The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “Let’s wait and see! In addition, Xu Keyi, has there been any news of the three Grand Marshals?” Wang Chong asked without turning his head. He cared more about the three still-absent Grand Marshals than the first round.

  He had already learned last night that two of the three had been injured, but which two, and how their injuries were doing, remained a mystery. Wang Chong had sent Zhang Que to investigate, but Zhang Que had learned that the Imperial Palace had been locked down, with gyrfalcons, giant hawks, and golden eagles preventing any news from traveling through the air.

  Wang Chong had tried to get in touch with Zhao Fengchen, who had enough status to know what was going on inside, but the Eastern Palace had been one step ahead. On the excuse that all the officers participating needed to be in peak condition, the First Prince had ordered that Zhao Fengchen and his hand-picked escort of five hundred Xuanwu Army elites should isolate themselves, banning any visitors.

  The First Prince’s intentions with this were obvious.

  Xu Keyi bowed and respectfully said, “Zhang Que has already gone to investigate. While it’s impossible to send messages through the air, Zhang Que has other methods, though they will take a little more time!”

  “Have him finish as quickly as possible! This is an extremely important matter!” Wang Chong said.

  He had some theories on this competition, but he needed to wait until Zhang Que came back to confirm them.

  “The first round! Feng Tieqiong challenges Xuanwu Army Marshal Zhao Fengchen!”

  The loud announcement interrupted Wang Chong’s thoughts, and he looked up to see a stalwart and burly general, wielding a halberd, enter the field with five hundred soldiers and charge straight at Zhao Fengchen.

  The man radiated waves of frightening killing intent that placed him well above the average generals. He could even somewhat vie with the other Marshals of the Imperial Army.

  And the first person he had challenged was none other than Zhao Fengchen!

  Wang Chong glanced at that man and frowned, an idea taking form in his mind.

  But on the drilling ground, the battle had begun!

  “General Zhao, forgive me for the offense!”

  The Vice Marshal called Feng Tieqiong roared, thrusting his halberd forward as he led his five hundred men in a charge. Clang! As a heavy hoof stomped down, a dazzling halo as tough and heavy as steel erupted from Feng Tieqiong’s galloping horse and enveloped his army.

  The power of his halo caused the power of these five hundred men to swell, and they charged at Zhao Fengchen like a moving fortress.

  The Mountain Halo!

  This was an extremely strong halo used by the Imperial Army that was extremely difficult to master. That he had successfully cultivated this halo to this level, and could reach five hundred men with it, was proof enough that Vice Marshal Feng Tieqiong possessed astonishing talent and strength of his own.

  Rumble! Under the charge of Feng Tieqiong’s cavalry, the drilling ground trembled, the reinforced stone slabs on the verge of breaking.

  Everyone around the drilling ground nervously watched as Feng Tieqiong charged at Zhao Fengchen.

  Unlike Feng Tieqiong, Zhao Fengchen sat motionlessly on his horse like a stolid mountain, and the five hundred Xuanwu Army soldiers were similarly still and disciplined.

  One thousand feet, seven hundred feet, five hundred feet… Feng Tieqiong’s soldiers were getting closer and closer, the tension rising.

  “This Feng Tieqiong seems quite formidable. I wonder who will win!”

  A clan scion clenched his fists in anxiety.

  But this first match of the competition ended far differently than they could have imagined.

  Clang!

  At a distance of five hundred feet, Zhao Fengchen coldly unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Feng Tieqiong.

  Boom!

  Like a bolt of lightning, the Xuanwu Army soldiers suddenly shot forward, and before anyone could even react, they slammed into Feng Tieqiong’s five hundred soldiers.

  It was impossible to describe the intensity of the impact, and it sounded like countless peals of thunder had exploded in one’s ears.

  All was chaos and turmoil, screams filling the air. The five hundred Imperial Army soldiers crumpled. Zhao Fengchen and his Xuanwu Army hadn’t even used their renowned Xuanwu Halo, defeating Feng Tieqiong with pure physical strength.

  The five hundred Imperial Army soldiers were thrown about like drifting petals, and the crowd of spectators fell silent in awe.

  “Too formidable!”

  The young clan scions had their eyes wide open in shock. They had heard many hotblooded stories about the battlefield and had talked about them countless times in the tea houses and taverns, but only when they saw that majestic and grandiose clash did they realize how restrained their imaginations had been.

  “Withdraw!”

  After easily defeating Feng Tieqiong, Zhao Fengchen sheathed his sword and led his five hundred Xuanwu Army soldiers in an orderly and relaxed retreat.

  Meeting a gentleman again after three days required one to examine him with new eyes. Feng Tieqiong’s Imperial Army soldiers were powerful, but they were still lacking compared to the Arab elites led by Qutaybah. Moreover, after the Battle of Talas, Zhao Fengchen had sought instruction on the art of war from Wang Chong, and he had been constantly training. The current Xuanwu Army was now much stronger.

  The first battle ended surprisingly quickly and simply.

  The crowd was shocked, but Wang Chong was quite composed. Zhao Fengchen was a future Grand Marshal of the Imperial Army and someone who had left a dazzling mark on the annals of history, so such capabilities were within Wang Chong’s expectations.

  Feng Tieqiong quickly withdrew.

  The second match began, and everyone watched as the second force took the field. The Vice Marshal leading this force was bursting with muscle, and he had a scar that extended from the corner of his brow across his temple. He gave off a coarse and brutish aura, and his energy seemed to be on par with Feng Tieqiong’s.

  In the first round, the Vice Marshals could challenge the six Marshals, and if they succeeded, they could replace the defeated Marshal and go into the next round.

  Everyone watched this second Vice Marshal, who scanned the six Marshals of the Imperial Army. A moment later, he extended his right hand and pointed at the edge of the battlefield, at Zhao Fengchen, who had only just withdrawn.

  “For the second match, I challenge Zhao Fengchen!” the Imperial Army Vice Marshal declared without hesitation, his voice resounding over the drilling ground.

  Chapter 1718 - Loophole in the Rules!

  Chapter 1718: Loophole in the Rules!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Buzz!

  The words of the second Vice Marshal had the crowd in an uproar.

  Wang Chong’s uncle-in-law, Li Lin, raised an eyebrow and uneasily said, “Chong-er, something isn’t right. Zhao Fengchen participated in the Battle of Talas, and everyone in the realm knows the strength of the Xuanwu Army. If these people actually wanted to challenge someone, they would have chosen the weakest of the six, so why did the first two Vice Marshals challenge Zhao Fengchen one after the other?”

  Wang Chong said nothing and continued to carefully inspect the drilling ground.

  “It’s a scheme! They’re targeting Zhao Fengchen!” Wang Chong suddenly said.

  “Ah?!”

  Li Lin cried out in alarm and stared at Wang Chong.

  Although he sensed that there was something a little inappropriate about the two Vice Marshals challenging Zhao Fengchen, he wasn’t as sure as Wang Chong.

  Boom!

  Meanwhile, in the distance, there was a thunderous boom and a sudden clamor, and then everything quieted down. Li Lin turned to look and saw that Zhao Fengchen had already defeated his foe and was withdrawing.

  Even though his foe had been strong, he was still greatly lacking compared to Zhao
Fengchen and the Xuanwu Army.

  “Marshal Zhao! Marshal Zhao!”

  Zhao Fengchen’s swift victory had won him the passionate cheers of the young clan scions. The discussion stirred by two Vice Marshals in a row challenging Zhao Fengchen quickly settled down, with no one besides Wang Chong noticing the truth.

  “See that Imperial Army Vice Marshal? But if you look carefully, you’ll notice that he’s not the only one of the twelve challengers staring at Zhao Fengchen,” Wang Chong commented.

  Li Lin looked over and saw that as one Vice Marshal withdrew with his troops, he glanced at the challenger waiting at the edge of the drilling ground. Li Lin could clearly see the two exchange a strange glance.

  “Not good! They really are colluding!”

  Li Lin’s heart thumped as he immediately realized that Wang Chong was telling the truth.

  “They’re planning to use the constant battles to wear Zhao Fengchen out, at which point Lord Zhao won’t be in peak condition and won’t be able to deal with the other Imperial Army Marshals, let alone challenge the Grand Marshals.”

  Today’s competition was not as simple as a selection for the three Grand Marshals. The fate of the empire was on the line. This was why so many clan patriarchs had appeared, knowing how sensitive this moment was.

  Wang Chong’s brow creased, countless thoughts running through his mind.

  On the northern end of the drilling ground, the First Prince’s advisor, Meng Tu, stepped forward and noted, “Your Highness, it seems like the King of Foreign Lands has noticed!”

  Though he was speaking to the First Prince, his eyes were on Hou Junji.

  With the Setting Sun Villa incident and Big Dipper City incident, the Eastern Palace had taken control of the soldiers of Beiting and Big Dipper, and some things had gradually floated to the surface, such as the identity of the mysterious elder serving the First Prince.

  Once they learned of the Ghost King’s true identity, all the members of the Eastern Palace regarded him with utmost respect. While the First Prince was the one who had ordered this Imperial Army competition, everyone knew who the real architect of this scheme was.

  Upon hearing Meng Tu’s words, Hou Junji merely smiled.

  “If he couldn’t even see this, that man would have never taken him as his disciple,” Hou Junji nonchalantly said.

  After a few moments of rest, the third Vice Marshal galloped out.

  “I also wish to challenge Marshal Zhao!”

  This Vice Marshal didn’t even look at anyone else, his hands still on the reins of his horse as he spoke to Zhao Fengchen.

  Whoooah!

  The crowd was once more in an uproar at the third Vice Marshal’s words.

  “What’s going on? Why did all three of them challenge Zhao Fengchen?”

  “What about the other six Marshals? The three have all challenged the same person. This doesn’t seem fair!”

  “Why are so many people targeting Marshal Zhao Fengchen? He’s going to get tired out if this continues, and then how can he continue on to the next round?!”

  The crowd hadn’t noticed anything on the first and second occasion, but when the third Vice Marshal also challenged Zhao Fengchen, it just became too obvious. Zhao Fengchen also slightly grimaced at these words, clearly noticing something strange.

  “Chong-er, what do we do? If we don’t stop them, this contest will clearly become unfair!” Li Lin frantically said. The First Prince was willing to go to any length to take control of the Imperial Army, but this was a little too despicable.

  “There’s no need!”

  Wang Chong shook his head and rejected Li Lin’s suggestion.

  “Given that he dared to do this, the First Prince has naturally planned everything out. The twelve Vice Marshals will take turns stepping onto the field, and they’re allowed to pick any one of the six Marshals to challenge, so they can naturally challenge Zhao Fengchen. Nothing they do goes against the rules!”

  There was no problem with the selection rules of the Imperial Army. The soldiers of the Imperial Army worked their way up from the bottom, and when they reached the rank of Vice Marshal, they could challenge the six Marshals. If one of the Marshals wasn’t strong enough, they would naturally be removed while the stronger one moved upward. This ensured that new blood was always flowing through the Imperial Army and that only the best reached the rank of Grand Marshal.

  But the maker of those rules had never imagined that someone would use the rules to challenge the same person, because normally, a situation where this became relevant was impossible.

  Li Lin paled at Wang Chong’s words. “Then what do we do? This isn’t a fair contest. If this continues, Zhao Fengchen won’t even have a chance to advance to challenge the Grand Marshals.”

  “There’s no need to worry. It’s not the end yet.”

  Wang Chong calmly looked across the drilling ground at Hou Junji.

  This should all be his plan! But what is he really thinking? He can’t believe that this is really enough to defeat Zhao Fengchen and seize the Imperial Army, can he?

  As these thoughts ran through his mind, Wang Chong’s face remained indifferent.

  “Zhao Fengchen is not so easily defeated, and while the competition doesn’t forbid someone from challenging one person again and again, I remember that, more than one hundred years ago, when these rules were first set up, there was a rule that a single person could not be challenged more than six times. Zhao Fengchen only needs to endure six rounds, so he can’t be completely tired out,” Wang Chong indifferently said.

  The match quickly began. As the one being challenged, Zhao Fengchen did not have the right to refuse.

  Bang!

  There was a thundering of hooves as the two armies clashed. Unlike the first two, this Vice Marshal did not engage in a direct confrontation with Zhao Fengchen’s men.

  He placed a hand on his saddle, soared into the air, and instantly unleashed dazzling saber energy as he slashed at Zhao Fengchen, completely ignoring the five hundred cavalry around him.

  Clang!

  There was an explosion of sparks in the air as sword clashed with saber, shockwaves ripping through the area. The third Vice Marshal was clearly lacking compared to the doughty Zhao Fengchen, and he was instantly blown back ten-some meters.

  But this man was still extremely strong. While Zhao Fengchen was not unseated from his horse, his energy circulation became somewhat unsteady. He had clearly consumed significant amounts of energy.

  Before Zhao Fengchen could attack, the Vice Marshal raised his left arm and loudly called out, “I concede!”

  “Despicable! Too shameless!”

  Bai Siling, who was standing behind Wang Chong, cried out in anger. Even she could see that the opponent hadn’t even been trying to defeat Zhao Fengchen. His goal had been to use his powerful cultivation to attack Zhao Fengchen and grind away at his strength.

  Such blatant attempts were simply too shameless!

  “There’s no need to worry. Zhao Fengchen won’t lose!” Wang Chong calmly said, startling Bai Siling.

  “Wang Chong, you mean…” Bai Siling stammered.

  Wang Chong chuckled. He would never underestimate just how low his opponents would go. Although he couldn’t predict every move they could make, nothing had yet happened outside of his expectations.

  Bai Siling seemed to realize something and followed Wang Chong’s gaze.

  Zhao Fengchen, after withdrawing from the battlefield, quickly removed a slender box from his bosom. Opening it, he took something out and swallowed it before anyone could get a clear look.

  “Bastard! He brought medicine!”

  The members of the Eastern Palace all trembled in shock.

  Zhao Fengchen was Wang Chong’s important ally in the Imperial Army and was one of the six Marshals, so he was the primary target of this operation.

  While Zhao Fengchen had moved very quickly, they had still managed to catch a glimpse of what was inside the box.

&nb
sp; Pft!

  Bai Siling couldn’t help but laugh after she understood what was going on.

  “You already sent him medicine! The Eastern Palace must be furious!”

  In truth, Bai Siling had already looked over and seen the scowls on the faces of the First Prince and his advisors.

  Steam rose out of Zhao Fengchen’s body as he rapidly recovered his energy, and the advisors paled even more. All of them began to turn to Hou Junji.

  Chapter 1719 - Wang Chong’s Methods!

  Chapter 1719: Wang Chong’s Methods!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Senior Ghost King, what do we do now?”

  Although the martial arts of this world were well-developed, its medicine arts were not as thriving. A single pill was extremely valuable, and the best alchemists in the realm usually worked for the Imperial Palace.

  These pills were primarily for the use of the imperial household, and even Kings did not have many. But it seemed that Wang Chong had his ways of getting his hands on them.

  “Heh!”

  The Ghost King faintly smiled, a subtle gleam in his eyes.

  “Now this is amusing! So he already prepared a few things for Zhao Fengchen, but no matter how much he’s prepared, it can’t change the final result! Let him be! Send the fourth Vice Marshal!”

  Hou Junji said no more, but everyone immediately calmed down. From the look on the Ghost King’s face, everything was clearly going according to plan.

  The matches on the drilling ground continued, and as expected, the next Vice Marshals all chose to challenge Zhao Fengchen.

  Even though they saw Zhao Fengchen consume medicine to restore his Stellar Energy, these Vice Marshals showed no hesitation, and by the end, a total of six out of twelve Vice Marshals had challenged Zhao Fengchen.

  And their battle styles were all the same, choosing to directly fight Zhao Fengchen to consume his Stellar Energy.

  “I don’t believe that they didn’t see the medicine Zhao Fengchen is carrying! What are they trying to do by taking turns challenging Zhao Fengchen?”