The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Chi!

  Blood spurted into the air as the blade stabbed deeply into the body of the leader of the Goguryeon warriors. Then, without any hesitation, Wang Chong pulled the sword out!

  “How is this possible?”

  In an instant, the storm of sword qi which was about to burst out came to a halt. The leader of the Goguryeon warriors stared at Wang Chong with nothing but shock. He couldn’t believe that Wang Chong had actually breached his defenses and stabbed him!

  Chapter 214: Halo: Bane of the Battlefield

  Chapter 214: Halo: Bane of the Battlefield

  Pain!

  Excruciating pain!

  The ferocious leader of the Goguryeon warriors couldn’t believe that he had been stabbed by Wang Chong.

  The targets of their operation this time around were the Imperial Army guards and instructors. ‘Weak martial artists’ like Wang Chong weren’t in their list of consideration at all.

  More importantly, the ‘Three Saber School’ was incomparably powerful. It was capable creating an impenetrable defense that could even repel water. He was certain that he had guarded against all possible attacks, so how did Wang Chong possibly breach his defense?

  Peng!

  A heavy palm struck Wang Chong’s chest forcefully and sent him crashing into the wall behind.

  At the same moment, huala, a huge gush of fresh blood and viscera slid down from the gaping wound in the chest of the leader of the Goguryeon warriors.

  It may seem like a single slash, but in truth, through the augmentation of Hexad Arms Technique, it was actually six incomparably swift slashes. Wang Chong had already torn his internal organs into pieces, thus severing any possibility of survival as well.

  Under the frontal offense of three Imperial Army guards and the distraction from Gao Feng and Nie Yan’s group, if Wang Chong was still unable to breach the other party’s defense, he would be unworthy of his previous position as the Grand Marshal of the Central Plains.

  Pu!

  The corpse of the leader of the Goguryeon warriors fell to the ground. At the same time, Wang Chong spurted a mouthful of blood as he slid down the wall.

  The disparity in their strength was too great. Even though Wang Chong was prepared and he had made sure to protect his vitals, his organs were still jolted under the immense force.

  If not for his Dragon Root Bone granting him immense resilience and density in his bones and muscles, he might have even ended up being jolted to death by that single strike.

  “That fellow is too strong! If it wasn’t for that I’ve fought with Goguryeon experts before and uncovered the flaw in the ‘Three Saber School’, I really might have been unable to kill him!”

  Wang Chong took out a recovery pill from his embrace and swallowed it without second thoughts. At that moment, a cold voice abruptly sounded.

  【Congratulations to user for activating the halo ‘Bane of the Battlefield’】

  That voice sounded so quickly and abruptly that it felt like a hallucination.

  “Ah?”

  Wang Chong was taken aback. “What is going on?”

  That was the voice from the Stone of Destiny. He had heard this voice many times before so he couldn’t be mistaken. Did he do something that triggered it?

  Weng!

  As soon as this thought surfaced in Wang Chong’s mind, several images flashed across his eyes. The scenario where Wang Chong slaughtered the leader of the Goguryeon warriors appeared once more and paused at the very moment before the latter’s fall.

  At the same moment, the Stone of Destiny sounded once more:

  【User has slayed a soldier from the Goguryeo Empire and the total amount of obtained Destiny Energy exceeds a hundred. The requirements for activating Bane of the Battlefield halo is activated!】

  Weng!

  Suddenly, without any warning, the world warped. With Wang Chong standing at the very center, a huge storm whipped up. Intangible energy gathered from the surroundings and surged into Wang Chong’s body.

  Along with the surge of this energy was a slightly obscure message.

  This surge of energy traveled through Wang Chong’s limbs and bones before eventually gathering at his dantian, forming a hot ring of energy,

  “Warrior from the Goguryeon Empire… The person I killed is an official soldier from the Goguryeo Empire?”

  Sensing the changes in his body, Wang Chong was suddenly dumbfounded. However, what that left Wang Chong truly shocked was a single word from the Stone of Destiny.

  Halo!

  This was the greatest mystery of the world, as well as the greatest disparity between this world and the one Wang Chong remembered from modern history.

  In this world, as long as one’s cultivation reached True Martial realm, there was a fixed probability that one could gather one’s inner energy to form multiple halos harnessing immense power externally.

  The primary tier would be the ‘Halo of Thorns’ at True Martial realm. This halo would have the image of green thorns.

  The one that the leader of the Goguryeon warriors utilized would be the normal ‘Halo of Thorns’ that True Martial realm martial artists possessed.

  However, there were differences in the attribute Halo of Thorns each martial artist possessed depending on their cultivation technique, such as the ‘Halo of Strength’, ‘Halo of Charge’, ‘Halo of Speed’, and ‘Halo of Iron’.

  These were the most basic halos.

  The ‘Halo of Strength’ enhanced the strength of a True Martial realm cultivator significantly. The ‘Halo of Charge’ allowed one to achieve a huge burst speed even though it couldn’t be sustained for a long period of time. The ‘Halo of Speed’ was mainly used along with one’s war steed, and augmented by this halo, regardless of whether it was the martial artist in question or the war steed he was riding one, they could reach unimaginable speed. Ordinary war steeds could only watch the dust left behind in their wake. As for the ‘Halo of Iron’, it was a primary-tier defensive halo. Those who possess this halo will be able to augment the armor they wore to a certain extent. Normal blades wouldn’t be able to injure them at all.

  These were the main halos used on the battlefield!

  If one were to go a step further and reach Profound Martial realm, this basic halo will evolve to the stronger ‘Grand Halo of Thorns’.

  The basic properties of the halo would grow stronger, and its various attributes could be divided into ‘Halo of Earth’, ‘Halo of Storm’, ‘Halo of Fortress’, and ‘Halo of Titan’ and such.

  There were even stronger halos above that, and upon reaching a certain level, one could even use the strength harnessed within a halo to connect with the heavens to display strength equalling to that of a god!

  And the halo of the strongest God Martial realm martial artist was said to be capable of even challenging the gods of the world!

  In his previous life, Wang Chong had only managed to reach Saint Martial realm pinnacle. However, without a doubt, such strength did exist in the world.

  …

  No one had been able to understand the existence of halos, and ever since his transmigration in his previous life, the concept of martial halos had already existed in this world.

  Furthermore, it seemed to be something extremely natural in this world, as though it was built into the laws of the world.

  In this world, halos represented power!

  And the strongest power meant the strongest halo. There was no way to separate the two from one another.

  However, before True Martial realm, one was unable to come into contact with the powerful halos.

  At the very least, Wang Chong had never heard of any Origin Energy realm cultivator possessing a martial halo.

  “Bane of the Battlefield? To think that I would actually obtain a halo at Origin Energy realm!”

  Wang Chong was flabbergasted by the change he was undergoing.

  There was one thing he could confirm from the message that had appeared abruptly in his head—the e
nergy that had appeared in his body was a whole new halo, Bane of the Battlefield!

  This was something that had never appeared in the long history of the world

  At the very least, in the long years of war that Wang Chong underwent, he had never seen before such a martial halo.

  From the message in his head, Wang Chong learned of the use of the halo.

  【Bane of the Battlefield: The effectiveness of the enemies’ halos will be reduced based on the strength and tier of the user’s halo regardless of their effects.】

  【If the other party doesn’t have an active halo, his cultivation will be reduced by a realm!】

  【This halo only works on soldiers. It is ineffective on those possessing leadership positions.】

  【Current level of halo: 0】

  …

  A battlefield halo!

  In that instant Wang Chong received this piece of information from the Stone of Destiny, he immediately understood the nature of the halo. Without a doubt, this was a halo built for the battlefield.

  Probably due to the limited level of the halo, it was only effective on ordinary soldiers or elite soldiers now.

  The Goguryeon warrior that Wang Chong had just killed was, without a doubt, an elite of the Goguryeon army. It was precisely because Wang Chong had slain an elite soldier of the Goguryeo Empire that Wang Chong had managed to activate the Bane of the Battlefield.

  “To think that the Stone of Destiny would have such effects as well!”

  This was Wang Chong’s greatest gain ever since activating the Stone of Destiny.

  A halo signified strength and with this halo Wang Chong had obtained overwhelming strength.

  “I should try out the effects of this Bane of the Battlefield!”

  Harboring such thoughts, Wang Chong activated the Bane of the Battlefield. Weng! No one on the peak felt anything, but Wang Chong clearly saw faint, intangible ripples spreading into the surroundings from beneath his feet, covering an area of a hundred zhang.

  Even Wang Chong was surprised by its area of effect.

  The area of effect of an ordinary primary-tier halo would only be three to four zhang. However, even though the Bane of the Battlefield was only at level 0, it was able to encompass such a huge area.

  It would be unimaginable how far it could extend upon reaching the max level.

  At this moment, Wang Chong finally understood the meaning of the word ‘battlefield’ in the name.

  “If the Bane of the Battlefield is exactly as what I think it is, then its might is truly inconceivable!”

  Wang Chong thought in agitation.

  However, something even more shocking occurred.

  There was no green Halo of Thorns or anything of that sort appearing around Wang Chong when he activated the ‘Bane of the Battlefield’, but within a hundred zhang radius covered by the intangible ripples, something unimaginable happened to the Goguryeon warriors.

  A faint white ripple suddenly appeared beneath the feet of the Goguryeon warriors. It didn’t appear for all of them, but it had appeared on almost all of the stronger Goguryeon warriors.

  It also appeared for some of the weaker ones who hadn’t formed their martial halo yet, and in that instant when that white ripple appeared beneath their feet, their cultivation suddenly took a steep dip.

  Seeing the ripples beneath their feet, Wang Chong immediately formed a conjecture.

  ——They were all official soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!

  The others should be itinerant experts who were dispatched for this mission at the last moment.

  “Inconceivable!”

  Wang Chong’s eyes widened.

  The effects of all known halos were only limited to the martial artist himself, be it Halo of Charge, Halo of Strength, or even the stronger Halo of Earth and Halo of Fortress, they were all bound by this restraint.

  All halos would only appear beneath the feet of the martial artist himself.

  This was the first time Wang Chong was seeing a halo which had the effect of interfering with one’s opponent. Unlike traditional halos, this one had the specific purpose of suppressing the strength of one’s enemies.

  If one had to classify it, it would probably be a ‘Halo of Suppression’ or ‘Halo of Repression’.

  A whole new type of halo in the world!

  Chapter 215: Defeat of the Goguryeons!

  Chapter 215: Defeat of the Goguryeons!

  “What’s going on?”

  “Why did my strength suddenly decrease!”

  “Why is there a slowdown in my flow of Origin Energy!”

  …

  When Wang Chong activated the Bane of the Battlefield, Goguryeon warriors within an area of a hundred zhang immediately found their strength being suppressed.

  The True Martial realm warriors felt their Halo of Thorns growing significantly weaker while the others felt their cultivation dip. It was as though an intangible force had gripped them, restricting and slowing the flow of their Origin Energy.

  It was as though a huge lump of mud had been thrown into a rapid stream, and this sensation left them extremely uncomfortable.

  A fight between experts hinged upon the second, lest to say, on such an intense battlefield. All of a sudden, the Goguryeon warriors affected by the Bane of the Battlefield panicked, and their entire group fell into a state of disarray.

  Everyone, including Wang Chong, immediately noticed the peculiarity among the Goguryeons.

  “Great!”

  Currently, there was no one who was more overjoyed than Wang Chong. The effect of the Bane of the Battlefield was much greater than he had imagined. More importantly, until now, no one had been able to tell that he was the orchestrator of this abrupt twist.

  “Kill! ——”

  Wang Chong let loose a furious howl and charged forth using the Single Character Consecutive Slash.

  In that hundred zhang radius, even though his allies didn’t understand what was happening, it was clear that the situation was to their advantage.

  “Kill! Kill them all! Don’t let a single one of them get away!——”

  Morale soared. Gathering their remaining strength, the rest charged forward alongside with Wang Chong. In comparison, the previously ferocious Goguryeons seemed to have lost their will to fight. The impact from the Bane of the Battlefield extended far beyond the weakening of their strength.

  Under the onslaught, the Goguryeon warriors fell one after another.

  “What’s going on? Why did I suddenly lose control of my Origin Energy?”

  “What did those Great Tang Imperial Army guards do to us?”

  “Send a signal to the master archers to get rid of them!”

  …

  The furious and alarmed Goguryeon warriors cursed in their native tongue.

  Yinnn!

  In the distance, a furious call reminiscent of dragons and tigers sounded from one of the surrounding mountains.

  “It’s Zhao Qianqiu!”

  Wang Chong thought in delight.

  “It’s Instructor Zhao. Instructor Zhao has succeeded! We must do our part as well!”

  Delighted, Wang Chong exclaimed as he slew two Turk wolves beside him. Executing the Single Character Consecutive Slash, he charged forward and slashed at a distraught Goguryeon warrior.

  The Bane of the Battlefield was only effective against members of an official military organization, so Wang Chong only went for targets affected by the white ripple.

  “Gather here and block them! Otherwise, none of us will be leaving here alive today!”

  A temporary leader for the Goguryeons stood forward at this moment and began issuing orders. Soon, under that person’s leadership, the Goguryeons managed to regain their footing and withstood the onslaught.

  But in the next moment, a destructive offense came a line of collapsed wall in the surroundings.

  Xiu xiu xiu!

  The deafening screams of arrows ripping through the air threatened to pop one’s eardrums. Dozens o
f wolf fang arrows gleaming with a cruel light shot in from the opening in the wall.

  But this time, the wolf fang arrows weren’t directed toward the Great Tang troops but the Goguryeons.

  Pu pu pu!

  Seven to eight Goguryeons were struck in their hearts and fell to the ground as though uplifted wooden stakes. Even more were struck on their chests and shoulders, and the immense force pushed them back a good eight zhang.

  ——At this crucial moment, Xu Qi had finally finished moving the wolf corpses stacked in one of the buildings that was originally used to ward off the offense of the enemy master archers.

  It was precisely because of these fortifications that the group had been able to fight without the interference of the master archers. However, at the same time, these buildings had prevented Zhou Huang from reinforcing them.

  Thus, Wang Chong ordered Xu Qi to lead a group to clear away the wolf carcasses in several of the buildings to open up a pathway for Zhou Huang’s arrows.

  Even though this would put the group at risk from the attack of the enemy master archers, opportunity and risk usually came hand-in-hand.

  “This is a good chance!”

  With the support from Zhou Huang, Wang Chong decisively dashed forward. With a cold gleam of light, Wang Chong’s sword stabbed into the heart of a Goguryeon warrior ten zhang away.

  That Goguryeon was originally wounded, and being struck by Zhou Huang’s wolf fang arrow aggravated his injuries. As such, he wasn’t able to react in time to block Wang Chong’s offense.

  【Congratulations to user for killing 2 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】

  At the same time, the sight before Wang Chong warped as a piece of information flashed across his head. The Goguryeon warrior that Wang Chong had just killed was an official soldier of the Goguryeo Empire who was affected by the white ripples.

  Hu!

  A huge wind blew as formless energy from the surroundings gathered and seeped into Wang Chong’s body. Even though there were no visible changes, Wang Chong could clearly sense the energy bundle of the Bane of the Battlefield in his dantian increasing in size.

  Not only so, Wang Chong could also sense the effects of the halo increasing significantly. From a range of a hundred zhang, it had increased to 150 zhang. At the same time, the Goguryeons under the effect of halo could feel the restraints on them tightening.