The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Those Turkic cavalry were weaker than him, so it would be more strange if they actually managed to find the gate.

  “Brothers, let’s go! Kill all these Turks and let them understand the power of the Tang!” Xu Keyi called out.

  He once more took the lead, his Wootz Steel sword once more cleaving a horse from head to hoof. Clang! Just when Xu Keyi was about to slay his twentieth Turk, there was a metallic whistle, and a strange golden saber struck the spine of the Wootz Steel sword, jolting it away and preventing yet another horse from being slain.

  “An expert!” Xu Keyi yelled out in alarm, his eyes flying open. Someone who could accurately strike the spine of his sword while he had been attacking at such high speed was definitely no ordinary warrior.

  “You scoundrel, your opponent is me! Don’t bully these grunts!”

  An icy voice, speaking in awkward Han, came from overhead. Xu Keyi looked up and saw a vicious Turkic commander, equipped with wolf armor and savagely glaring at him. In comparison to the surrounding Turkic cavalry, he was like a crane amongst chickens, his strength clearly a level above the rest.

  “Ha, how interesting. If you want to fight, then come!”

  Xu Keyi laughed, elatedly gripping his sword with both hands and suddenly exploding into a flurry of attacks aimed at the Turkic commander. A few seconds later, Cheng Sanyuan, Su Shixuan, Chen Bin and the other officers faced their own opponents.

  Clangclangclang! Swords twinkled and gleamed in the darkness as the two sides battled; roars, screams, and neighs created a single discordant din. Meanwhile, the nearby Qixi Protectorate headquarters remained silent and pitch-black, as if everyone within had silently agreed to act like they heard nothing.

  While Xu Keyi’s side had fallen into a stalemate, Wang Chong’s side was completely one-sided…

  Neigh!

  Rumble!

  Warhorse after warhorse crashed to the ground, the impacts ringing throughout the battlefield. The forty-two hundred soldiers under Agudu Lan were no match against the Wushang Cavalry, crumbling to pieces in the face of the Arrow Formation. In a single clash, more than eighteen hundred soldiers had died, which made Agudu Lan’s heart bleed and troubled him more than his own situation.

  This had been a raid, not an actual battle, so Agudu Lan had not brought along his entire force, only his elites. Even so, five thousand was quite a large force for a raid. However, Agudu Lan had never expected that his trusted elites would be so powerless against Wang Chong.

  Although he had known that Dayan Mangban’s White Braves had been completely wiped out at the battle of the triangular gap, only after truly battling with these Tang did he understand what Dayan Mangban had been facing.

  Too powerful! Too powerful! Only the Khagan’s elite Sanmi Army, Wolf God Army, and Golden Tent Army could be a match for them!

  Agudu Lan felt like a storm had swept through his mind, leaving behind shock and turmoil. He knew that those several thousand cavalry in Wushang’s City of Steel were powerful, but not this powerful. These were not something his soldiers could handle. If this continued, all his men would be wiped out.

  “Retreat! Quickly! All soldiers withdraw!”

  Agudu Lan was both furious and alarmed. His dantian exploded, pushing back his five attackers, and he let out a shrill whistle. Phweet! The sound traveled deep into the darkness. Awoooo! A mournful wolf howl responded, and in an instant, more and more wolf howls began to rise.

  A wolf pack! This Agudu Lan really did bring wolves to do battle!

  Wang Chong heard the howls of the approaching wolf pack, and his eyes flashed for a moment. The Turks were the most unique of the Great Tang’s opponents on its border. Aside from ordinary soldiers, they also often brought many wolves to do battle with them.

  Although a wolf wasn’t anything to fear for a fully-armored soldier, things were different once the number of wolves reached a certain level. Thus, when actually battling with the Turks, one could not simply compare the number of soldiers on both sides, a fact which gave a headache to many of the soldiers on the northern border.

  Although Wang Chong had been the Grand Marshal of the world, by the time he had risen to this position, the power of the Great Steppe had completely declined, leaving him no opportunity to fight with them. Thus, this was his first time seeing wolf packs used in actual battle.

  “Ha, it seems like you’ve prepared rather well. Unfortunately, it’s still useless!” Wang Chong sneered. If the supreme Wushang Cavalry could not even deal with a wolf pack, then their reputation was truly wasted.

  Boom! Just when Agudu Lan was about to flee, Wang Chong shot forward and joined with Elder Fang, Elder Du, Li Siye, and Huang Botian to swiftly bring him back down.

  Wang Chong laughed and said, “Haha, Lord Yabgu, I haven’t agreed to it, so why are you in such a rush to leave? A single visit is so rare that you must stay a night. After all, I’ve even made a wooden stele for you.”

  Chapter 830 - The Death of the Black Wolf Yabgu!

  Chapter 830: The Death of the Black Wolf Yabgu!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Bastard!”

  Agudu Lan’s eyes blazed with rage. Wang Chong was merely a youth who had recently gotten a little famous in the Great Tang, but he was a Yabgu who had served the Turks for ten-some years. Based purely on age, he could be considered Wang Chong’s uncle. Even Fumeng Lingcha had to pay him a little respect, so he could not possibly accept being played around with by a mere junior.

  “Whether or not I can leave, I will kill you today!”

  Waves of searing energy began to rise from Agudu Lan’s body. He put aside any thoughts of retreat and began to use the strongest technique of the Mount Sanmi Divine Art.

  “Mount Sanmi falls; the godly realm descends!”

  The massive image of Mount Sanmi manifested in the air, exuding its aura of infinite weight. And above Mount Sanmi was a massive figure, one that inspired a primal dread as it descended from the heavens.

  Mount Sanmi had fallen, and the godly realm was descending!

  According to the myths of the Great Steppe, when Mount Sanmi fell from the godly realm during the war of the gods, it had unleashed a calamity on the steppe, a dreadful apocalypse for the Turks.

  Rumble!

  Agudu Lan was surrounded by a fierce aura, and his body began to swell as he transformed into a god. Gathering up all his strength, he dodged Elder Fang, Elder Du, Li Siye, and Huang Botian. The scimitar in his hand was suddenly overlaid with the image of Mount Sanmi, and he slashed down at Wang Chong’s head, his strike seeming to contain all the power of the godly realm.

  In the face of all this, Wang Chong fearlessly grinned. Although he was still weaker than Agudu Lan, he had the formidable defensive capabilities of the Karmic Battle Armor and his Saint Martial cultivation, so Agudu Lan’s attack would be much less effective.

  “Haha, come!”

  Wang Chong made no attempts to dodge, gathering all the energy in his body and shooting toward Agudu Lan like a meteor. The moment before their clash, the violet flame of the Stellar Energy Igniter erupted from Wang Chong’s body. This violet flame originated from the Strength of Lu Wu and had an inconceivable effect against Saint Martial experts.

  Wang Chong had used this move during the battle of the triangular gap to bring Dayan Mangban down to around tier 4 or 5 of the Saint Martial realm. It would be just as effective against Agudu Lan.

  But just when Wang Chong was ready to clash with Agudu Lan, buzz! There was a flash of light and a cold gust of wind, and then Agudu Lan was gone. When Wang Chong was able to get a clear view of the situation, he realized that Agudu Lan was trying to run.

  That vigorous resolve, those heroic words to fight until the death, had just been part of a strategic smokescreen so that he could make his escape.

  “Hahaha, Agudu Lan, I truly overestimated you. But do you really think you can escape?”

  Rather than being shocked, Wang Chong w
as all too happy to see this sight. A general who kept on trying to flee could only use seventy percent of their strength. He had been a little surprised, but Agudu Lan was looking down on him too much if he thought that he could escape without paying a price.

  “Elder Fang, Elder Du!” Wang Chong immediately called out.

  “Yes, Lord Marquis!”

  Elder Fang and Elder Du had grim expressions, having prepared exactly for this moment. Boom! As Agudu Lan turned to flee, one of the elders immediately kicked one of the surrounding rocks into the distance.

  “What’s this?”

  Agudu Lan could see some black object out of the corner of his eye, and he inadvertently gave it a wary glance. When he saw that it was a stone, he was suddenly overcome by an indescribably strange feeling.

  What is this brat doing?

  Agudu Lan was an old hand of the Western Regions, yet he had never seen anything so strange. But there was no time to think, and since that stone wasn’t headed in his direction, he cast the matter to the back of his mind and continued to flee.

  In the rear, Wang Chong only smirked, not even attempting to chase him down. Agudu Lan might have been the Black Wolf Yabgu, but his experiences were still a little shallow. Not only was he unaware that this was one of the illusory and befuddling formations of the Central Plains, he had apparently never heard of them either.

  Set! Wang Chong mentally called out as he watched the large rock hit the ground. Rumble! The surrounding area began to shake, and dust shot into the sky, transforming into a shroud that walled off every direction. Agudu Lan, who had almost run twenty zhang by now, was immediately obstructed by this wall of dust.

  The clear path before him had instantly vanished, and everything around him was hazy and dim.

  “Not good!”

  Caught off guard, Agudu Lan couldn’t help but yelp in alarm. But he could not afford the slightest delay, and the moment the wall of dust descended, Agudu Lan exerted all the Stellar Energy in his body, explosively accelerating, crashing like a meteor into the wall in the hopes that he could break through.

  Rumble! The heavens and earth trembled, but Agudu Lan did not crash through the wall as he had expected. On the contrary, this mighty collision set off a chain of unexpected changes. The world turned before his eyes like a revolving stone plate, carrying Agudu Lan with it.

  What is going on here?

  Agudu Lan might have been the Black Wolf Yabgu known throughout the Western Regions, but this problem that could not be explained through common sense and could not be solved through force still left him panicked and afraid. Rumble! After what seemed like both a second and eternity, everything finally came to a stop.

  “Black Wolf Yabgu, I’ve been waiting a long time!”

  That familiar voice, tinged with laughter, rang out in his ears. Agudu Lan’s eyes widened, and when he saw Wang Chong, Li Siye, Huang Botian, and the strangely-dressed Elders Fang and Du, his heart sank like a stone.

  Agudu Lan knew that he wouldn’t be able to escape this time!

  “Vast Heaven Earth Art!

  “Great Yinyang Art!”

  “Halo of Storm!”

  “Stone General!”

  With Agudu Lan deposited back in front of them by the formation, Wang Chong, Li Siye, Huang Botian, Elder Fang, and Elder Du utilized their strongest attacks, unleashing a storm of attacks upon the Yabgu.

  ……

  Awoooo!

  Outside the formation, thousands of black wolves were leaping into the air with their teeth bared to attack the Wushang Cavalry. Each Wushang Cavalry was dealing with three or four of these large wolves, which simultaneously attacked the hindquarters, the underbelly, and the rider. Other cavalry would have had their hands full dealing with these wolves, but Wang Chong’s Wushang Cavalry were well-trained and powerful, their strongest advantage being their tacit cooperation.

  Swish! Swish! Swish!

  Spears and swords moved as quickly as lightning bolts. Each thrust or slash was fierce and accurate, always aiming for the head or heart of these wolves. A single blow was enough to immediately end the life of one of these large and powerful beasts.

  The Wushang Cavalry worked together to kill these black wolves, with three cavalrymen grouping up and working together to kill five or six wolves in the blink of an eye. No matter how many wolves there were, the Wushang Cavalry were like rocks protruding out of the ocean, firm and stable no matter how many waves of wolves crashed down upon them. At this sight, the warriors of the Turkic steppe trembled in fear.

  The wolves of the steppe had never been the primary fighting force of the Turks, so no one had ever hoped that the wolves could win the battle. But this wolf slaughter, this silent cooperation with no extraneous actions, was an expression of extreme callousness and determination such as Turkic warriors had never seen before.

  “Run! We’re no match for them.”

  “No! Lord Yabgu has disappeared. They’ve used some evil technique to imprison Lord Yabgu. We have to save him!”

  While some of the Turkic warriors were intimidated by the cruelty and efficiency of the Tang cavalry, another group of Turkic warriors was madly charging toward the place Agudu Lan had been a few moments ago! Phweet! A Turkic commander whistled, immediately summoning several hundred wolves to follow him on this assault.

  “Hmph, no one should think about saving that Turkic Yabgu today. Since they’re seeking death, just kill them all!”

  A hundred-man commander of the Wushang Cavalry leveled his spear, his eyes exuding a sharp and frigid light.

  “Kiiill!”

  With this order, the hundred-man commander led the charge, a hundred Wushang Cavalry having already gathered behind him into a small-scale Arrow Formation. Awooo! The wolves howled as the Wushang Cavalry swept through, leaving chaos in their wake. Neither wolf nor Turk was able to withstand their might.

  “Charge!”

  The other Wushang Cavalry seized this chance and began to pursue. Horses neighed and weapons gleamed in the darkness. Swishswishswish! Swords cut through flesh and the Turkic warriors screamed as they were brought down to the ground. After several charges, less than one thousand of Agudu Lan’s men remained.

  “Run! These aren’t human! Run!”

  At this sight, the remaining cavalry lost all resolve and scattered like fleeing beasts. Meanwhile, in the formation set up by Elder Fang and Elder Du, Stellar Energy rumbled as all kinds of techniques and martial arts clashed in a tempest of attacks, the battle reaching a climax.

  “Aaaaah!”

  A scream cut through the night like a peal of thunder, resounding across all of Qixi. A few moments later, the scream suddenly stopped. Within the formation, all fell silent as the battle finally came to a close.

  Chapter 831 - Crushing Victory!

  Chapter 831: Crushing Victory!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Whew!”

  Within the formation, Wang Chong slowly drew back his hands and let out a deep breath. Wang Chong felt his body seethe as the last stream of Brigadier-General-level Saint Martial energy entered his body, elevating him from Saint Martial Tier 1 to Tier 2, ultimately pushing all the way to Tier 3.

  “This shouldn’t be. What evil art is this?”

  A weak and feeble voice, lingering on the edge of death, came from in front of him. Agudu Lan’s body was shriveled up, leaving behind only a layer of skin hanging on a frame of bones. Yet even in this dreadful state, Agudu Lan was not yet dead, his eyes fixed on Wang Chong.

  “The Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art, the supreme evil art of the Central Plains!”

  Wang Chong smiled as he stood up and answered Agudu Lan’s final question.

  “Evil art, evil art… so that was it!”

  Agudu Lan’s eyes unfocused, and that last ray of light in his eyes vanished like a flickering candle extinguished by the wind. Thud! His body leaned over and struck the ground.

  “Congratulations to use
r for killing Agudu Lan and resolving the other major threat to Qixi. In addition, with the death of the Black Wolf Yabgu, a major event, the course of the Western Turkic Khaganate has been altered. User is rewarded with 2000 points of Destiny Energy!

  “Congratulations to user for salvaging the mission ‘Warhorses of the Great Tang’ and avoiding the penalty for mission failure!”

  At this moment, the voice of the Stone of Destiny rang out in his mind and a smile crept onto Wang Chong’s face. The 2000 points of Destiny Energy he received from killing Agudu Lan coupled with his previous rewards meant that he had now accumulated 4670 Destiny Energy.

  I can exchange for another set of rewards from the Stone of Destiny now! Wang Chong quietly said to himself.

  Wang Chong had gradually begun to realize that the best way to gain Destiny Energy was to kill extraordinarily powerful and influential enemies. These people were often linked to the fate of their respective empires, and killing them would result in a reward for changing the course of history.

  But I should still save up this Destiny Energy for now. When I need it in the future, I can exchange for some extremely formidable abilities! Wang Chong decided.

  During the battle of the triangular gap, Wang Chong had expended most of his Destiny Energy for the Karmic Battle Armor, and he was slowly beginning to get a taste of the rewards offered by the Stone of Destiny. The Stone of Destiny had some rather precious treasures up for exchange that could play an extremely influential role in battle with elite experts, but these treasures would have a massive price. Still, all of these treasures were worth the price, being more powerful the more Destiny Energy they cost.

  “Elder Fang, Elder Du!”

  Wang Chong turned to the two Wushang elders, and the two began to make hand movements, releasing pulses of Stellar Energy. The ground trembled as the surrounding walls of dust quickly dispersed, revealing the Qixi Armory. The ground was covered in corpses and irrigated by rivers of blood that not even the darkness could hide. The air stank with the pungent stench of blood.