The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “Heh, haven’t you already seen it?”

  King Song softly chuckled, his expression much more relaxed.

  Abusi turned pensive, and then as he raised his head and saw the Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian sweeping unstoppably through the Arab army, he understood.

  ……

  Meanwhile, in this deciding clash between east and west, the Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian displayed for the first time the strength of the War God of the east.

  He did not use many formations or unique skills. He simply led his army in a direct charge, scattering and routing wave after wave of Arab cavalry. Not even God’s Ordained Cavalry could stand against him, and as horses shrieked and whinnied, swaths of panicked Arab riders were cut down.

  In the art of war, there were soldiers who attacked directly and soldiers who attacked through innovative methods. Wang Chong excelled in using the latter, with his ballistae, the steel walls, and even a blizzard to kill one million Arab cavalry… Wang Zhongsi specialized in the former. He did not lead his soldiers with any sort of tricks. All of his moves were out in the open and easy to see, but they were nevertheless unstoppable.

  From a certain perspective, one could say that Wang Zhongsi was a master of positional warfare. It was an ancient style of battle that was rendered into a divine skill in Wang Zhongsi’s hands. Not even Wang Chong was capable of such a feat.

  As the Arabs in the center fell back, the proud cavalry of the western world began to panic. The Tang army under Wang Zhongsi’s command was sowing chaos through the ranks with astonishing speed, and more and more Arab cavalry were dying.

  “How could it be like this?”

  Even the God’s Ordained Cavalry were retreating, causing Abu Muslim to also begin to panic.

  He had never met Wang Zhongsi, and in his eyes, the only person worth his regard in the Great Tang was Wang Chong. The God’s Ordained Cavalry was the most elite force in the Arabian Empire, and Abu Muslim had never imagined that it would be routed in a direct battle.

  Even worse was that, given the direction Wang Zhongsi was advancing, it would soon be his turn.

  Abu Muslim felt a vague unease.

  “What? Abu Muslim, don’t you still want to conquer the Great Tang? Take my sword!”

  Gao Xianzhi loudly laughed upon sensing the shift in Abu Muslim’s mood, and he unleashed his Eight Ultimate Sunderings Art once more.

  While others might have been astonished to see Wang Zhongsi kill Saleh in a single blow, Gao Xianzhi was not.

  While the battle seemed intense, the Great Tang had only mobilized half of its major leaders. Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian Wang Zhongsi had once been the strongest of the six Protector-Generals, even stronger than Andong Protector-General Zhang Shougui, so how could he possibly be mediocre?

  These Arabs were just too simpleminded.

  Victory was not guaranteed for the Arabian Empire!

  As Gao Xianzhi sent down a barrage of attacks, Abu Muslim could only shut his mouth and focus on the battle.

  “Damn it!”

  On the distant elephant Behemoth, Khatabah’s face had chilled. This battle was much more difficult than he had envisioned.

  Saleh’s death had been a major blow to Khatabah.

  But Khatabah did not have the time to ponder. That eastern Great General was much stronger than he had anticipated, and his center was on the verge of collapsing. If he did not stop it now, his left flank and right flank would also be affected.

  “Adnan!”

  Khatabah sent out a powerful mental wave.

  Buzz!

  Several thousand feet away, a muscular figure more than two meters tall who had been waiting in reserve suddenly trembled and turned his head upon hearing Khatabah’s voice.

  Chapter 1870 - The Blade of Mukala!

  Chapter 1870: The Blade of Mukala!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Hierophant!”

  The man lowered his head and bowed in Khatabah’s direction.

  This man had a rough face devoid of any eyebrows, hair, or beard. His appearance was extremely discomfiting and strange. Moreover, his body surged with a vast and terrifying energy that seemed like it could break free of its bonds and erupt at any moment.

  He was undoubtedly one of the elite Great Generals of the Arabian Empire, possessing a terrifying strength.

  This was Beast of Brutality Adnan, otherwise simply known as the ‘Fierce Beast’.

  In the Arabian Empire, he had started serving by Khatabah’s side as a young horse keeper, leading Khatabah’s horse by the reins during his campaigns. Later on, Khatabah fed him a few things and taught him arts that caused his body to transform.

  His body shed all its hair and became massive and brimming with muscle. When he went berserk, his skin would become as tough as steel and he would become nigh unstoppable, earning him the moniker ‘Fierce Beast’.

  “Take it!”

  Khatabah flicked his wrist, extracting a sheathed saber from his side and tossing it into the army.

  Boom! The saber crashed down like a meteor, its impact causing the ground to tremble and dust to soar into the air, unable to bear the weight of this one saber.

  “Kill that Tang! I want his head!”

  Khatabah’s voice was cold, devoid of emotion.

  “This subordinate will go!”

  Adnan’s eyes lit up on seeing that saber buried halfway into the ground, showing ecstatic joy on his face as if he had been granted a priceless treasure. Without another word, Adnan stepped forward and took the crescent moon saber, which was decorated with silver patterns.

  “Follow me!”

  Adnan roared as he mounted his horse and rode off. Behind him, several generals leading tens of thousands of men followed Adnan into the fray.

  Each of these soldiers had the emblem of a crescent moon and fang on their left breast, and while their armor was pitch-black, the sleeves, shoulders, neck, and chest were gilded, making them seem completely different from other Arab cavalry.

  The Savage Fang Army!

  This was an army of elite soldiers under Adnan’s command, second only to the God’s Ordained Cavalry in strength!

  Rumble! A distance of tens of thousands of feet was covered in the blink of an eye. Adnan’s body pulsed with energy, and his face had turned completely red, his intimidating visage making him seem like a savage beast.

  “Out of my way!”

  Adnan did not try to avoid the Arab cavalry in front, but used his immense strength to simply knock them aside. Thud! Thud! Thud! The Arab cavalry flew ten-some meters into the air and crashed back to the ground.

  “Milord, watch out!”

  As Adnan charged like a Behemoth, Fu Fangyi immediately called out in warning.

  “Eastern infidel, obediently hand over your life!” Adnan thunderously roared. As energy seethed around him, his horse rocketed into the air. Boom! Numerous Arab cavalry around him shrieked as they were blasted back.

  Adnan streaked like a comet, a blade in each hand and his body bulging with muscle. Imbued with thunderous momentum, he hurtled toward Wang Zhongsi.

  Wang Zhongsi almost immediately sensed this energy, and he raised his head to look up at Adnan.

  Buzz!

  Wang Zhongsi was calm and unperturbed in the face of Adnan’s fierce assault. A moment later, a vast wave of energy erupted from his body, and Wang Zhongsi himself turned into an astonishing beam of light that shot toward Adnan.

  Bang!

  There was a massive explosion as the Beast of Brutality and the Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian, two elite Great Generals of the west and east, clashed their weapons, the energy around them blazing like two suns.

  These two different energies continued to batter against each other, causing explosions in the sky.

  But a moment later, Wang Zhongsi grimaced. “What is this?!”

  He had sensed a strange energy coming from one of Adnan’s blades. At this moment, a s
trange, bestial laughter resounded in his ears.

  “Open up for me!”

  Adnan had a sinister light in his eyes as he poured energy into that strange saber. A moment later, the saber transformed into a blindingly brilliant light that shot forward, illuminating the area for several thousand feet around.

  The storm of energy stirring out of the saber engulfed the entire region, instantly suppressing Wang Zhongsi, pressing down on him with the weight of Mount Tai.

  No! This isn’t his power! It’s the saber that’s strange!

  Crssh! Crssh! As this thought passed through his mind, Wang Zhongsi could sense the Stellar Energy around him ‘flaking’ off. As it ‘flaked’ off, formless Stellar Energy transformed into pieces of gray stone.

  An Earth Element ritual tool!

  Wang Zhongsi immediately gathered all the energy in his body and slashed his sword, at the same time beating a hurried retreat. Kaboom! The destructive storm of energy from the saber slammed into the earth, the saber’s tip piercing into the firm rock.

  Crack! Clack! A long black fissure began to extend from where the saber had landed, moving forward with astonishing speed. At the same time, a gray-brown energy radiated outward from the saber, sweeping across the surroundings.

  Neigh!

  A Divine Martial Army soldier, unable to react in time, was caught by this wave of energy, and his body went stiff. Crick! Clack! His right leg turned to stone mid-stride, followed by his left leg.

  The gray-brown energy seemed to have a life of its own as it continued onward.

  “No… no…”

  The Divine Martial Army soldier’s eyes went wide, but before he could get out another word, he had been engulfed by the gray-brown energy and turned into a stone statue, frozen in place. In short order, countless more Tang soldiers were caught up in the wave of energy and turned to stone.

  But the power of this saber was indiscriminate, and even Arab cavalry suffered the fate of being turned to stone.

  “It’s the Hierophant’s Blade of Mukala!”

  The Arab cavalry cried out in alarm and hastily retreated, even the God’s Ordained Cavalry.

  The Blade of Mukala!

  It was also known as the ‘Blade of Petrification’. It was one of the Hierophant’s infamous weapons, a cursing blade with a powerful petrification ability that could turn all enemies in a range of several thousand feet to stone.

  The most renowned feat of this weapon was against the upper echelons of a country that had refused to worship the True God and submit to the Arabian Empire. It had turned them all into stone in the main hall of their own palace!

  The Blade of Mukala was horrifying!

  The vast majority of soldiers could not block it, not even the finest elites. In addition, even for elite experts, the Blade of Mukala could still petrify their Stellar Energy and exhaust their strength, allowing its wielder to achieve victory.

  “Hah, think you can run? The Hierophant has ordered me to take your head! Stop running away!”

  Adnan savagely glared at the somber Wang Zhongsi.

  He couldn’t even remember the last time the Hierophant had granted him the Blade of Mukala. No matter what, he needed to take this man’s head and fulfill the mission the Hierophant had entrusted him with.

  Boom! Adnan raised his own saber and shot forward like a blurred bolt of lightning toward Wang Zhongsi.

  The Blade of Mukala trembled, then blazed with light and followed Adnan in shooting toward Wang Zhongsi. Rumble! The earth groaned and shuddered under the immense power radiating from Adnan’s body.

  “Ah!”

  Cries of alarm came from all sides as everyone endeavored to get out of the way, even the Arab cavalry. When Fierce Beast Adnan went berserk, he made no distinction between friend or foe. No one dared to get close to him.

  Wang Zhongsi stood tall, and while his face turned more serious, he did not back down.

  Clang!

  Wang Zhongsi reached out with his right hand, and his golden sword leapt into his palm. There was a bright flash as Wang Zhongsi clashed with the Blade of Mukala once more.

  Kaboom! A shockwave spread out, stirring up a great cloud of dust, and the air blurred and distorted. Amidst the distortion and dust, Adnan and Wang Zhongsi were like twisted bolts of lightning, parting and colliding countless times.

  Each collision would create a series of explosions, and another shower of stone shards would fall to the ground. Meanwhile, no one dared to approach the range of the Blade of Mukala.

  Chapter 1871 - Tongluo, Strike!

  Chapter 1871: Tongluo, Strike!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Countless eyes were focused on the battling pair.

  Wang Zhongsi had killed Saleh in a single blow, and there should have been no one in the Arab army except Khatabah who was capable of matching him. But to everyone’s surprise, this foe’s vigorous and forceful moves had stopped him in his tracks. The petrifying blade was also a constant source of danger for Wang Zhongsi.

  Boom! More stone shards popped out of thin air and then rained down, accumulating around the pair. The largest of these stone shards was several meters in length and weighed several thousand jin.

  All of these were brought about by the Blade of Mukala!

  And as Adnan fought, he got stronger and stronger. Raaa! He roared, and his already massive body began to crack and pop, growing even larger, muscles bulging outward while his skin turned to steel.

  The Beast of Brutality!

  At this moment, Adnan was the real Fierce Beast, and he savagely swung his sabers at Wang Zhongsi.

  Meanwhile, behind him…

  “Kiiill!”

  Arabic war cries resounded through the air as the cavalry of the Savage Fang Army put down their visors, raised their scimitars, and charged into battle.

  Metal clashed against metal, and a small region was quickly packed with soldiers from both sides: the God’s Ordained Cavalry, the Nine Dragon Army, the Savage Fang Army, the elites from the other protectorates… Shattered weapons littered the field while blood flowed from bodies, turning the place into a hellish landscape.

  “Milord, what do we do? Should we support the Lord Junior Guardian?”

  A ballista officer at Su Hanshan’s side nervously observed the battle in the distance.

  On the Great Tang side, the Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian and Wang Chong were considered the two principal commanders. If Wang Zhongsi could not hold, the center would crumble and the morale of the army would be obliterated.

  The only force that could support him at this time was the ballista army.

  “There’s no need!”

  Su Hanshan only glanced over before rejecting the idea. His expression remained cold and aloof.

  “No one can help them now. We can only believe in the Junior Guardian!”

  With Wang Zhongsi’s entry, the Great Tang had committed almost all of its six-hundred-thousand-some soldiers. Meanwhile, the Arabs had committed at least 1.8 million men. Moreover, after this period of intense battle, the soldiers of both sides were mixed together. This was now the worst time for the ballistae to fire, as there was a high possibility that they would injure soldiers on their own side.

  We can only try and shoot down as many of the enemy as we can! Su Hanshan mentally remarked.

  It was no longer important whether they had the advantage in one particular region. As Su Hanshan observed the battlefield, he understood that if he could not cut down the overwhelming advantage of two million soldiers the enemy possessed, they would eventually face defeat.

  The ballista army was currently the best tool for weakening the Arab cavalry so that the Tang elites could focus on the enemy elites. This was far more important than supporting the center army.

  “Release!”

  Su Hanshan swung his arm down, his expression cruel and callous.

  Boom!

  A dense rain of ballista bolts howled through the air, a wav
e of death. Arab cavalry cried in panic as another great swath was cut down.

  A general behind Khatabah, apparently some close aide, suddenly said, “Hierophant, the enemy is much more formidable than we imagined. The Blade of Mukala is not achieving the suppressive effect we anticipated. Adnan’s offensive is not proceeding very smoothly. Should we dispatch reinforcements?”

  The Blade of Mukala was a cursing saber, and it was the Hierophant’s personal weapon. Normally, when battles reached a stalemate, it was used to swiftly end them. The Blade of Mukala’s petrifying power placed an immense burden on even Great Generals, draining their strength.

  It was rare for a Great General to resist its effects, much less while also fighting evenly with the Beast of Brutality.

  But that Tang commander had done it!

  This sort of situation had never happened before.

  Whoosh!

  A gust of wind blew across the back of the elephant Behemoth, but Khatabah was as calm as a placid lake.

  “There’s no need!”

  Khatabah coldly refused.

  The general was taken aback, but as Khatabah had spoken, he shut his mouth.

  The battle continued!

  On the Tang defense line, numerous people were also watching the melee in the center.

  “Great General, the situation is bad. That weapon is surprisingly powerful!” Chuluohou worriedly said. “Why don’t we go out now and support the Lord Junior Guardian?”

  Of the six major leaders of the Great Tang, five had entered the fray. The only force left in reserve was the Tongluo Cavalry, and this was also the only force that could assist the Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian.

  “There’s no need!”

  Surprisingly, just like Khatabah, Abusi, after a moment’s thought, swiftly rejected the idea.

  “The center already has Wang Zhongsi, Zhangchou Jianqiong, and An Sishun. If we go in there, that area will have four Great Generals. If the battle really reaches that stage, it means that we no longer have any hope of victory. Moreover, we don’t have the ability to take part in the center battle, as our opponent will soon be appearing!”