The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  With a desperate jump, Li Siye barely managed to avoid this gout of flame.

  Boom! The earth quaked as the demonic beast suddenly took a leap, traveling through the air like a lightning bolt as it shot toward Li Siye.

  "Not good!"

  Li Siye's face grimaced. His internal energy was already exhausted by the violet flames. He no longer had the strength to dodge the monster's leap.

  Just when it seemed like Li Siye was about to die under the monster's feet, a dragon roared and a cold light flashed in the sky. Wang Chong descended from the sky headfirst, crashing into the monster's head.

  Bang! Embers splashed and a wave of energy exploded from the collision of Wang Chong's sword and the monster's head. Just as expected, the monstrous transformation had made Lu Wu's defense even more terrifying. Wang Chong's Wootz Steel sword remained useless.

  "Beast, this way!"

  Wang Chong shot backward as if he was fired from a cannon. He did not rest, but leaped from the ground and ran off. In the blink of an eye, he had vanished to the southwest.

  The monster behind him roared and went off in pursuit.

  Boom!

  A few moments later, there was another shockwave of energy and the ground toward the southwest quaked, accompanied by a massive boom. As the rest of the people watched on, Wang Chong lured the monstrified Lu Wu to crash straight into the southwestern wall.

  The several-zhang-high wall of the Wang Clan fell apart like it was made of paper under the force of Lu Wu's collision. Carried along by the momentum, Lu Wu crashed into the black shroud beyond the wall.

  Bzzt! A ripple suddenly appeared in the empty sky. At this moment, Madam Wang, the old steward, and all the servants and maids of the Wang Clan saw that there was a black shroud in the sky.

  ______________

  1. It is at this point that it might be appropriate to mention that Lu Wu, , is the name of a mythological beast/god in Chinese mythology. It is mentioned in the Classic of Mountains and Seas and is described as a god with the body of a tiger, the claws of a tiger, a human head, and nine tails.

  Chapter 672: Driving a Tiger to Swallow a Wolf!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  "What is that?"

  "How could there be something like that? No wonder we couldn't get out."

  "What sort of person wants to attack our Wang Clan? They're far too bold!"

  ……

  All the people of the Wang Clan were greatly alarmed, each one of them furious and shocked. But the reaction of the black-robed men outside the walls was not something as simple as alarm.

  Thumpthumpthump. Several of the men had become unsteady, vomiting blood, and then suddenly dropped from the roofs.

  "Bastard! This foul brat is actually using Lu Wu to deal with us!"

  The black-robed men on the roofs were infuriated and flabbergasted.

  The black shroud created by the formation used their Stellar Energy as its source of power. All of them formed a part of the formation. By having Lu Wu crash against the shroud, Wang Chong was driving a tiger to swallow a wolf, using Lu Wu's strength to deal with the black-robed men.

  If it weren't for the fact that Wang Chong was still imprisoned in the shroud, their collective rage would have burned him to death.

  But this was far from over…

  Boom! In the blink of an eye, there was another thunderous crash. The monstrified Lu Wu had once more been baited back to collide with the black shroud.

  "Ah!"

  Five or six more of the black-robed men screamed as they seemed to be struck by lightning. Vomiting blood, they dropped down from the roof. Lu Wu's current strength was unthinkably massive. No one could stop it.

  Thus, Wang Chong had not tried to resist, instead choosing to lure Lu Wu into dealing with the black-robed men.

  This was yet another scenario that they had never imagined.

  "Leader, if this continues, this will become a battle between us and Lu Wu. We might end up dead before that brat does. Can we control Lu Wu so that he doesn't crash into our barrier?"

  A black-robed man stood up and looked worriedly toward the leader standing on a nearby roof.

  "There's no way! That brat is far too cunning!"

  The leader clenched his teeth, his expression far more furious than those of his subordinates.

  "He's controlling the time and place that Lu Wu appears. Whenever I want to control Lu Wu, Lu Wu has already disappeared. The time is too short for me to do anything! That fucking bastard!"

  Control required time, a very short amount of time that wasn't a problem in normal circumstances. However, the transformed Lu Wu was now much stronger and faster, and coupled with Wang Chong's intentional baiting, the leader simply lacked the time necessary to control Lu Wu.

  Moreover, Wang Chong was constantly changing the area he lured Lu Wu to. There was no means of predicting where Lu Wu would show up, and by the time they realized where Lu Wu was, they would be too late.

  Most despicable of all was that Wang Chong was also commanding the Wang Clan guards to fill the gaps in the walls with rolls of cloth so that their vision remained limited.

  "I want to kill him!"

  The leader of the black-robed men clenched his teeth, an unprecedented feeling of helplessness surging up within him. When Lu Wu attacked, he always left no survivors, and the current situation was truly something that had never happened before.

  He currently had an indescribable feeling. It was like Lu Wu had become that brat and his own group had become Lu Wu's target.

  Boom!

  While he was thinking, another boom shook the black shroud. Another batch of black-robed men vomited blood and stumbled from their rooftops.

  With each batch lost, the formation grew weaker and weaker. Even the darkness of the shroud had grown faint, no longer as dense as it was at the start.

  "Leader, what do we do?"

  The black-robed men were growing more and more concerned.

  "Wait a little longer. Once Lu Wu transforms, he gets stronger and faster as time goes on. I don't believe that he'll be able to control him forever."

  The leader was truthfully more worried than all his subordinates, but his voice revealed none of his concern.

  With the battle at this state, they no longer had any choices. If they opened up the domain and let their target escape, all their previous work would be for nothing.

  In comparison, if Lu Wu managed to kill the target, a few deaths on their side meant practically nothing.

  ……

  At this very moment, Wang Chong's situation was more perilous than anyone could see or imagine.

  "Owwww!"

  Lu Wu angrily howled as he fired stream after stream of violet flame at Wang Chong. A mere touch from these flames would cause blood to boil and bones to melt.

  And besides these pillars of fire, Lu Wu also had that hammer of keratin at the end of his long tail. Boom boom boom! Lu Wu's hammer tail had an enormous weight behind it, each strike leaving a large hole in the ground.

  Wang Chong dodged and jumped above, around, and below Lu Wu's violet flames, tail, and claws, all the while charging forward. Many times, Lu Wu's violet flames or tail would shoot right under Wang Chong, and even more times, Wang Chong was almost struck by a full charge from Lu Wu.

  This was dancing on a tightrope, the sensation of death clinging to him like a shadow. The smallest misstep would lead to his demise.

  Boom boom boom!

  Under Wang Chong's guidance, Lu Wu crashed again and again into the black shroud hanging over the Wang Clan Residence. Onlookers saw Wang Chong moving agilely and easily, but only Wang Chong knew just how much danger he was really in.

  "Everyone, scatter! Don't get close!

  "Wei Guo, Wei Wu, hurry and use silk rolls to cover those gaps, and tell people to keep their distance."

  ……

  Wang Chong's voice resounded over the Wang Clan Residence. Wang Chong had dispatched S
hen Hai and Meng Long to Jiaozhi to guard Zhang Munian, so the Wang Clan guards were currently led by Wei Guo and Wei Wu.

  "Third Brother, I've come to help."

  Wang Xiaoyao was rushing over.

  "Little Sister, no, hurry and leave!"

  Wang Chong paled in fright.

  His little sister had always had an impetuous attitude, but now was not the time to be willful. This monster's strength had swelled to several times its initial levels. Not even Wang Chong dared to take a blow from it.

  But it was clear that Wang Xiaoyao would not listen to Wang Chong's words. Just when it seemed like she was about to run over…

  "Xiaoyao, stop right there!"

  A cold and harsh voice came from behind her. Madam Wang's voice made Wang Xiaoyao shudder and finally come to a stop.

  Boomboomboom!

  Lu Wu's speed was clearly increasing, and the situation was getting more and more dangerous, but Wang Chong had no time to think about such things. No one in the entire Wang Clan could deal with this monster, so luring Lu Wu to attack the black shroud was the only method.

  Once, twice, thrice… Wang Chong was beset by perils from all sides but still succeeded in having Lu Wu crash into the black shroud. As Lu Wu grew stronger, his collisions had a more devastating effect on the black-robed men outside.

  Thud! More and more black-robed men vomited blood and dropped from the roofs. Wang Chong had succeeded in transferring Lu Wu's strength to them.

  As he saw the corpses dropping from the roof, the leader of the black-robed men gained an expression nastier than the face of a dead man.

  A simple assassination in the night had, under Wang Chong's direction, become some strange race for time. The black shroud was the dividing line, with Wang Chong inside and the black-robed men outside being the participants.

  The one who could last the longest would gain the final victory.

  Boomboomboom! A strange stillness settled in, the black shroud rippling and trembling in the night…

  Once, twice, thrice…

  After some time, with a great boom, the black shroud crumbled. Thump! Another set of black-robed men vomited blood and toppled down.

  At this moment, all the remaining black-robed men had ashen expressions. Even though they had spent so much time and paid such a great price, Wang Chong had managed to successfully use Lu Wu to shatter their safeguards.

  And this was not all…

  "Leader, it's bad. The city guards and Imperial Army are already coming this way," one of the black-robed men shouted in alarm.

  With the black shroud shattered, the massive disturbance had awakened many people. The capital was an important area, and the smallest oddity was enough to attract the attention of the city guards and Imperial Army, much less a ruckus like this.

  The barking of dogs could be heard, and homes near and far were beginning to light their lanterns, families hearing the disturbance and rising from their beds.

  "Who is it?"

  "Can't someone get some sleep in the middle of the night?"

  "So much noise… Is something going on?"

  ……

  The leader's face contorted in an extremely ugly visage. Lanterns were being lit wherever he looked, and he could even see from the silhouettes cast on windows that some people were putting on clothes and preparing to see what was going on.

  If this continued, they would soon be completely exposed.

  "Leader, what do we do?"

  A worried and urgent voice came from his side.

  "Wait a moment, wait. I can control Lu Wu now," the black-robed leader said through clenched teeth.

  "But we no longer have any time! The city guards and Imperial Army are already here," a black-robed man said.

  No matter what, they could not attract too much attention in the capital. This was a basic rule for all their external operations. Once they were exposed, they would all be killed.

  This was why they had always remained hidden when assassinating someone and had even used this black shroud formation.

  They no longer had much time!

  The leader was quiet, his eyes indecisive. He wanted to delay for a while and take control of Lu Wu to have him kill Wang Chong, but Wang Chong had clearly expected this move.

  Once the shroud had vanished, Wang Chong had retreated swiftly back into the estate. In addition, the Wang Clan guards could be seen everywhere piling up rolls of silk to block out his vision.

  Eliminating Wang Chong would not be a short affair. At the very least, it could not be done before the city guards and Imperial Army arrived.

  "Leader?!" the black-robed man prompted.

  "Damn it! Even if we can't kill the brat, I won't give the Wang Clan an easy time."

  The leader finally made his decision, his heart brimming with unwillingness.

  "Just let Lu Wu flatten the Wang Clan. After fifteen minutes, have him burrow into the earth and leave… Everyone else, withdraw!"

  Although he was most reluctant, the leader was still forced to give the retreat order. Concealment would always be their first priority, no matter what.

  Swoosh!

  After sprinkling down powder to dissolve the corpses, the black-robed men vanished into the night.

  Chapter 673: The Demonic Emperor Old Man Steps Onto Stage!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  "Those people… have retreated!"

  As Wang Chong looked around at the vacant surroundings, a tinge of unhappiness flitted across his face. These people could use their eyes to command the monster, so Wang Chong had believed that they would use the moment the shroud broke to take control of the monster and use it to hold him down. Consequently, Wang Chong had ordered Wei Guo and Wei Wu to set up many walls of silk and cloth within the residence to block their line of sight.

  But he hadn't expected the black-robed men to be so restrained.

  These people are really quite cautious. They're not willing to leave behind a single clue, Wang Chong quietly said to himself.

  He had exchanged blows with these people quite a few times, but even so, he had still not managed to get any information on them or their background.

  They were apparently very focused on keeping their identity hidden and covering their tracks, leaving behind no trail for outsiders to follow.

  "Young Master! What do we do now?"

  A set of panicked voices came from the distance. Wei Guo was standing atop a wall, a bow and arrow in his hands. Across from him, the monstrified Lu Wu was charging at him.

  Although the black-robed people on the outside had retreated, the Wang Clan's troubles were far from over. Lu Wu was currently unstoppable, with certain death awaiting anyone who ran into him.

  Moreover, the Wang Clan was surrounded by residences, so if this monster ran out, the consequences would be unimaginable.

  Wang Chong's brow creased as he swept his gaze over the Wang Clan. There was no one left who could stop the monster. His little sister definitely couldn't step forward, and Li Siye's state was extremely worrying. And anyone else would be burned to ash upon first contact with the violet flames.

  Wang Chong could only delay, but this was no long-term solution. The most frightening thing was that the more he delayed, the more frighteningly powerful the monster became.

  When its speeds reached a certain level, the walls of the Wang Clan would no longer be able to hold it.

  "Chong-er! Stand aside! Let me do it!"

  Suddenly, an elderly yet domineering voice came down from the sky, resounding as a clap of thunder. Whoosh! There was a flash of light as a dark figure dropped out of the air like some giant bird and landed in the Wang Clan Residence.

  Before anyone else could react, that person's figure blurred. When they next appeared, they were in front of Lu Wu. Lu Wu's massive body made that figure seem even more thin and fragile, but in Wang Chong's eyes, the figure appeared to be as majestic and lofty as a mountain.

  "Master!"
>
  Wang Chong was elated, immediately recognizing the dark figure as his master, the Demonic Emperor Old Man.

  "Chong-er, withdraw. Leave this beast to me!"

  A wave of the Demonic Emperor Old Man's sleeve seemed imbued with an intense self-confidence. Just by standing there, that frail figure seemed to be rooted into the earth, as sturdy as a mountain.

  Roar!

  The giant beast roared. Lu Wu appeared to sense the energy on the old man's body and immediately turned, his crimson eyes like two red lanterns in the night as they stared at the Demonic Emperor Old Man.

  Boom! The claws of four thick limbs crashed down as the three-meter-tall beast exerted all its energy. It cannoned into the air, shooting like a lightning bolt toward that seemingly frail and tiny old man.

  Mid-leap, the massive monster opened its mouth. Boom! A pillar of violet flame shot out, surging toward the Demonic Emperor Old Man.

  "Ah!"

  Cries of alarm came from all around, and even the distant Wang Chong couldn't stop his heart from coming up to his throat. While Lu Wu's violet flames at the start could only ignite a person's internal energy, his violet flames were now so dangerous that not even Wang Chong dared to risk touching them.

  Boom!

  Wang Chong didn't have time for a warning as the massive pillar of flame crashed onto the Demonic Emperor Old Man.

  "Master!" Wang Chong and Wang Xiaoyao shouted out at the same time, their hearts on edge.

  But to everyone's shock, that destructive pillar of violet flame crashing on the Demonic Emperor Old Man's body was like a waterfall crashing onto the hardy rock of a lofty mountain. An invisible energy had stopped it and cut it into countless strands.

  For the first time, the ever-harmful violet flames of Lu Wu had been ineffective.

  "Beast! You still dare act recklessly before me?"

  His voice thundered over the Wang Clan Residence. The Demonic Emperor Old Man extended a palm through the violet flames and snatched one of Lu Wu's feet.

  Boom! Dust roiled and the earth seemed on the verge of cracking apart. As everyone watched on with wide eyes, the monstrified Lu Wu was thrown to the ground by the Demonic Emperor Old Man, his four feet facing the sky, his vicious aura scattered.