“Yama Descends Upon the World!”
Wang Chong instantly used one of the Godking Yama’s strongest techniques. This was a technique he had not been capable of using until he had reached the middle Great General level.
Boom!
The Godking Yama suddenly crossed all four of its arms, and the world was suddenly filled with the wailing and curses of vengeful ghosts, the Origin Energy of the world gathering around Wang Chong. Boom! His feet spread apart and his body leaned forward, his four massive arms smashing at the scaled Behemoth, unleashing a terrifying strength that immediately stopped the Behemoth in its tracks.
Even with the Behemoth’s terrifying strength, it found itself slowing down.
Whoooah!
An uproar broke out in the battlefield, not from the Tang army, but from the distant Tibetans, Turks, and Arabs. They could all see the power of the Behemoths. No one had expected that Wang Chong could singlehandedly block its advance.
Chapter 956 - Golden Bow, Release the Mighty Arrow!
Chapter 956: Golden Bow, Release the Mighty Arrow!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“How could this be? The strength of a Behemoth is not something a single Imperial Great General can stop!”
Huoshu Huicang’s eyes were wide in shock and surprise. He was stronger than Wang Chong, but not even he could confidently claim that he could stop this Behemoth.
“Nothing is impossible. A price is always required to perform a feat beyond one’s abilities. He has merely used his own body to take on the charge of the Behemoth. It seems shocking, but in truth, he’s already been wounded. It is truly a foolish move.”
Duwu Sili’s eyes were bright as he sneered. Although they were all Great Generals, Duwu Sili sat firmly above Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje in terms of cultivation. He could already sense that Wang Chong had taken on significant internal injuries from this move.
As if in response to Duwu Sili’s words, there was a crack as one of the Godking Yama’s arms snapped neatly at the base and thudded to the ground.
“Ah?!”
“General!”
“Milord!”
Cries of alarm rose from behind the defense line, and Zhang Shouzhi paled. Wang Chong was currently the only barrier between the army and the Behemoth. If he was injured and no longer able to stop the Behemoth, everyone would be doomed before the giant ballista could be finished.
“I’m fine! I can still hold!”
Wang Chong’s voice came from above, apparently sensing the worries of his men.
“Zhang Shouzhi, where is my weapon? Give it here!”
Wang Chong’s voice was tinged with worry. ‘Yama Descends Upon the World’ was one of the Godking Yama’s supreme techniques. By absorbing the Origin Energy of the world, one could greatly boost oneself, but this boost would not last for long and would have a large side effect. He could not place his hopes on the giant ballista, so he could only rely on the other weapon—the Stellar Energy vajra pestle was far from enough.
“Wuming, Wujia, Wuyi, Wuding1, how is the progress on the weapon? Is it done yet?! Can all of you not even forge a simple metal cudgel?”
Furious, Zhang Shouzhi glared at a nearby forging mold.
Several young craftsmen rushed to respond. “Master, it’s finished. It just needs to be removed from the mold, which will only take a little while.”
“Bastard!”
Zhang Shouzhi strode over and kicked at his trusted disciples.
“Mold! The mold! Is there really time to care about the molds! Truly inflexible… Hurry and get the cudgel out!”
Zhang Shouzhi was so angry that his mind was growing clouded. Without another word, he pushed aside his disciples and personally pulled the lever on the forging mold.
Boom! A metal cudgel more than ten meters long and one meter thick slid out of the forging mold, its surface still seething with black smoke.
The cudgel had carried away parts of the mold with it, even a few screws.
“Wang Chong! The weapon is here! The rest is up to you!” Zhang Shouzhi yelled out, his hair messily blown about by the wind.
“Okay!”
A massive foot suddenly stepped over the first defense line, and then an enormous palm descended from the sky and took up the freshly forged cudgel.
“Heave!”
With a grunt, Wang Chong grasped the cudgel.
Awoooo! Wang Chong’s pressure on the Behemoth relaxed as he reached for the cudgel, and the scaled hippo’s eyes flashed with vicious light as it suddenly pressed forward. Such was its strength that even a mountain would probably collapse to this blow, but Wang Chong held it.
“Beast! A good show!”
Wang Chong roared, two hands gripping the enormous cudgel and smashing it down.
Boom! Wang Chong struck with all his strength, and such was his might that the scaled Behemoth’s head was smashed right into the ground. It immediately gave a howl of pain as if its skull had cracked.
The Behemoth lost its balance, and more than half of its body crashed into the ground, creating a large depression.
“Beast, take another one!”
Wang Chong stepped forward, pressing his right foot on its head. He shook the pieces of the mold off the cudgel with two arms, and then flipped it over, stabbing the sharp end of the cudgel at the beast’s head.
Awooo!
There was a crack as the sharp point pierced right through the hardy scales and hide, a part of the tip sinking straight into the skull. This blow dealt severe damage to the scaled Behemoth, its vigorous flame of life instantly losing half of its radiance.
“Damn it! This bastard!”
Masil paled as he heard the plaintive screams of the Behemoth. His nails dug into his palms and his eyes burned with loathing and fury.
Even he could sense that the Behemoth was in unprecedented danger. If this continued, the illustrious conqueror of cities and countries, the Terrorizer whose name was synonymous with death, would end up being killed by an Easterner at Talas.
“Bring me my bow!”
A cold and dignified voice arose from the rear. Abu Muslim narrowed his eyes as he stretched out an arm. A golden bow, half a man tall, was quickly delivered into his hands. Its red bowstring was made from the tendons of some unknown enormous beast.
This was Abu Muslim’s prized bow, the Bloody Massacre. It was rarely used; Abu Muslim only took it out when facing extremely troublesome opponents or situations.
The Terrorizer and the Destroyer were the Caliph’s symbols, and were vital for the empire’s war efforts. Whether it was for the majesty of the Caliph or victory in this battle, Abu Muslim could not allow Wang Chong to succeed.
Buzz!
Abu Muslim spread apart his feet and nocked a golden arrow to his bow, pulling the bowstring back so far that it made a full circle with the bow.
Booom! A sound more resounding than a peal of thunder tore through the world. Abu Muslim had loosed the bowstring, unleashing the arrow. The speed of this arrow was indescribable, and in a flash, it had already covered half the battlefield, appearing right behind the Behemoth.
The arrow left a long vacuum trailing behind it, a white trail several thousand zhang long. But concealed behind this gorgeous sight was an extremely dreadful killing intent.
No one had expected Abu Muslim to fire an arrow into the battlefield. Let alone Wang Chong, even Duwu Sili, Huoshu Huicang, and Dalun Ruozan were deeply stunned by this attack.
Abu Muslim had fired at just the right time, precisely when Wang Chong was completely focused on his battle with the Behemoth.
“Not good!”
The first to notice this oncoming attack was the distant Gao Xianzhi. During his battle with the black boar Behemoth, he just so happened to be looking in the direction of the defense line, so he could see Abu Muslim’s arrow headed straight for the center of the Godking Yama’s chest.
This was the location of Wang Chong’s actua
l body when he was using the Godking Yama Formation. If Abu Muslim’s arrow struck true, Wang Chong would be doomed.
Abu Muslim had struck swiftly, but Wang Chong reacted even more swiftly. Wang Chong had immediately sensed something the moment the arrow was fired. Although he had still not reached the level of martial arts he had achieved from his last life, his mental state had long ago reached the peak of the Saint Martial realm. Abu Muslim’s attack had been abrupt, but it could not escape Wang Chong’s perception.
Bang! Wang Chong’s body moved to the side as he smashed the cudgel at Abu Muslim’s arrow, unleashing a powerful shockwave and smashing the arrow into splinters.
“How could this be?!”
Ziyad’s body trembled in shock as he stared into the distance, not daring to believe his eyes. The governor rarely fired an arrow, but when he did, he always chose the exact moment when the opponent could not dodge. Yet the young Tang commander in the distance had not only sensed the coming of the arrow, but had even shattered it into pieces. Ziyad had never seen such a thing happen before.
“Milord!”
Reeling in shock, Ziyad turned to Abu Muslim. His commander’s body seemed just as composed and steady as before, but Ziyad could sense a tinge of shock. It was obvious that Abu Muslim had also been taken by surprise.
But Abu Muslim said nothing. He slowly put down his bow and seated himself back on his throne as if nothing had happened.
“Take it away.”
Abu Muslim gave the bow to a nearby guard.
“But, Milord! This might have just been a coincidence!” Ziyad couldn’t help but speak up, his expression tinged with anxiety. “If you shoot a few more arrows, that Tang definitely won’t be able to stop them!”
“There’s no need!”
Abu Muslim immediately refused.
“Since the first arrow was useless, a second and third arrow will be useless as well. This Tang is more formidable than I imagined… and besides, I have never loosed a second arrow.”
As the rear of the Arab army once more fell into silence, Wang Chong’s battle with the Behemoth was just beginning.
______________1. The names of Zhang Shouzhi’s disciples literally translate to: Nameless, Nobody A, Nobody B, and Nobody C.↩
Chapter 957 - Step Onto Stage, Giant Ballista! (I)
Chapter 957: Step Onto Stage, Giant Ballista! (I)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Roooar!
The Behemoth’s roar resounded over Talas, its enormous body continuing to press forward against Wang Chong. Although Abu Muslim’s arrow had failed to strike true, it had not been completely ineffective. While Wang Chong was briefly distracted, the scaled Behemoth had used the opportunity to suddenly advance, and it was now less than ten zhang from the first steel defense line. Its exhalations battered against the walls like mighty waves, causing them to ring and clatter. Some of the closest Tang soldiers couldn’t withstand this pressure and were swept away along with their horses.
Wang Chong’s Godking Yama was using its two free arms to hold the Terrorizer’s neck, but despite Wang Chong’s best efforts, he was finding it harder and harder to hold on. The energy provided by ‘Yama Descends Upon the World’ was not limitless. With each second that passed, Wang Chong grew weaker. While Wang Chong had been able to completely halt the scaled Behemoth’s advance at the beginning, he was now slowly being pushed back.
“Damn it!”
Wang Chong roared in fury as his cudgel slammed again and again on the Behemoth’s head, the violet flames manifested by the Strength of Lu Wu continuing to spread into the monster’s body. With each passing second, the exuberant flames of life within the Behemoth dimmed and vitality surged into Wang Chong. But even in this state, Wang Chong could not stop the frenzied beast. Although a hole had been pierced through its skull, this was apparently the limit. Some invisible power prevented Wang Chong from going any deeper.
“Release!”
On the ground, Chen Bin was swinging down his right arm over and over. Countless ballista bolts flew through the air at the scaled Behemoth. This time, however, most of the ballista bolts bounced off the scales, only a few of them being able to get in through the chinks.
Wang Chong was holding down the Behemoth, but the enormous girth of the Yama was significantly hindering the attacks of the ballista army.
“Release again!”
Chen Bin was unmoved as he once more gave the order to fire. This was the last attack they would be able to make. The Behemoth could cross the boundary at any time, and a single stomp would be enough to inflict horrifying losses on the ballista army.
“Zhang Shouzhi, is it still not done?!” Wang Chong’s worried voice resounded in the sky. Within the Godking Yama, where no one could see, Wang Chong’s face was as white as a sheet of paper, blood trickling down from his lips. Forcing himself to fight against the much stronger Behemoth was placing an enormous burden on his body.
An enormous crack suddenly began to creep across the Godking Yama’s back, from the shoulder to the waist. Moreover, such cracks continued to appear on the Godking Yama’s body at astonishing speed. In just a few moments, the Godking Yama was engulfed in this fine network of cracks, making it appear like a porcelain doll on the verge of falling to pieces.
This was a sign that the Godking Yama was at the limits of what it could take and was going to collapse soon.
On the ground, the air was saturated with tension. All the craftsmen were frenziedly at work, their faces pale and their heads feeling like they were going to explode from the anxiety.
“Just a little longer! Lord Marquis, you must hold!”
Zhang Shouzhi’s beard was flying in the wind as he anxiously called out from the ground.
At this moment, no one could understand just how much pressure he was facing.
There was not enough time! Far from enough!
If he had some diagram as a guide, Zhang Shouzhi would be able to quickly set it up, but the giant ballista had never appeared in the history of the empire. All the craftsmen, including Zhang Shouzhi himself, had no experience in building such a thing. There was simply too little time.
Bang!
Just moments after Zhang Shouzhi called, the giant scaled Behemoth pushed the Godking Yama back once more. The Godking Yama’s enormous foot scraped dirt and dust as it smashed into the steel walls behind it. Boom! Amidst a chorus of gasps and screams, seven steel walls were pulled out of the ground and sent spinning through the air.
“Retreat! Hurry and retreat!”
Screams rang out in the air as countless soldiers began to back up in panic. Before this Behemoth, they were just puny ants, so weak that they couldn’t even harm it, much less hold against it.
“Seventh unit, tenth unit, twenty-third unit… fall back!” Wang Chong’s familiar voice rang in everyone’s ear. Even in the midst of an intense battle and with his back to the army, Wang Chong still had a grasp of the battlefield situation. He himself was in extreme danger, but he still knew which units were stationed where.
Boom!
Upon receiving Wang Chong’s order, the army standing in front of the Behemoth quickly scattered to the sides.
Roooar!
At almost the same time, the scaled Behemoth turned savage, swinging its body with an agility unbefitting its girth and sending out a thick cloud of dust. Aaaah! Screams filled the air as the Behemoth’s dreadful power turned this ordinary sand and dust into lethal weapons.
Neeeigh! Unable to move in time, the warhorses caught in this sandstorm were battered into pieces, their bodies covered with tiny holes. Even their riders, wearing heavy armor, were smashed off their mounts, their insides pulped before they had even hit the ground. To an ant, even a snort from an elephant was a destructive blow, and the same principle applied to the Tang soldiers arrayed in front of Talas. The strength of man was truly insignificant before a legendary existence like this Behemoth.
“Damn it!”
This was the only method at his disposal to prevent further mass casualties.
But this was only a temporary measure. The army was still in great danger.
Crack!
At this moment, countless people looked on in shock as yet another one of the Godking Yama’s massive arms snapped off at the base, dropping to the ground in a cloud of dust. Of the Godking Yama’s four arms, only two were left!
Within the Godking Yama, Wang Chong vomited blood the moment the arm fell.
“Lord Marquis!”
Chen Bin, Sun Zhiming, Chen Burang, and Zhuang Zhengping were all deeply disturbed by the sight of the arm falling. Although their cultivation levels were still insufficient, they could all sense that Wang Chong was at his limit and on the verge of falling.
But the assault was still not over. Rumble! The Terrorizer exploded with strength and crashed its head into the Godking Yama, throwing Wang Chong ten-some zhang. With no more Wang Chong to stand in its way, the Terrorizer suddenly found itself with an empty space, the army completely undefended.
“Shit! Get out of the way!”
“Retreat! Fall back! Everyone withdraw!”
“Get out of here! We can’t hold!”
The thousands of Tang soldiers immediately fell into chaos. Panic swept through the ranks, thick with the stench of death.
The composure that the army had managed to maintain instantly collapsed into a full rout.
No one could imagine the harm an unobstructed Behemoth could inflict on the army.
Just when the army was about to suffer terrible casualties, a shout came out from the ranks. “Lord Marquis! The giant ballista is ready! Everyone, stand aside!”
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 619
