The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  In a flash, the soldiers raised their swords and began to converge on Osman.

  “General Wang, General Du, let’s work together. We can’t let him threaten the war banner!”

  The unfathomable air of dread around Osman had Zhao Fengchen grimacing. Purely in terms of cultivation, this Great General had undoubtedly reached an extremely high level. He was even on par with the three Grand Marshals of the Imperial Army.

  Zhao Fengchen instantly felt an unprecedented sense of danger.

  Boom!

  Without hesitation, Zhao Fengchen gripped his Earth’s Scar with both hands and used his most powerful technique.

  “Lightning Fury!”

  “Starving Wolf Devours the Moon!”

  “White Tiger Holds the Heavens!”

  At almost the same time, Wang Sili, Du Wuwei, and several other commanders abandoned their own opponents and lunged at Osman. Their various powerful techniques shot toward Osman like lightning bolts.

  “Ignorant!”

  Surrounded by a sea of elite Tang soldiers as well as Zhao Fengchen, Wang Sili, and Du Wuwei, Osman only gave them a disdainful glance.

  No matter how many of these foes there were, not even if they were the strongest Brigadier Generals, unless they had broken through that threshold, they would never be able to truly contend against an Imperial Great General.

  A moment later, a massive storm of destruction erupted from his body.

  “Crocodilian Calamity!”

  In an explosion of light, Osman used one of his most powerful techniques. Instantly, light began to twist and a vast black torrent appeared where Osman was standing.

  In the middle of this black flood, two sharp and savage eyes opened, and then a massive crocodile more than one hundred feet long awoke from its slumber.

  The God of the Nile!

  This was one of the most revered gods in Cairo and in all of Egypt. It was said that between the third and sixth month of every year, this god of the Nile would awaken and unleash a massive and calamitous flood that would deluge tens of thousands of fields and houses.

  Osman’s ‘Crocodilian Calamity’ was derived from the essence of this legend.

  Once Osman used this technique, he would be like the raging waters of the Nile, endlessly crashing against his foes in wave after wave, each blow imbued with destructive power.

  With this technique, Osman had succeeded in killing countless top-class experts of the Sassanid Dynasty. The unique energy of his attacks had pulverized the armor of his foes.

  Bang!

  This one technique immediately caused a chorus of screams.

  In the face of Osman’s unstoppable flood of black energy, countless soldiers of the Tang elite armies were sent flying. Even with the power of the Nine Dragon Blood War Banner, even when empowered by nine halos, these soldiers were still unable to contend against a top-class Imperial Great General like Osman. Their attempts to attack and defend were simply laughable.

  As for Zhao Fengchen, Wang Sili, and Du Wuwei, they were only able to hold for a few moments before they too were blown away by the mountain-toppling momentum of Osman’s attack.

  Plush! The three vomited blood in the air, their faces turning as white as paper.

  With a single palm, Osman had succeeded in cracking their ribs.

  “Everyone, hear my order! Charge with me!”

  Osman’s eyes flashed with cold light. After creating a gap in the Nine Dragon Blood Formation, he did not immediately chase after Zhao Fengchen, Du Wuwei, and Wang Sili, but instead gathered his men so that they could charge through the gap together.

  The Arabs still had many elite soldiers gathered around the Nine Dragon Blood Formation, including the soldiers of the Revelation Army, Blood Beast Army, and Death Army. These armies were all available for Osman to mobilize. On this battlefield, the Arabs, Tibetans, and Western Turks still had the advantage in numbers.

  Osman’s mind immediately became extremely calm. The primary objective in this battle was not to kill and wound the Tang, but to destroy the Nine Dragon Blood War Banner. Only by the destruction of the war banner would the Tang formation fall apart and cease to be a threat to the Arab soldiers.

  Buzz!

  The black and red banner was reflected in Osman’s eyes. Without any hesitation, Osman shot through the gap toward the center of the formation, toward the motionless black-armored guard.

  “Release!” Su Hanshan roared. He had sensed the danger from the front and ordered his ballista army to fire on the Governor of Cairo.

  His expression was cold and his eyes were emotionless.

  The situation on the battlefield was complex and constantly changing. More importantly, Osman had relied on his formidable strength to break into the center of the Nine Dragon Blood Formation. He was surrounded by Tang warriors, and using Tang ballistae at this distance might not just fail to wound Osman, but was also likely to kill Tang soldiers.

  A normal person would never dare to use Tang ballistae at a time like this.

  But Su Hanshan had not only used them, he had used them without hesitation.

  “Seeking death!”

  The howling ballista bolts approaching him caused Osman’s eyes to turn cold and cruel. Rather than avoid these ballista bolts, Osman chose to charge right in and push through with sheer strength.

  A steely energy exploded out of Osman’s body, and even these Tang ballista bolts which could pierce through Stellar Energy were unexpectedly knocked aside.

  Even Su Hanshan slightly grimaced when he saw Osman knock away all the ballista bolts. But it was too late for Su Hanshan to do anything else. Osman had succeeded in breaking through the layers of defense and was now just a few dozen feet from the black-armored guard.

  For someone of Su Hanshan’s cultivation to be able to launch a round of attacks and shave away at the strength of a Great General like this was quite excellent, but a second round of attacks was simply out of the question.

  “Now, hand over the war banner and die for me!”

  Now that he was finally in front of the black-armored guard, Osman coldly smiled at the banner holder like he was looking at prey waiting to be killed.

  Boom!

  A black ball of light shot out from Osman’s fingers, rapidly swelling to a hundred times its original size as it flew toward the black-armored guard.

  “Wonderful!”

  Time seemed to stop for a moment as the Arab soldiers both near and far, and even Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huicang, Dusong Mangpoje, and Abu Muslim, all showed a hint of relief on their faces. Although there had been many twists and turns, they had finally achieved their objective.

  Anyone so close to someone of Osman’s cultivation was essentially doomed.

  It was over!

  As long as they could seize that banner, the Great Tang would be in no state to stop the combined attack of the Arab, Tibetan, and Western Turkic forces.

  A single thought remained in Dalun Ruozan’s mind as he stood beneath the white yak banner, the matter of Duwu Sili having been completely cast to the back of his mind. The course of this battle was about to be reversed. The moment Osman succeeded was the moment that the Great Tang was defeated.

  As one side waned, the other would wax. While the Arabs, Western Turks, and Tibetans would rally, the morale of the Tang soldiers would plunge.

  “Not good!”

  “The Nine Dragon Blood War Banner is going to be destroyed!”

  “Hurry and save General Li!”

  The black-armored guard appeared insignificant in the face of Osman’s mighty attack, a drop in the ocean, and all the Tang soldiers became stricken with fear and worry.

  In an instant, countless soldiers heedlessly charged at Osman.

  Chapter 1110 - Counterattack! The Black-Armored Guard!

  Chapter 1110: Counterattack! The Black-Armored Guard!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Neeeigh!

  In the distance, Wang Chong
had been preparing to engage in a fierce battle with Aybak, but at this moment, he suddenly turned around and began to charge toward the Nine Dragon Blood War Banner.

  Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, and the Wushang Village Chief all did their utmost to try and stop Osman. But all their actions at this point were too late. No matter what they did, it would be of no help to the situation.

  At this point, the atmosphere on the battlefield was maximally saturated with tension.

  But just when it seemed like the black-armored guard was about to die to Osman’s attack…

  “Barbarian of the Western Regions, you overestimate your strength!”

  Just when Osman believed that he had firmly grasped victory, a deep voice devoid of emotion resounded in his ear. The black-armored guard had been motionless this entire time.

  But at this moment, he suddenly raised his head and stared at Osman.

  Instantly, Osman felt an indescribable feeling. At Osman’s level of cultivation, no one should have had enough time to raise their head when being attacked from such short range.

  This is impossible! Osman mentally roared.

  A moment later, he felt an intense danger.

  Bang!

  At this moment, a palm shot forward in a flash of light.

  This palm immediately shattered Osman’s black torrent and thrust into his chest. This energy was so enormous that Osman felt like the entire world had lost its color. All living beings in the world appeared insignificant in front of this palm.

  Kacrack!

  Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as Osman heard a crisp crack from his chest.

  The ‘Nile Battle Armor’, which he had spent a great deal of effort and resources, as well as made countless promises, to finally obtain from a member of the imperial household, instantly splintered into pieces. This armor that even the three Great Generals of the Sassanid Dynasty had failed to break had been shattered by a single palm from this black-armored guard.

  Plush!

  Osman’s entire body trembled as he vomited blood. And then an unstoppable power as vast as the seas sent him flying outward and into the ground.

  Boom! The ground seemed to be made of paper from how easily it cracked, sank, and exploded, sending large slabs of stone flying into the air from the force of Osman’s impact. Before these slabs of stone could get very far, they exploded in the air once more into hundreds of thousands of tiny stones.

  As the dust settled, everyone could clearly see the blood-drenched figure of Osman, surrounded by shattered pieces of his armor.

  Plush! As Osman got off the ground, his body trembled again and he vomited more blood. His hard and determined face instantly became as white as a sheet of paper.

  “!!!”

  Shock!

  Everyone who saw this sight was shocked until they couldn’t be shocked anymore. That black-armored guard in the center of the formation who hadn’t seemed very strong had actually managed to heavily wound Osman with a single palm. Everyone felt like their world had been completely turned upside down.

  “This is impossible!”

  At this moment, no one was more stunned than Abu Muslim. His fingers were clenched so hard together that the bones were about to break.

  As Osman’s comrade-in-arms, Abu Muslim had a keen understanding of his strength. He didn’t even dare to believe that Osman had been heavily injured by a single palm.

  Dalun Ruozan was just as stunned. His heart was a block of ice, and it felt like he had been the one that had been sent flying, not Osman.

  “An Imperial Great General! They actually sent an Imperial Great General to serve as the banner holder for the Nine Dragon Blood War Banner!”

  Dalun Ruozan’s lips trembled, his mind in complete disorder.

  Qutaybah had fought against the mysterious old man, Abu Muslim had lured away Gao Xianzhi, Ziyad had lured away Cheng Qianli, Huoshu Huicang had lured away Wang Yan… In the end, Governor Osman went alone to slay the banner holder and break the Nine Dragon Blood War Banner. Everything had gone according to Dalun Ruozan’s plan.

  But he had never expected the black-armored guard holding the banner to be a variable on his own. This unremarkable banner holder had turned out to be even stronger than the Governor of Cairo.

  Deathly stillness! At this moment, the entire battlefield had fallen silent!

  Everyone had been left speechless by their shock. Even Wang Chong was dumbstruck, let alone anyone else.

  “Hand over your life!”

  A voice broke the silence.

  The only one who wasn’t shocked by this result was probably the black-armored guard himself.

  Boom! The guard stepped forward, his eyes locked onto Osman. But before the black-armored guard could strike, boom! Osman’s body swelled with bloody light. The black-armored guard squinted as he prepared to receive Osman’s counterattack, but things turned out very differently from what he had expected.

  “Just who are you? Go!”

  The first sentence was a question for the black-armored guard, but when he said the word ‘Go’, Osman immediately transformed into a bloody streak of light and fled like a stray dog.

  “Hmph! Blood Escape!”

  A cold light flitted through the black-armored guard’s eyes, but this time, he stepped back, showing no intent of pursuing Osman.

  This world was host to many secret arts that could stimulate one’s potential and give one a large boost in strength for a short period of time, with the Blood Escape of the martial arts world being one of them. Osman definitely hadn’t used the Blood Escape Art, but there was no doubt that they achieved the same thing.

  “I’ll let you go for now, but in the coming battles, will you be able to step forward?”

  The black-armored guard’s eyes gleamed as he drew back his gaze from Osman. He resumed his position, standing motionless in the center of the Nine Dragon Blood Formation, appearing entirely unaffected by the events just now.

  To the holder of the Nine Dragon Blood War Banner, the most important duty was to hold the banner, not kill the enemy.

  The banner would be with the men, and it would only fall when he died!

  This was the conviction and law that each generation of the black-armored guards had cleaved to.

  As Osman fled, the entire battlefield seemed to awaken. All the Tang soldiers immediately exploded with cheers.

  “Kill!”

  “Kill these Arabs!”

  “Charge! Kill them all!”

  No one had expected the banner holder to have such profound strength, or the Great Tang to be hiding another Imperial Great General, one that was even stronger than Osman.

  The Tang morale immediately soared to the heavens as countless Tang soldiers joined the twenty thousand Tang elites in charging at the Arabs.

  “Load!

  “Ready!

  “Release!”

  At the same time, Su Hanshan was also revitalized and began to issue a string of orders.

  The five thousand ballistae joined the Nine Dragon Blood Formation in charging at the Arabs, Western Turks, and Tibetans. More and more soldiers poured out of the first defense line and entered the intense battlefield.

  This time, the Great Tang was no longer just holding its defensive positions. The entire army came to life like a massive machine and began a full-out offensive against the Arabs.

  Swooshswooshswoosh! Bolts filled the sky, piercing through the Arabs and drenching the earth with their blood. Shocked and panicked, the Arabs were quickly felled and their corpses began to pile up.

  “Kill!”

  None was more lethal on this battlefield than the Nine Dragon Blood Formation.

  Clangclangclang! The Tongluo Great Halo, Xuanwu Halo, Dragon Stallion Halo, Divine Prison Halo, Divine Martial Halo, Iron Wall Halo, Azure Martial Halo… nine top-class war halos, dazzling and brilliant, boosted the power of the twenty thousand Tang elites.

  At this moment, this army was the strongest in the continent, in the world.
<
br />   Not even the most powerful army on the Arab side, the Revelation Army, was any match for them.

  “Go! Hurry!”

  This time, the Arabs were truly in a complete rout. The damage Osman’s heavy injury had done to Arab morale was simply unimaginable.

  All of them had originally believed that they still had the upper hand when it came to the number of Great Generals, but now, all their advantages had been lost. The Great Tang had an equal number of Great Generals to the three empires.

  Although the Arabs, Tibetans, and Western Turks still had more soldiers, their army had lost the will to fight. All the Arab soldiers were fleeing from that ancient black and red banner.

  “Retreat! Retreat! Everyone, retreat!” Abu Muslim roared. His furious, unwilling, but also helpless voice rang out over the battlefield.

  In the air, Abu Muslim and his Eye of the Demon God gauntlet were far from finished with their battle against Gao Xianzhi. Although Gao Xianzhi’s strength had swelled, he was still not at the level where he could defeat Abu Muslim. But even though the battle between Great Generals had still not been decided, Abu Muslim was compelled to order a retreat.

  Bwoooom!

  A horn instantly began to blow from the rear of the Arab army, but when compared to the loud and energetic signal to attack, this one was fraught with panic.

  Rumble!

  Dust billowed into the air as the army began to retreat even faster.

  The other areas of the battlefield were also affected. Ziyad, Aybak, Huoshu Huicang, and Dusong Mangpoje all began to draw back, no longer in the mood to fight.

  In this battle, the Great Tang’s greatest weakness was the Nine Dragon Blood Formation. If the banner that held down the formation could be destroyed, the Tang army would fall apart on its own. But when that black-armored guard attacked, this weakness immediately disappeared.

  The greatest gap in the Great Tang’s defense was thus filled, and it was now Arabia that was on the back foot, as with Osman severely wounded, the three empires had lost a Great General.