us?” Shamask agreed, his face similarly contorted in rage.
But Shamask had barely finished speaking when a hefty slap sent him staggering. Shamask covered his cheek, dumbstruck.
“Bastard thing!”
Duwu Sili’s expression as he looked at Shamask was ice-cold.
“If you hadn’t put on such a disappointing performance and lost to a Tang at only the Imperial Martial realm, putting on a farce for the Tibetans to see, they wouldn’t be acting so arrogantly!”
Shamask turned red in shame. His mouth opened and closed, but he could not find a single word to defend himself.
Duwu Sili ignored Shamask. With a flick of his sleeve, he rode back to his camp.
……
Ten-some li from the Western Turkic camp, Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huicang were leading the Mutri Great Cavalry back to their own camp.
“Duwu Sili appeared to be very unwilling!” Huoshu Huicang suddenly said.
“It would be far stranger if he were willing. In this transaction for the formation phenomena, we were the ones he was guarding against,” Dalun Ruozan replied with a light smile.
“But now, whether he wants it or not, it’s no longer his decision,” Dusong Mangpoje commented.
Dalun Ruozan’s schemes were always closely linked together. If tonight’s plan had been a success, Wang Chong would be dead, but if the plan failed, he could exploit the situation against Duwu Sili, and even though Duwu Sili would be extremely unwilling, he would be compelled to agree.
Dusong Mangpoje had to express his admiration.
“But the matter of formation phenomena is no minor affair, and our two empires are too similar. A mountain can’t hold two tigers. Will someone of Duwu Sili’s style really be willing to give the secret to us?” Dusong Mangpoje suddenly asked.
The army fell quiet, and Dalun Ruozan suddenly stopped. Everyone immediately took notice of this, and Huoshu Huicang, Dusong Mangpoje, and all the Mutri Great Cavalry stopped as well, their eyes focusing on Dalun Ruozan.
“Heheh, willing or not, won’t we know when the time comes?”
With a soft chuckle, Dalun Ruozan urged his horse into a gallop. Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje glanced at each other before following.
……
In the Noon Period, the sunlight scorched the earth. An enormous dragon banner fluttered on the eastern side of Talas, upon the high hills. Wang Chong stood under the dragon banner with Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, the other Tang generals, and the Wushang Cavalry, silently looking to the east.
“Lord Marquis, will Duwu Sili come?” Xue Qianjun suddenly said, shattering the silence.
He looked up to the sky, worry slowly creeping into his eyes. In the sky, the sun was slowly reaching the third quarter of the Noon Period. This was the last possible time for the transaction Wang Chong had proposed, but there was still no sign of Duwu Sili or Chen Bin.
“Relax. He will come!” Wang Chong nonchalantly said.
The calm tone soothed Xue Qianjun and the other officers, lessening their worries.
This conclusion did not arise from blind faith, nor out of trust in Duwu Sili, but from careful analysis. After fighting for so long with Chen Bin, Wang Chong well understood that Chen Bin would rather die than divulge any secrets. Duwu Sili was too greedy, so once he failed to get what he wanted from Chen Bin, he would have probably proposed a deal on his own.
“Look at that!”
Someone suddenly pointed into the distance. The ground began to tremble, and dust began to rise from the horizon. A vast army suddenly surged out from the horizon like a mighty flood.
“It’s the Western Turks!”
“No, there’s also the Tibetans!”
The Tang soldiers began to buzz with chatter. Two banners could be seen flapping in the wind. One was that of a golden wolf on blue, and the other was a white yak on black.
The mood instantly turned grim. The several days of fighting had made the Tang very familiar with the tactics of the Tibetans and Turks.
The Mutri Great Cavalry were in the middle of the vast army, riding in orderly ranks, their armor shining in the sun. At a distance of around two thousand zhang from Wang Chong’s group, Duwu Sili’s and Dalun Ruozan’s forces stopped. Their gazes swept over Wang Chong’s group and then over the hills, quickly falling upon the giant ape.
“What? Why isn’t this beast dead yet!”
Duwu Sili’s face was a mixture of vexation and fear.
The Arabs had used four Behemoths in the previous battle, and three of them were now dead, leaving only this giant ape, but for some reason, it continued to struggle on. In terms of pure strength, no one on this battlefield was a match for this ape, not even Duwu Sili. For this reason, Duwu Sili did not dare lead his army too close. Moreover, he had them ready to retreat at any moment to avoid being ambushed by this beast.
“Great General, let’s go!”
Dalun Ruozan smirked as he spoke.
Duwu Sili hesitated for a moment, but he overcame his reluctance to give a nod.
“Hyah!”
Duwu Sili patted the back of his horse and broke away from the rest of his army. Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huicang, and the others followed closely behind him.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 1008 - Transaction! (II)
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C1008 - Transaction! (II)
Chapter 1008: Transaction! (II)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Lord Marquis, they’ve brought Chen Bin!” Li Siye suddenly announced. From his vantage point on the hills, he had seen Chen Bin on the back of Duwu Sili’s horse, recognizing him instantly even though Chen Bin was tied up and blindfolded.
After a few moments of silence, Gao Xianzhi said, “He seems to be okay. Although he has some flesh wounds, he overall doesn’t have many problems.”
From the moment Duwu Sili had appeared, Gao Xianzhi had been observing Chen Bin. With his level of cultivation, he could see at a glance whether Chen Bin was heavily injured.
“Mm!”
Wang Chong nodded and then urged his horse forward.
“Let’s go. We should complete the exchange for Chen Bin!”
Under the blazing sun, Wang Chong and Duwu Sili met in the center of the two forces, one thousand zhang from each side. At this moment, the atmosphere was grim, everyone watching Wang Chong and Duwu Sili with bated breath.
“Boy, I’ve brought the hostage. Where is the secret of the formation phenomena that I want?” Duwu Sili coldly said as he stared at Wang Chong ten paces away. Although he appeared normal on the surface, he could not hide all of his vexation and anger.
Ever since he had taken Chen Bin hostage, Duwu Sili had used every method at his disposal in the hopes of getting the secret of formation phenomena from Chen Bin. But despite his efforts, Chen Bin had not said half a word. In the end, all he had heard from Chen Bin was jeers and ridicule.
Given Duwu Sili’s temper, he wanted nothing more than to put Chen Bin to death by a thousand cuts to vent his rage, but Wang Chong’s parting words had left him apprehensive, so much so that after interrogation, he had expended a great deal of energy to treat Chen Bin’s wounds.
Duwu Sili had already spent more than twenty years pursuing the secret of formation phenomena. This secret was far too important to him. He could not permit a single mishap.
“Lord Marquis! Don’t give the formation phenomena to him! This subordinate’s life is not important, but no matter what, he cannot be allowed to succeed,” Chen Bin suddenly pleaded.
He was blindfolded and unable to see what was going on, but he had been carefully listening all this time. Chen Bin had endured for so many days and suffered so many tortures to prevent Duwu Sili from achieving his goal, but if Wang Chong agreed to a deal with Duwu Sili, all his efforts would be for naught.
“Silence!”
With a jab of his finger, Duwu Sili sent out a stream of Stellar Energy that sealed off Chen Bin’s four limbs and his voice.
“Wang Chong, I’ve brought the hostage. You’re not suddenly going to say that your words don’t count, are you?”
Duwu Sili already wanted to kill Chen Bin. What he feared the most was that Wang Chong would change his made and cancel the transaction.
“Duwu Sili, my words are naturally valid, but you should also remember what I said last night. Completely! Unharmed!” Wang Chong coldly said.
“Brat, don’t try to act clever after already getting a deal! When I captured your subordinate in the middle of battle, he was already on death’s door, struggling for his last breath. This had nothing to do with me, but with your battle with the Skyquaking Giants. I wasted a great deal of energy to treat your subordinate. This should at least be worth a ‘thank you’!” Duwu Sili said.
Wang Chong’s brow rose as his gaze flitted over Chen Bin. The Skyquaking Army had been fired into the Tang army by catapult, and the giant ballistae guarded by Chen Bin and Xu Keyi were the primary objective of the Skyquaking Giants. Wang Chong was well aware of this.
Wang Chong needed only a glance to see that Duwu Sili was not lying, and his expression relaxed.
“Very good! Duwu Sili, my words have always been trustworthy. The secret to formation phenomena is here. Hand over my subordinate!”
Wang Chong faintly smiled as he reached into his bosom, gripped a thin sheet of white paper between two fingers, and held it high into the air.
The mood suddenly changed. Duwu Sili stared at the folded sheet of paper, his eyes ablaze. Even the nearby Dalun Ruozan behind him tilted his head slightly upward, regarding the paper with a serious expression.
Dalun Ruozan had managed to maintain an attitude of indifference all this time, but for Ü-Tsang, obtaining the true secret of formation phenomena was a temptation nigh impossible to resist.
Time seemed to slow down for a moment, even breathing becoming rough and heavy. The ordinary sheet of paper between Wang Chong’s fingers had instantly become the indisputable center of attention.
Though Chen Bin had been muted and his body restricted, he could still hear very well. He could not say anything to Wang Chong’s words, but his body began to visibly shake.
Wang Chong flourished the paper and warned, “Duwu Sili, this opportunity only comes once. Have you still not finished thinking it over?”
Everyone came back to their senses as if waking from a dream.
Formation phenomena!
These were what Duwu Sili had pursued his entire life, and now, they were only a few steps away! Duwu Sili found it nearly impossible to remain calm, and as he looked at the paper, his eyes glimmered with desire. Without hesitation, Duwu Sili almost unconsciously reached for Chen Bin.
“Wait!”
Just when he was about to hand over Chen Bin, Duwu Sili stopped and regained his composure.
“Boy, how do I know that what you give me is real?”
The air seemed to freeze, the frenzied desire dying away, replaced by cold and calm eyes.
Correct! Wang Chong alone fully understood the secret to formation phenomena! No one could know if what he provided was real or fake. No one would be able to tell if Wang Chong was fooling them with fake information!
Duwu Sili was no fool. He could not ignore this possibility.
“Heheh…”
Wang Chong faintly smiled. Under the covetous gazes of the crowd, he slowly put away the paper, his expression confident and assured, as if he had already predicted this situation. Duwu Sili was a suspicious person. An Imperial Great General of this level was not that easy to trick.
“I knew that Great General would not so easily trust me.”
With a flick of his wrist, Wang Chong threw out another sheet of paper. Bolstered by Stellar Energy, this thin sheet of paper was no different from steel.
Phweee! With a shrill whistle, the paper turned into a white ray of light that shot straight at Duwu Sili’s face.
Perplexed, Duwu Sili extended his fingers and almost unconsciously took this paper.
“What is this?” Duwu Sili said in confusion. Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huicang also turned to look.
No one knew what exactly Wang Chong had written on these two sheets of paper.
“This paper records a part of the secret to formation phenomena. Duwu Sili, you have seven thousand Celestial Wolf Cavalry under your command. Pick sixty and have them practice according to the method on the paper. You’ll know very quickly if it’s real or fake.”
These words were a great surprise to everyone. Even Duwu Sili had not expected this kind of move.
Dusong Mangpoje frowned and whispered, “Great Minister, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know. Just keep watching,” Dalun Ruozan said, his brow creased. This matter was developing somewhat differently from what he had predicted. Even he found it somewhat difficult to understand Wang Chong’s current actions.
In front, Duwu Sili did not appear nearly as troubled. After giving Wang Chong a profound glance, he waved a hand behind him. Sixty Celestial Wolf Cavalry quickly galloped up from the rear, fully armored and brimming with energy.
“Practice according to what’s written on here.”
Duwu Sili only glanced at the paper before passing it to a Celestial Wolf Cavalry officer.
“Yes, Milord!”
The sixty Celestial Wolf Cavalry quickly got to work, taking up formation and practicing according to the method written out on the paper.
All was quiet as everyone watched the sixty Celestial Wolf Cavalry. Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huicang, Duwu Sili… everyone was focused on them. Wang Chong alone silently watched with a smile.
As one of the world’s supreme forces of cavalry, the Celestial Wolf Cavalry were some of the best in the world in terms of strength, experience, and comprehension. They were capable of putting into practice Wang Chong’s formation phenomena in the shortest possible time and with the greatest efficiency.
Minute by minute, second by second, went by, and the sixty Celestial Wolf Cavalry quickly finished their practice. Each one of them was now subtly different.
The Celestial Wolf Cavalry officer rode over to Duwu Sili and respectfully said, “Milord, we’re ready!”
Duwu Sili quickly scanned his men, and a look of shock flitted through his eyes. He had initially paid little attention to the paper that Wang Chong had sent over, but upon seeing the changes in his sixty Celestial Wolf Cavalry, he was forced to alter his view. The contents of the paper now seemed much more likely to be true.
He could clearly sense that the aura of his men had become much steadier and more composed after practicing the method laid out on the paper.
Not even someone with Duwu Sili’s insight and experience had seen a technique elicit such a major change in the Celestial Wolf Cavalry in such a short time.
“Begin!” Duwu Sili ordered with a wave of his hand. Unwittingly, he had begun to feel a tinge of anticipation.
Boom!
The sixty Celestial Wolf Cavalry took formation and began to gallop into the distance. After traveling one hundred meters, the Celestial Wolf Cavalry officer gave a shout. Suddenly, the formidable power of the world pierced through the void and fused the energies of the sixty Celestial Wolf Cavalry into one. Clang! The sixty Celestial Wolf Cavalry took out their weapons and pointed them to the sky.
Rumble! To everyone’s shock and awe, they could hear the rumbling of thunder in the sky. Thirty meters above the Celestial Wolf Cavalry, black wisps of clouds began to gather.
In a flash, this phenomenon disappeared, but everyone present, whether it was Duwu Sili or Dalun Ruozan, appeared stunned.
Formation phenomena!
Although it was just the crudest version and had only lasted for a brief moment, it was truly the highest state of power a formation could achieve. No one had expected that Wang Chong could have the power of formation phenomena manifest with only sixty Celestial Wolf Cavalry.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 1009 - Each With Their Own Plans!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C1009 - Each With Their Own Plans!
Chapter 1009: Each With Their Own Plans!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Shock!
Everyone was speechless at this sight, and the solemn atmosphere turned strange. Even Dalun Ruozan had a different look in his eyes.
“Duwu Sili, how was it?”
Wang Chong drew back his gaze and grinned at Duwu Sili.
Duwu Sili deeply gazed at Wang Chong, and then he suddenly laughed.
“Boy, you truly are a lucky one. There’s actually someone willing to exchange formation phenomena for your life!”
With his right hand, Duwu Sili tore apart the black cloth blindfolding Chen Bin. At the same time, his other hand unsealed Chen Bin’s limbs and voice.
“Lord Marquis! No! You can’t give the formation phenomena to him!”
The moment he opened his eyes, Chen Bin began to shout and yell, his voice both anxious and angry. The matter of formation phenomena was extremely important, and he had remained steadfast against endless pain and torture to prevent the secret from falling into Duwu Sili’s hands.
But if Wang Chong gave the secret of formation phenomena to Duwu Sili, all his efforts would have been in vain.
“Duwu Sili, I’ll never let you succeed!”
Seeing that the transaction was about to be completed, Chen Bin became resolved, his eyes flashing with determination as he fiercely bit down on his tongue. But before he could bite down and end it all, a steely palm firmly grasped his lower jaw.
“You want to commit suicide in front of me?!”
Duwu Sili coldly chortled as he spoke into Chen Bin’s ear, and Chen Bin felt his heart sink like a stone.
Duwu Sili turned his head to Wang Chong. “Wang Chong! You have guts! As long as you give me the true formation phenomena, I will return your subordinate. What do you think?”
“Okay!”
Wang Chong faintly smiled, his bearing not one bit inferior to the Celestial Wolf Great General Duwu Sili.
“I will give the first half of the secret to formation phenomena to you. Once you release my subordinate, I will give you the other half!”
Wang Chong immediately removed the previous sheet of paper and flicked it at Duwu Sili.
Duwu Sili stretched out his hand and took it. This time, however, Duwu Sili unfolded the paper and carefully read it over. After a while, Duwu Sili took the first sheet of paper from the Celestial Wolf Cavalry officer and began to carefully compare them.
During this process, everyone remained silent in anticipation of his answer.
Incredible! I had always believed that the secret to formation phenomena was lost! To think that I would find the highest secret of formations in a place like Talas!
Duwu Sili’s mind was raging as he gripped the two papers.
As one of the three most powerful Great Generals of the Western Turkic Khaganate, Duwu Sili possessed an insight and breadth of experience that no normal person could compare to. Things like gold, jade, or beautiful women would find it very difficult to move his heart. Even the finest weapons would do little to stimulate his desires.
But these two sheets of paper that probably weren’t worth more than two taels of silver made his heart thump madly in his chest.
Formation phenomena! Duwu Sili had sought out this secret for more than half his life, but now, he held the secret in his hands, and only the last part was missing.
With his experience and knowledge, he could tell at a glance that Wang Chong had given him the real thing.
In those words, he could sense the profundity of the Great Dao and the principles of the world. It was impossible for Wang Chong to have fabricated this in such a short amount of time. No! No one could fabricate such words! The level of understanding and theory in these words had clearly surpassed Duwu Sili’s Celestial Wolf Illusory Formation and could make any formation on the continent appear dim and lightless in comparison.
Most importantly, all the words flowed smoothly together, each concept linking cleanly to the next with no flaw or error.
If techniques like this could be fabricated in a single night, Duwu Sili would still have to throw himself to the ground in admiration. Even if it was fake, he would still admit defeat. This would only mean that he, Duwu Sili, was too blind and that he had deserved to be deceived!
Or perhaps, three or four months ago, Wang Chong had predicted that he would come to Talas, knew that he would crave the secret of formation phenomena, and then used a great deal of time and painstaking effort to create this fake secret of formation phenomena to deal with him.
But that was just a little too absurd!
“Boy, I can give you the hostage.”
Duwu Sili raised his head, smiling as he put away the two sheets of paper.
“But how do I know that the second half is real and you haven’t pulled any tricks? If it was fake, wouldn’t all my efforts be for naught?”
At this moment, Anxi Vice Protector-General Cheng Qianli finally butted in, no longer able to endure this conversation. “Duwu Sili, you’re a little paranoid. We already gave you the first half, and you’ve seen the power of the formation phenomena for yourself, but you still haven’t handed over the hostage. How do we know you will release him? If we give you everything but you don’t hand over the hostage, won’t we be the ones suffering an even greater loss?”
The Great Tang’s side had already displayed enough sincerity, but Duwu Sili seemed to want even more, getting an inch and demanding a foot.
“Haha, Duwu Sili, if you haven’t seen it, you naturally won’t know!”
Wang Chong finally spoke, his expression relaxed as if having long known that Duwu Sili would ask this question.
“The second half might be fake or it might be real. Duwu Sili, you have a paranoid personality, and I’m not prepared to persuade you. You can choose to stop the transaction. I don’t get my subordinate and you don’t get the formation phenomena, and we both go away empty-handed. But you can also choose to believe in me and take a risk. In this way, I can get my subordinate and you can get the true formation phenomena. Make your choice!”
Duwu Sili’s expression froze. He had never expected Wang Chong to so frankly admit that the second half could be fake. He was caught off guard and now didn’t know how to choose.
If he had heard these words from Wang Chong earlier, he would have turned around and left, but now that he had seen those two papers regarding the formation phenomena and seen the vast horizon and enormous power within, Duwu Sili found it very difficult to look away.
“Boy, you’re getting too conceited! I’ve already received two parts of the secret to formation phenomena. If you dare say such words to me, are you not afraid that I’ll just kill him now?”
Duwu Sili slowly turned his head to Chen Bin as he spoke, his eyes growing cold. His fingers slowly began to clench, power slowly traveling to the tips. With just a single move, he could shatter all of Chen Bin’s bones and kill him.
“Heh, Duwu Sili, Chen Bin is my subordinate and I value him highly, but to you and the Western Turks, he’s just an insignificant ‘nameless soldier’. To exchange the life of a nameless soldier for the secret of formation phenomena… Duwu Sili, you’re already getting quite the deal. Are you really willing to kill him?”
Wang Chong grinned, his sharp eyes cleaving like swords into the deepest parts of Duwu Sili’s mind.
Dalun Ruozan’s eyes flickered at these words, a flash of curiosity and interest in their depths.
Duwu Sili still did not understand Wang Chong that well!
Debating with him? Even Dalun Ruozan was no match for him, so how could Duwu Sili be?
“Haha, okay!!”
Duwu Sili laughed and made the choice that Dalun Ruozan had expected.
“Boy, I can make a deal with you, but we’ll hand off at the same time. I’ll count down from three, and at ‘one’, I’ll throw your subordinate to you and you’ll throw what I want to me. We’ll act at the same time, and no one is permitted to play any tricks! If I discover that what you’ve given me is fake, I’ll first kill Chen Bin, and then I’ll slaughter all your subordinates!”
“Haha, of course! If I discover that you haven’t let him go or plan to kill him midway, I’ll destroy the paper and make it so that you’ll never get a chance to learn the secrets of formation phenomena. This is the first and last time I’ll make a deal with anyone!”
Wang Chong chuckled and waved his sleeve.
In the end, Duwu Sili had been unable to resist the allure of formation phenomena. But as long as he could save Chen Bin, it was all worth it.
In the end, Wang Chong and Duwu Sili, the commanders of the Great Tang and the Western Turks, reached an agreement. But not only did the atmosphere not relax, the tension was turned up to the maximum.
“Qianli, get ready. If something looks wrong, immediately move to stop Duwu Sili and save Chen Bin!”
Everyone was so focused on Wang Chong and Duwu Sili that little attention was paid to Gao Xianzhi, who had been silently observing the entire situation from behind Wang Chong. At this moment, his lips moved as he used a message transmission technique to whisper into Cheng Qianli’s ear.
Wang Chong and Duwu Sili had genially reached an agreement, but few people noticed that endless killing intent was seething beneath the calm surface. Duwu Sili and Wang Chong had agreed to exchange after counting down from three. In that instant, Wang Chong could only succeed if Duwu Sili was focused on taking the paper recording the method of formation phenomena, convinced that it was the real thing.
But if Duwu Sili thought that he had been tricked or that Wang Chong wasn’t going to give him the real thing, he would definitely turn and kill Chen Bin. If that happened, Chen Bin would be doomed. Moreover, Chen Bin was already right next to Duwu Sili, so even Gao Xianzhi would find it very difficult to save him.
“Understood.”
Cheng Qianli gave an almost imperceptible nod, a grim look on his face.
“Three!”
A weighty and steely voice thundered through the skies. With this voice, the exchange between Wang Chong and Duwu Sili had begun. The atmosphere suddenly became somber and grim. Kaclack! The joints of Duwu Sili’s fingers cracked as he grasped Chen Bin’s neck.
His expression was cold and sinister, completely different from when he was negotiating with Wang Chong.
Kaclack!
Duwu Sili placed his other hand behind him, its joints also crisply cracking. Not far behind him, Shamask and Chekun Benba suddenly tensed up, their expressions turning solemn as their gazes passed over Duwu Sili’s hand.
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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 1010 - Pitched Battle!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C1010 - Pitched Battle!
Chapter 1010: Pitched Battle!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Two!”
As Duwu Sili’s countdown reached ‘two’, the atmosphere grew even more solemn. Nobody moved, but an invisible tension began to spread through the air. Everyone’s eyes turned sharp, all signs of relaxation vanishing. At this moment, Wang Chong suddenly removed the third and last sheet of paper from his bosom.
The snow-white paper was extremely thin. Under the sunlight, one could faintly make out lines upon lines of handwriting.
Duwu Sili blinked for a moment. He seemed to be forced to look over by some invisible attractive force, and many others turned to look with him.
Formation phenomena!
Only by obtaining this last sheet of paper would the secret be truly complete. Formation phenomena represented the supreme realm of formations. This was not some simple mantra or powerful formation. If one could comprehend its secrets, the famed Celestial Wolf Illusory Formation of the Western Turks would reach an even higher level and be capable of creating its own formation phenomena.
At that time, the Celestial Wolf Cavalry were certain to be even more unstoppable!
And the Great Scarlet Sun Formation of Ü-Tsang was on the same level of the Celestial Wolf Illusory Formation, having not reached that highest level. The secret of the formation phenomena would also allow the Tibetans to raise the formation to an even higher level and create formation phenomena belonging to the Great Scarlet Sun Formation! No one could resist this sort of temptation.
“Great Minister!”
Far back in the rear, several zhang from Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje, Huoba Sangye blinked and licked his lips in desire.
Although he had come to wipe out the Wushang Cavalry, take his revenge, and maintain the reputation of the Ü-Tsang Empire’s cavalry, if he could get the secrets of formation phenomena and bring his Great Scarlet Sun Formation to an even higher level, why wouldn’t he? After all, the Tibetan Plateau also had legends of supreme formations!
“One!”
The final moment had arrived.
In this tense atmosphere, Wang Chong, Duwu Sili, Gao Xianzhi, Huoshu Huicang, and all the others were like taut bowstrings, their muscles all tightening up.
Bang!
The air thundered. The first to move was not Duwu Sili, but Wang Chong. In a flash of white light, the final sheet of paper broke free of Wang Chong’s palm. However, this paper was not fired at Duwu Sili, but at an angle, in a direction where no one was present.
Duwu Sili’s eyes widened as he followed the paper. He seemed calm on the surface, but he had unwittingly begun to show a tiny hint of tension. He could see that there was a ball of light in Wang Chong’s hand, aimed at the paper in the air, ready at any moment to destroy this last part of the secrets pertaining to formation phenomena.
Bang!
With a flick of his wrist, Duwu Sili almost immediately pushed Chen Bin from the back of his horse.
“Wang Chong! I give you your man and you give me the secret of formation phenomena!”
As his voice rumbled through the air, Duwu Sili also tossed Chen Bin at an angle, in almost the complete opposite direction from where Wang Chong had thrown the paper. If Wang Chong wanted to save Chen Bin, he would not have the time to destroy the third paper recording the secrets of formation phenomena. Similarly, if Duwu Sili wanted the formation phenomena, he could not kill Chen Bin.
It was clear that both Wang Chong and Duwu Sili had thought about this point.
Boom!
In flashes of light, Wang Chong and Duwu Sili both shot into the air. One lunged at Chen Bin while the other lunged at the third sheet of paper. Clashes of experts were decided in mere seconds, and for experts of their level, far, far too much could happen in a single second. The urgent task at hand was to get their hands on what they had come for.
“Wang Chong! Eat my halberd!”
Duwu Sili rejoiced to see Wang Chong lunge at Chen Bin. The moment the two passed by each other, when they were at their closest, Duwu Sili immediately poured all his Stellar Energy into his black halberd and fired off a furious black dragon at Wang Chong. At almost the same moment, the air howled as Wang Chong transformed into the Godking Yama. Bang! One of its left palms blocked the attack from Duwu Sili’s black halberd while the enormous vajra pestle in one of its right hands swung at Duwu Sili.
“Move!”
In this moment, Wang Chong and Duwu Sili were far from the only ones to take action. Shamask and Chekun Benba had been staring at Duwu Sili’s left hand this entire time, and when they received the signal, these two Brigadier Generals of the Western Turkic Khaganate jumped at Chen Bin like hungry tigers.
The more Wang Chong cared about him, the more obvious it was that Chen Bin was extremely important. Moreover, if they killed Chen Bin, they would deal a massive blow to the morale of the Tang army. For this reason, it was worth it for the two of them to strike as one and kill Chen Bin.
“Shameless! You would dare!”
With a furious roar, Cheng Qianli shot out from Wang Chong’s side, his eyes flashing with cold light as he rushed to Chen Bin. The battlefield instantly became extremely tense. But the greatest variable in this transaction was still the ever-silent Gao Xianzhi.
“There are some things that don’t belong to you. Duwu Sili, you can stop dreaming now!”
A cold and dignified voice resounded in everyone’s ears. Boom!Gao Xianzhi exploded forward, his speed surpassing everyone else’s. The moment he entered the fray, all the countless experts on the battlefield appeared insignificant before his tremendous storm of energy.
“Damn it!”
Duwu Sili’s expression twisted. Every empire and faction in the world would have a few outstanding Great Generals, but even amongst Great Generals, Gao Xianzhi was of the kind that made others envious. Even Abu Muslim treated Gao Xianzhi with great respect, so one could easily imagine how powerful he was.
“Gao Xianzhi! I’ve already released the hostage! Do you want to destroy our agreement?”
Duwu Sili’s heart tightened. He had had some doubts before, but Gao Xianzhi’s reaction had dispelled all of them.
If this were not the real secret to formation phenomena, a supreme Great General like Gao Xianzhi would not have been so nervous and made to take it for himself.
“Gao Xianzhi, don’t even think about it!”
Duwu Sili exploded all the power in his body. Discarding any thought of fighting with Wang Chong, he rushed with astonishing speed toward the paper in the air.
Duwu Sili had reacted quickly, but there was someone whose speed exceeded even his. When Duwu Sili had counted to two, Huoshu Huicang had already readied to strike. However, while his original targets had been Wang Chong and Chen Bin, Huoshu Huicang had now changed his target to Gao Xianzhi.
The earth shook as a dazzling golden saber energy slashed through the air at Gao Xianzhi. Boomboomboom! The air rang out with the explosions of their clash of energies and dust quickly shrouded the field.
“Damn it! My formation phenomena!”
Duwu Sili’s face was filled with anxiety as he unhesitantly unleashed a tremendous wave of golden Stellar Energy into a golden barrier to keep out all the shockwaves. Duwu Sili had decided to use his Stellar Energy to block the energy from the clash between these two Imperial Great Generals. Bzzz! Lunging forward, Duwu Sili stretched out two fingers, caught the paper, and brought it back into the safety of his palm. When he felt the rough texture of the paper, he felt like a great weight had been lifted off his mind.
“Let’s go!”
With the last part of the formation phenomena in his hand, Duwu Sili immediately used the Celestial Wolf’s Divine Procession to shoot like a lightning bolt into the distance. He seemed to have even forgotten about Chen Bin. Of course, what was most important was that Duwu Sili had already spotted an enormous beast approaching the battlefield.
Roooar!
Before anyone could react, the roaring Behemoth dropped down from the skies, crashing like a meteor into the earth.
“Giant ape!”
The sight of that enormous black silhouette made Shamask and Chekun Benba tremble in fear. They lost all will to fight and immediately broke away from Cheng Qianli and began to flee.
The giant ape’s strength was unrivaled. Even Great Generals were no match for it, let alone Brigadier Generals like them.
“You think you can run? Without leaving anything behind?!”
Wang Chong sneered at this sight. If Shamask and Chekun Benba dared to attack Chen Bin, they would not be allowed to so easily retreat.
Bang!
With this thought, he threw the vajra pestle, which streaked like a comet into Shamask’s backside. At almost the same time, the air howled as a massive boulder smashed into Chekun Benba.
Wang Chong had ordered the giant ape to throw this boulder.
Bang! Bang!
Shamask and Chekun Benba screamed as they were struck from behind. Vomiting blood, they fled even faster from the battlefield.
Roooar!
The giant ape roared as it leaped into the air and began to pursue the Tibetan and Turkic soldiers. This time, the giant ape was not empty-handed. It now wielded a giant cudgel ten-some meters in length. When the cudgel moved, the air would shriek around it.
“Go go go! Run!”
In the distance, the Mutri Great Cavalry and Celestial Wolf Cavalry had long been wary of the giant ape. Although the giant ape had always been some distance in the rear during this exchange, all of them had been paying close attention to it.
To these elite cavalry, the greatest threat was not Great Generals like Wang Chong or Gao Xianzhi, but this giant ape.
Gallop! In a cloud of dust, the countless cavalry rode off like a retreating tide, leaving faster than they had come.
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