The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Before his breakthrough, Qutaybah would have unquestionably died to the Myriad Rakshasa Earthen Stronghold Formation, but after his breakthrough, although he had been heavily injured, he had still managed to survive that lethal trap. He had even managed to save Abu Muslim, Aybak, Huoshu Huicang, and Ziyad.

  They were all heavily injured, but they had also managed to survive.

  Buzz!

  The blustery wind blew about Qutaybah’s long hair, revealing his crimson eyes. In this battle, Wang Chong had used a retreat to disguise his attack, successfully luring Qutaybah into a trap and heavily injuring him, but he had also succeeded in inflaming all the rage in Qutaybah’s heart.

  No one could play around with Qutaybah like this. In Arabia, Qutaybah was ever-victorious and invincible, and everyone worshiped him as War God. But in the eastern city of Talas, he had bled from his hand for the first time, and fought on an equal level with the Demonic Emperor Old Man, and then had been heavily injured by Wang Chong through the Myriad Rakshasa Earthen Stronghold Formation… All of this had utterly shattered Qutaybah’s decades-long reputation of invincibility.

  The ever-arrogant Qutaybah’s dignity had been stomped into the mud again and again, completely stoking his rage.

  Bang!

  Qutaybah fiercely punched. This time, he did not unleash a searing beam of Sword Qi, but a bolt of energy that seemed like the sun, yet was even hotter and more blinding, hungering to burn everything in the world.

  “Careful!”

  With this yell, the Demonic Emperor Old Man, Wushang Village Chief, black-armored guard, and Gao Xianzhi all lunged at Qutaybah. Destructive torrents of energy swept over the world, converging on Qutaybah from all sides. Wang Chong unleashed his own awesome blaze of light as he worked together with the others in assaulting Qutaybah.

  “Warning! Extra Side Mission: Kill the Arab War God Qutaybah!

  “Black flames are the magma flowing through the underworld. This is the strongest man to have ever walked out from the hell of the battlefield. His talent is peerless, and he represents the military soul of Arabia!

  “Starting from now, if user kills the Arab War God Qutaybah within twenty seconds, user will be rewarded 40,000 points of Destiny Energy. The less time used, the greater the reward, but if user takes more than twenty seconds, user will die!”

  Wang Chong suddenly received a string of messages from the Stone of Destiny. Wang Chong had never expected the Stone of Destiny to order him to kill Qutaybah, and there was even a reward of 40,000 points of Destiny Energy with potential for more!

  This was definitely the mission with the largest reward that Wang Chong had ever received, but Wang Chong had no time to worry about such things. As his hair blew about in the wind, he felt like his skull was going to explode. A sense of immense danger was surging through his body and threatening to drown him entirely.

  Although Qutaybah had been heavily injured through the use of the Myriad Rakshasa Earthen Stronghold Formation, he had also succeeded in breaking into the Subtle realm, increasing his threat level.

  Rumble!

  The voice of the Stone of Destiny had barely faded away when the attacks of Wang Chong’s group collided against Qutaybah’s higher-level energy. “Aaah!” The five of them trembled and were sent flying backward. Bangbangbang!

  The remaining power of Qutaybah’s attack even annihilated a few Divine Martial Army and Divine Prison Army soldiers. “Aaaah!” Screams rang through the air as their bodies were pulverized and their armor melted into liquid.

  “Retreat! Hurry and retreat!”

  Li Siye, Kong Zi-an, Xue Qianjun, Zhang Que, and Su Hanshan all cried out in alarm. All of them began to retreat, the army in disarray.

  All of them had been frightened out of their wits by this sight. Talas had collapsed along with the Myriad Rakshasa Earthen Stronghold Formation, but after enduring such an attack, Qutaybah had only gotten stronger. His single punch had heavily injured all five members of Wang Chong’s group.

  “Today, I will slay all of you!”

  Qutaybah’s eyes were ice-cold, his horrific killing intent distorting the air. Clang! He extended a hand, and his giant sword shot up from the ground in a golden flash of light and landed in his palm.

  Now that Qutaybah had his sword, his killing intent only increased, capable of causing both gods and devils to shrink back in fear.

  “Run!”

  “Scatter! Run!”

  Everyone stared in pale-faced shock at the floating Qutaybah. The empty-handed Qutaybah had already been terrifying, but now that he could use the sword arts that he excelled at, he would probably soon be decorating the landscape with their corpses.

  Neigh!

  Countless warhorses cried out in fear as they began to fall back, heedless of the pulling on their reins.

  The earth was awash with dust and debris, and God’s Might was gleaming with golden light as Qutaybah prepared to unleash another destructive blow. Plush! Without any warning, Qutaybah’s chest trembled, and he vomited crimson blood. Meanwhile, the aura around his body significantly weakened.

  “He’s injured! This bastard’s been injured!”

  “He’s not as powerful as he seems to be! The Myriad Rakshasa Earthen Stronghold Formation succeeded in severely injuring him!”

  Everyone was galvanized by this sight, and the eyes of Wang Chong, the Wushang Village Chief, and the others turned bright.

  Chapter 1144 - The Death of Qutaybah (II)

  Chapter 1144: The Death of Qutaybah (II)

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Qutaybah was truly too powerful, so powerful that all of them had believed that he could never be injured or toppled. In this attack, they had sacrificed the age-old fortress of Talas and all the energy of the Myriad Rakshasa Earthen Stronghold Formation, but they had still not managed to kill him. This further bolstered the valiant and dominating impression of Qutaybah that all of them held.

  However, Qutaybah was a man, not a god. Yet someone of his personality would have never vomited blood unless his injuries were extremely grave. It was clear that Qutaybah had been using his energy to forcefully suppress his wounds. He was not as powerful and invincible as he seemed.

  “Go!”

  Wang Chong’s eyes flashed with cold light as he immediately shot forward. The new Heavenly Mandate Battle Armor that he was wearing could weaken enemy attacks by forty percent. Even though Qutaybah had broken into the Subtle realm, and his energy was now on a far higher level than anyone else, its effects were much less frightening against Wang Chong.

  In terms of defensive ability, no one present, not even the Demonic Emperor Old Man or the Wushang Village Chief, could compare to Wang Chong. He was the only person capable of fighting Qutaybah in a head-on confrontation at this time.

  “Great Destruction Art!”

  Wang Chong used the strongest move of the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art. The world dimmed as a pure destructive energy poured out like a torrential river at Qutaybah.

  “Chong-er, be careful!”

  At almost the same time, a look of extreme concern flitted through the Demonic Emperor Old Man’s eyes. Without a second thought, the Demonic Emperor Old Man shot forward.

  A starving camel was still larger than a horse, and a centipede didn’t fall over even if it was dead. Qutaybah was already particularly terrifying before his breakthrough, and now that he was in the Subtle realm, all the energy in his body was that bright and resplendent energy of a higher dimension. For Wang Chong to charge out alone was extremely dangerous.

  “Venerable Senior, General Li, let’s go together!” Gao Xianzhi hollered out.

  Bangbangbang! Explosions rang out in the wind as Gao Xianzhi, the Wushang Village Chief, and the black-armored guard all leapt toward Qutaybah.

  Other than the black-armored guard, who was wearing some kind of special armor that could block many kinds of attacks, all of them were in extremely poor condition.

&nbs
p; But in this juncture of life and death where only one side could emerge alive, there was no time to worry about anything else.

  “Ignorant! Do you really think that you can defeat me like this? Since you all want to die, let me fulfill your wish!”

  Qutaybah’s face turned cold as that energy from a higher plane of existence surged out of his body. This golden radiance that could melt metal fused with Qutaybah’s giant sword.

  Bang!

  As Qutaybah slashed, the entire world was plated in gold by that blinding and searing radiance. Kaboom! A furious storm of energy pushed Wang Chong, the Demonic Emperor Old Man, the Wushang Village Chief, and the black-armored guard back.

  “Chong-er, don’t give him time. He has just broken through into the Subtle realm and hasn’t truly comprehended its power. He’s still restricted to using this energy as he did at his previous level. If he’s allowed to truly comprehend the energy of the Subtle realm, all of us are doomed.”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man’s beard quivered in concern, a look of urgency on his face. He had already fought far longer than someone in his condition should have.

  Bang!

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man stomped forward, unleashing a jet of dust that shot toward Qutaybah.

  No one understood more than him just how terrifying the Subtle realm was. The moment Qutaybah completely grasped this strength, then even with his severe injuries, the five of them would be in no state to contend against him.

  “Master, watch out!”

  Wang Chong immediately rushed ahead to attack Qutaybah first. Behind him, the Wushang Village Chief jabbed out with his cane, the black-armored guard waved his banner, and Gao Xianzhi flourished his sword, all of them launching their strongest attacks at Qutaybah.

  “Watch out! Don’t let Qutaybah confront them alone!”

  Boom! Aybak thumped his palm against the earth and shot into the air toward Wang Chong and the Demonic Emperor Old Man.

  As he flew through the air, Aybak widened his eyes in surprise. Trickles of blood were flowing down Qutaybah’s fingertips.

  Qutaybah had been intentionally attempting to conceal these things from Wang Chong and the others, but Aybak was behind Qutaybah, so he could clearly see what was going on.

  He had his quarrels with Qutaybah, and, as both had the status of governors, he had always felt somewhat unwilling to admit defeat, but at this moment, there was no question that Qutaybah was the martial soul of Arabia. Without him, then even if the Arabs had twice the numbers of the Great Tang, they would still lose.

  No one else could take Qutaybah’s place—not Aybak, Abu Muslim, Ziyad, or the Tibetan Great General Huoshu Huicang.

  “Go!”

  Right behind Aybak, a black and steely ball of energy exploded forward, Abu Muslim stomping on the ground and flying into the air.

  As the Governor of the East, the Governor of Iron and Blood, Abu Muslim had a thunderous reputation to the west of the Cong Mountains. But whether it was Abu Muslim, Qutaybah, or Aybak, the dignity and pride these supreme Arab experts had held had been dashed to pieces in this war with the Great Tang.

  Abu Muslim only hoped that he could utterly defeat the Great Tang, no matter the price that was paid.

  “Asmodai’s Fury!”

  A giant three-headed demon god immediately appeared behind Abu Muslim, sharply roaring, its body seething with destructive power. Abu Muslim punched out with his steely fist at Wang Chong’s group.

  The same Asmodai’s Fury was no longer what it once was, whether in terms of momentum, strength, or speed. Even the three-headed figure of Asmodai had almost faded away, losing much of its intimidating presence.

  The injuries inflicted on Qutaybah and Abu Muslim by the Myriad Rakshasa Earthen Stronghold Formation were far more serious than they appeared.

  Although Qutaybah had managed to rely on his talent to break through into the Subtle realm and protect Abu Muslim and the others, allowing them to survive that heaven-shaking explosion, even he had ended up injured. One could easily imagine that Abu Muslim and Aybak were faring no better.

  At this moment, all of Abu Muslim’s organs and meridians were riddled with wounds, and he was far from his peak strength.

  Thump thump!

  Two enormous booms rang out through the world. In a golden surge of Buddhist power, Huoshu Huicang once more took the form of the Vairocana Buddha.

  Ziyad threw out his Ocean Ring at the same time. However, both Huoshu Huicang’s and Ziyad’s attacks were much less grandiose and dazzling than before.

  “Hmph, at the limits of your strength, and you still dare to approach!”

  Wang Chong was aware of everything going on the battlefield. Even though he was fiercely battling with Qutaybah, he was still keeping a watch on the movements of Aybak and the others.

  In the past, the combined attacks of these four Great Generals would have expended a great deal of Wang Chong’s strength, but now, all four of them were seriously injured, even worse off than the Wushang Village Chief and the Demonic Emperor Old Man. For them to enter the fray at a time like this was simply suicidal.

  “Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art!”

  Wang Chong extended his right palm, which transformed into a steely fist that fused with the golden god behind him and continued to battle with Qutaybah. Meanwhile, his left hand aimed at Abu Muslim and the others.

  The terrifying devouring power of the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art immediately exploded forward.

  “Not good!”

  Abu Muslim and the others had barely begun to attack when they immediately sensed that something was wrong. Abu Muslim’s Asmodai’s Fury, Aybak’s pharaonic power, Huoshu Huicang’s Buddhist energy, and Ziyad’s Ocean Ring were all sucked in.

  The four of them even felt their Stellar Energy falling out of their control, surging out of their pores into a bloody mist that shot toward Wang Chong.

  “This bastard is using his evil art again!”

  Aybak was both shocked and furious. He suddenly stopped and then shot backward with explosive force.

  He had come quickly, and he left just as quickly.

  As Abu Muslim, Aybak, and Huoshu Huicang hurriedly fell back, Ziyad was even more hard-pressed. His Ocean Ring had been flying at Wang Chong, but it was almost immediately pulled back.

  He was only able to reach the Great General level because of the Ocean Ring, and the majority of his attacks relied on this artifact. If Wang Chong obtained the Ocean Ring, Ziyad would fall to the Brigadier General level and might not even be a match for Cheng Qianli.

  “Impudent!”

  As Wang Chong was forcing back the four Great Generals with a single palm, Qutaybah’s cold and emotionless voice resounded in everyone’s ears.

  Bang! Right when Wang Chong was using the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art to devour the blood and energy of Abu Muslim and the others…

  Qutaybah thrust forward a palm encased in dazzling golden armor, interposing it between Wang Chong and Abu Muslim’s group and forcefully blocking the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art.

  Kaboom! A golden light dozens of times brighter than the sun exploded from the center of Qutaybah’s palm.

  Rumble!

  The earth quaked while the air droned.

  Wang Chong showed no signs of backing down versus the dreadful energy of the Subtle realm, and he immediately thrust his palm at Qutaybah.

  The Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art that had been aimed Abu Muslim’s group immediately began to exert its power on Qutaybah.

  Bang! Wang Chong was left dumbfounded.

  As Wang Chong thrust his palm forward, that dazzling and scorching radiance on Qutaybah’s body remained unmoved. It was like sturdy rock, impossible to absorb.

  Chapter 1145 - The Death of Qutaybah (III)

  Chapter 1145: The Death of Qutaybah (III)

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Chong-er, watch out! You still haven’t reached the Subtle rea
lm, so you can’t absorb its energy,” the Demonic Emperor Old Man shouted at Wang Chong, his eyes fraught with worry.

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man’s warning had been very prompt, but with regards to Qutaybah, it was still too slow.

  Boom! A golden whirlwind of destructive energy exploded, once more pushing back Wang Chong and the Demonic Emperor Old Man, as well as the Wushang Village Chief and the black-armored guard.

  Bang! Crash! The enormous energy blasted the Demonic Emperor Old Man into a steel wall more than one hundred feet away. In an enormous bang and a cloud of dust, the Demonic Emperor Old Man and this steel wall weighing more than ten thousand jin were sent toppling to the ground by Qutaybah’s absolute strength.

  Meanwhile, the Wushang Village Chief grunted as he violently collided with the ground, creating an enormous crater.

  Countless stones shot out like sharp arrows.

  As for the black-armored guard and Gao Xianzhi, they staggered backward several steps. Their chests trembled moments before they vomited blood.

  Qutaybah’s power had reached an inconceivable level. All of them had already been injured, and now they were even more so.

  Boom! The last to fly out was not Gao Xianzhi or the black-armored guard, but Wang Chong. He slammed into the ground like a human-shaped asteroid, his body digging out a furrow more than two meters deep through the earth. At a glance, it appeared to be the trunk of some many-jointed organism.

  The dust settled, revealing Wang Chong’s half-kneeling body, which suddenly raised its head.

  Plush!

  His chest trembled, and even though he did his utmost to resist, he still could not suppress the sudden sweetness on his tongue, and blood gushed out from his mouth. The light in Wang Chong’s eyes dimmed and his face became the color of paper. Every part of his body felt a sharp stabbing pain like thousands of ants gnawing at him.

  The Heavenly Mandate Battle Armor could reduce damage by forty percent and was an extremely powerful defensive tool, but even so, the remaining sixty percent was enough to inflict enormous damage on Wang Chong. This was the first time Wang Chong had ever contended against the power of the ‘Subtle’. This was a power beyond the Saint Martial realm. Not even the vast energy Wang Chong had extracted from the Myriad Rakshasa Earthen Stronghold Formation could stand against it.