It seemed like even the peace talks with the various foreigners would be destroyed at the hands of the King of Foreign Lands.
You finally couldn’t restrain yourself?
Wang Chong instantly recognized Sword Ghost. This man and his sword dance in Drunken Moon Pavilion had left a very deep impression on Wang Chong.
If he’s here, the other Confucian Sect members can’t be far.
Wang Chong subtly shot a glance into the distance, a light gleaming in his eyes.
It would be far stranger if the Confucian Sect was completely unaware of such a major uproar.
“Hmph, where did this small character come from? In front of this king, you still dare to act so impudently?” Wang Chong coldly asked.
“Bastard!”
Sword Ghost’s eyes went red in anger. Boom! In a flash of light, he unsheathed his sword and instantly vanished into the void.
“Shao Music Dance!”
An ancient voice accompanied by the sounding of bells began to resound through the air. The Public Order Squad cavalry around Wang Chong, including Su Shixuan, were instantly dazzled by this sound. It was like their souls had been pulled into another world, and looks of intoxication appeared in their eyes.
Shao Music was the music created by Emperor Shun, the music of the sages. But the Shao Music Dance was one of the ten great assassination techniques of the Spring and Autumn Era. A top-class martial artist of that era who had worked as an assassin comprehended this technique from Shao Music1 after joining the Confucian Sect.
Each time the sword struck in the Shao Music Dance, it was like a musical note being played, and each musical note was a sword technique. This sword art attacked both the flesh and the soul. Even those experts of formidable will who had reached the Saint Martial realm would still be affected by the Shao Music.
Because Shao Music was the music that embodied the hearts of the people!
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1. Emperor Shun was one of the Five Emperors, five legendary rulers of ancient China. Along with Emperor Yao, who preceded Shun and made Shun his successor, he was often held up as a model ruler by Confucius. In addition to this, he is claimed to have created a musical piece known as ‘Shao Music’ or ‘Great Shao’.↩
Chapter 1585 - Imminent Conflict!
Chapter 1585: Imminent Conflict!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Dingdingding!
Countless bolts of Sword Qi resounded like musical notes as they exploded toward Wang Chong.
Gong, Shang, Jue, Zhi, Yu1—as expected, the Confucian Sect has some good things!
Sitting on his horse, Wang Chong squinted his eyes, utterly unaffected by the Shao Music. With his current level of Psychic Energy, the things that could affect him were few and far between, and Shao Music was not one of them.
“It’s a good art! Alas, the user’s martial arts are lacking!”
With this indifferent comment, Wang Chong opened his eyes, opened his right hand, and reached with deceptive speed into the air.
Bang!
There was a thunderous boom, and a moment later, everyone could see that Wang Chong’s palm had firmly grasped a silver-white sword out of the empty air.
This sharp sword seemed like nothing but a wooden cudgel in Wang Chong’s hand, and it was completely frozen in the air. And Sword Ghost, who was holding the sword, was also frozen in a strange posture, his head facing down and his feet facing up like he was nailed in place.
“How is this possible?”
Sword Ghost’s eyes flashed, a look of extreme shock on his face as he stared at the young noble on horseback.
He had used the fiercest of Sword Qis, and not even steel could endure this blow. But Wang Chong had caught his sword like an eagle snatching a chick. Sword Ghost was even more shocked because he knew that this terrifying assassination art was bursting with explosive Stellar Energy.
For Wang Chong to catch the sword barehanded was an incredibly foolish action.
But only now did Sword Ghost realize that when his Shao Music Sword Qi clashed with Wang Chong, the Stellar Energy was all devoured, unable to cause even a small ripple.
It was like Wang Chong’s body was a bottomless pit.
There was nothing normal about this, and not even within the Confucian Sect had Sword Ghost encountered anything so bizarre.
There was only one explanation…
Wang Chong was far stronger than he was!
Sword Ghost’s heart sank like a stone.
For the first time, Sword Ghost began to panic as he looked at this youth. He had never had much regard for this noble of the Great Tang, so he had never once believed that he wasn’t a match for Wang Chong. Thus, he had impulsively charged over.
“Not good! Retreat!”
“Not good! Sword Ghost is in trouble!”
Elder Song and Bamboo Mirror paled. They had tried to stop Sword Ghost the moment he charged forward, but Sword Ghost moved too quickly. Even worse, Sword Ghost had a rash personality and simply had no idea who he was dealing with.
“Stop him!”
Elder Song and the others cast aside their apprehensions and began to shoot out of the crowd toward Wang Chong.
In the distance, all of Sword Ghost’s initial rage and impulse had vanished without a trace.
Retreat!
As Sword Ghost paled, this was the only thought left in his mind.
He let go of the sword and tried to shoot backward.
“Hmph, you think you can run?”
Wang Chong coldly sneered. He had even slain a Subtle realm expert like the Tiger Immortal with a single blow, and Sword Ghost wasn’t even in the Subtle realm.
Buzz!
Just as Sword Ghost was retreating, Wang Chong instantly attacked.
“King of Foreign Lands, show mercy!” A cold and aloof voice came from the direction of the palace gate, and its owner instantly began to move with lightning-fast speed toward Wang Chong and Sword Ghost.
“Young Master!”
“Young Master is here!”
Elder Song and the others were ecstatic to hear this voice, and they now charged at Wang Chong without apprehension.
“Hmph, what does it matter if you’re here!?”
Wang Chong had noticed Li Junxian the moment he had appeared, but he could not possibly allow him to save Sword Ghost.
“Ah!”
In a golden flash of light, Wang Chong thrust his palm down toward the earth.
Boundless Stellar Energy descended, swatting the retreating Sword Ghost out of the air and into the ground and causing him to scream in fear.
Boom!
At almost the same time, a milky-white bolt of Stellar Energy shot toward Wang Chong like a ray of light.
Wang Chong confidently smiled and thrust out his left palm. Golden Stellar Energy howled out and collided with the milky-white Stellar Energy.
There was yet another immense boom. Wang Chong remained as firm as a mountain upon his White-hoofed Shadow, and the distant Li Junxian also stopped, his face cold and aloof.
As for Sword Ghost, Wang Chong reached out and drew him into his hand. Sword Ghost was now his captive, with all his meridians and Stellar Energy sealed.
All the Confucian Sect members felt their hearts grow cold, and with no time to think, they rushed toward Li Junxian’s side.
“Wang Chong, release my subordinate!”
Dressed in his court robes, Li Junxian icily stared at Wang Chong.
“It’s the Secretariat Advisor!”
The spectating crowd was getting more and more restless. Countless eyes had instantly recognized one of the current powers of the Imperial Court, the Secretariat Advisor.
The militarist-Confucian conflict had taken place between Li Junxian as Secretariat Advisor and Wang Chong as Advisor-in-Waiting, and now, these two were once more clashing outside the gates of the Imperial Palace.
The atmosphere instantly became tense as the crowd
focused on Wang Chong and Li Junxian, who was slowly making his way toward him.
Even the panicked Hu and foreign spy captains sensed the change in the air and turned to look.
He finally appeared!
Within the crowd of Hu, Mochi Xiangyang breathed a sigh of relief. Wang Chong was truly too domineering, so domineering that he seemed unstoppable. In all the realm, only Li Junxian could contend against him.
Wang Chong ignored everyone else, his eyes focused on Li Junxian. Unless there was a special incident, officials taking part in a court session could not leave. Li Junxian should have never appeared here in normal circumstances, but Wang Chong was unsurprised by this development.
The Confucian Sect had far greater control over the Imperial Court than one could imagine, and there was nothing strange about him getting permission to leave early.
Wang Chong glanced at Sword Ghost, whom he had seized by the neck like a chicken, and indifferently asked, “You say that this man who defies his betters is your subordinate?”
“Bastard! Just who are you calling a man who defies his betters?!”
Sword Ghost was infuriated by these words. Although Wang Chong had sealed his Stellar Energy, he had not taken away his ability to talk.
“Hmph, I’m a rank-one noble of the Great Tang! And what are you that you dare to attack me!?”
Wang Chong didn’t even glance at Sword Ghost, but his words instantly caused Sword Ghost’s expression to freeze.
Yes, although the Confucian Sect was a faction beyond the reach of the Imperial Court and had never been controlled by secular authorities, this was the capital of the Great Tang. Wang Chong was a King of the Great Tang, his status far surpassing his.
Su Shixuan suddenly stepped forward and sternly said, “Your Highness, in this subordinate’s view, this is an assassin who was sent after Your Highness. If we investigate his background, we should be able to find some clues as to who hired him.”
Bzzzz! Sword Ghost and Li Junxian both paled, while Wang Chong gave a chilling smile.
In the past, Li Junxian had once directly moved against Wang Chong’s subordinates in order to deal with him, even imprisoning some of them.
Wang Chong was simply returning the favor and letting Li Junxian understand what it felt like to have his subordinates imprisoned.
“Wang Chong, you bastard! I was the one who did this! It has nothing to do with the young master! If you have a problem, just blame me!” Sword Ghost yelled.
Wang Chong, continuing to ignore him, handed him to Su Shixuan.
“Come; take this man away!”
On the other side, Li Junxian scowled.
“King of Foreign Lands is truly a crafty man. So have you come to take revenge, then?” Li Junxian coldly asked.
“He tried to assassinate this king, or have I unjustly accused him? Secretariat Advisor, as an important official of the court, do you not even understand the laws of the Great Tang?” Wang Chong retorted.
Li Junxian’s face turned even colder. Not even Li Junxian could deny that Sword Ghost had attempted to assassinate Wang Chong.
“Secretariat Advisor, Secretariat Advisor, save me!”
A cry for help tinged with a Hu accent came from nearby. Pusan Tuoye and the other foreign royals that Wang Chong had arrested were calling out to Li Junxian for help.
They didn’t recognize Sword Ghost, but they did recognize Li Junxian, and this was the only person who could save them at this time.
“King of Foreign Lands, I’ll set aside this matter for now, but you must immediately release Pusan Tuoye and the others! Come! Untie the Princes and Princesses!”
Li Junxian was enraged to see the foreign royals tied up, and he waved his arm. Elder Song and Bamboo Mirror immediately led the Confucian Sect members in moving to untie Pusan Tuoye and the others.
“Hmph, who dares!?”
Wang Chong’s eyes chilled and he immediately flicked his finger. Boom! A dazzling bolt of white Sword Qi shot through the air and drew out a line several inches deep in the ground.
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1. Gong, Shang, Jue, Zhi, and Yu are the five notes of the Chinese musical scale.↩
Chapter 1586 - King Qi Appears!
Chapter 1586: King Qi Appears!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Impudent! Wang Chong, are you inciting conflict between the Great Tang and the surrounding countries?” Li Junxian sternly said, staring at Wang Chong.
“If the Son of Heaven commits a crime, he is punished like a commoner! Li Junxian, do you not even understand this principle?” Wang Chong sternly said.
“Hahaha, what a nice saying! King of Foreign Lands, that’s a nice tone you have there!”
Suddenly, brash laughter began to ring out, accompanied by the rumbling of hooves.
Everyone immediately turned to look, as did Wang Chong.
Su Shixuan’s heart trembled as he blurted out in shock, “Your Highness, it’s King Qi!”
“Ah!”
“It’s King Qi!”
The spectating commoners fell into turmoil and began to scatter like they were avoiding a plague bearer. King Qi, leading a large force of men, rammed his way through the crowd and right up to the palace gates.
Some of the commoners were unable to dodge in time and were knocked into the air.
All the officials acted with some level of restraint so close to the Son of Heaven, not daring to act too arrogantly. Other than the foreigners who did not understand the laws of the Great Tang, only King Qi dared to act with such flagrant disregard.
A goateed elder with the look of an advisor rode his horse up to King Qi and whispered, “Your Highness, Li Junxian is also here!”
“Hah, given all that’s happened, it would be stranger if he wasn’t here!”
King Qi strangely laughed.
After looking at Li Junxian for a moment, he turned to Wang Chong and his White-hoofed Shadow.
“I’ve waited for so long. Finally, you lost your patience!”
King Qi’s eyes flashed with a sinister and smug light. The mantis stalked the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. He had been informed of today’s court session some time ago, but just like King Song, he had not appeared in court.
But unlike King Song, King Qi had been summoned. He simply didn’t want to go. The assembled officials, Li Junxian, and the First Prince were more than enough to deal with Zhangchou Jianqiong. His presence was unnecessary.
King Qi was only interested in Wang Chong!
Zhangchou Jianqiong was just a shield standing in front of Wang Chong. What he really wanted to do was seize the shield bearer, not the shield.
Thus, when the Hu began to gather, King Qi became interested. He had been waiting with his men from the Penal Court, knowing that Wang Chong would appear.
As expected, Wang Chong really had intervened.
King Qi squinted and then waved his hand as he loudly ordered, “Come! Seize all these treasonous scoundrels!”
“Yes, Milord!” the officials of the Penal Court called out, and then lunged like vicious tigers at the Public Order Squad members on the perimeter of the crowd. Upon receiving the news, King Qi had prepared five to six thousand men.
He had practically emptied out the Penal Court and had even brought his personal soldiers. As an Imperial Prince, King Qi was allowed to have two thousand personal soldiers, and all of them were elites.
All of this was permitted by the Imperial Court.
On the surface, King Qi and his five to six thousand men were outnumbered by the nearly ten thousand men of the Public Order Squad, but King Qi’s men were fully equipped and could fight on the same level as an army of more than ten thousand. Meanwhile, the Public Order Squad had not been rushing to the battlefield, so they were mostly armed with ropes and chains. Besides that, they were also weaker than King Qi’s personal soldiers.
The gap in strength was obvious.
The several thousand well-
trained men of the Penal Court and King Qi’s powerful personal soldiers charged forward, and the eastern flank of the Public Order Squad was the first to be thrown back in disarray.
“King of Foreign Lands, the gates of the palace are at the feet of the Son of Heaven. To bring so many men here, are you thinking of rebellion?! Come; arrest these rebels!” cried the goateed advisor behind King Qi, raising his arm.
As expected!
Seeing the Penal Court forces behind King Qi, Wang Chong couldn’t help but shake his head, apparently caring little about King Qi’s actions.
The nine-thousand-some men of the Public Order Squad could not possibly deal with King Qi’s men. But Wang Chong was not at all panicked.
“Since that’s the case, Shixuan, have them get ready!”
Kaclack!
As soon as Wang Chong finished speaking, the creaking of gears filled the air. Whoosh! Several hundred Public Order Squad members quickly tore the cloth off the ‘chests’ in front of them, revealing the objects hidden underneath.
Cold and unfeeling arrow tips pointed at the charging soldiers behind King Qi.
“Hurry and retreat!”
Upon making out what those large objects were, the savage-faced Penal Court members and King Qi’s personal soldiers instantly paled and began to retreat in disarray.
“Ah!”
The surrounding crowd cried out in alarm.
“Ballistae!”
King Qi’s pupils constricted and his face grimaced. Even Li Junxian paled. The objects hidden behind Wang Chong were none other than the lethal heavy weapons, the ballistae of the Great Tang!
“Wang Chong, you dare!”
King Qi couldn’t help but roar upon seeing the ballistae.
“Ballistae are heavy weapons under the control of the army! For you to dare to use such lethal weapons at the feet of the Son of Heaven, how can this be anything but rebellion?!”
King Qi was about to explode from anger. He had been completely confident in the ability of his five-thousand-some men to deal with the nine-thousand-some men of the Public Order Squad.
But he had never expected Wang Chong to be so ‘shameless’, ready with ballistae in the rear precisely for the moment that he would appear.
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