The Human Emperor c1-2382
Page 197
"To think that a pair of shoes would be my undoing. Young man, I really have underestimated you. I intended to kill you a little later, but who knew that you would come seeking your death so anxiously."
Shua! Kacha!
He threw the bamboo hat onto the ground with his left hand while breaking the thick metal arrow in two with his right.
Then, the old woodsman slowly lifted up his head and tore off the mask tattered by the collision of Stellar Energy just a moment ago.
A foreign middle-aged man with narrow eyes reminiscent of a wary and cunning fox appeared before everyone's eyes.
The callousness projected through his distinctive facial features sent warning bells chiming in everyone's hearts.
Only with the viciousness of a wolf could one maintain an ironclad grip over an organization,
Only with the cunning of a fox was one able to escape from whatever dangerous position one was in.
Wang Chong had never seen King Sosurim before, but the features of the old man made him ever more certain that he wasn't mistaken.
The dangerous and vicious disposition he carried far surpassed any assassin or murderer. Even the three Goguryeon heads would pale before him.
"Gongzi, be careful!"
Sensing the hostility from the other party, Miyasame Ayaka's crouching figure immediately rushed forward to protect Wang Chong.
"King Sosurim, I'll kill you!"
The revelation of the other party's face smashed any remaining doubts the crowd had of his identity. With reddened eyes, Ma Yinlong, Old Eagle, Solitary Wolf, and Steel Arms dashed forward.
Roar!
Peng peng peng peng, powerful auras exploded from the four. Solitary Wolf with his massive saber, Steel Arms with his one-handed sword, Ma Yinlong with his fearsome Stellar Energy, and Old Eagle with his iron fists; the four of them charged forward.
"Hah, four losers actually dare to challenge me!"
The old woodsman, or rather, King Sosurim, crushed the lumber before him with his left hand, and three cold gleaming Goguryeon sabers immediately fell into his hands.
Boom!
A powerful surge of Stellar Energy mixed with sharp saber qi burst forth like a huge storm. In an instant, Ma Yinlong, Steel Arms, Solitary Wolf, and Old Eagle were all knocked back.
King Sosurim was too strong!
With his full strength raging out, he looked nothing like that weak old woodsman from before.
Other than Old Eagle, the other three were at Profound Martial realm 1-dan or 2-dan. Yet, even when collaborating with one another, they weren't King Sosurim's opponent at all.
Not only that, they even felt a fatal threat from the three sabers in King Sosurim's hands.
"Lad, you have foiled my plans too many times. Let me start with you!"
After pushing back Ma Yinlong and the others, King Sosurim dashed forward, his movement directed straight at Wang Chong.
Of everyone here, Wang Chong was the easiest target, as well as the target whose life he wanted to claim the most now.
This young lad from the Wang Clan had made him feel restricted no matter what he did. If he didn't kill the other party now, he wouldn't be able to continue on with his plans confidently.
This young lad was simply too smart!
Furthermore, King Sosurim had a feeling that if he were to allow this young lad to grow, he would eventually become a huge danger to the empire. By then, it would be too late!
Cornered as he was, he was confident in breaking out of this encirclement with his superior cultivation. By then, he could choose to either conceal himself within the capital or escape through the secret tunnel.
Even if there was someone standing guard at the tunnel, he was confident of getting past them to escape.
"Die!"
Three cold saber qi rushed straight for Wang Chong, who was galloping away on the back of his horse.
Chapter 264: King Sosurim!, Part Three
Chapter 264: King Sosurim!, Part Three
To think that King Sosurim would actually abandon an opportunity to get rid of Ma Yinlong and the others to deal with the weakest Wang Chong. Even Wang Chong himself was shocked by this turn of events.
"Gongzi, be careful!" the startled Miyasame Ayaka exclaimed as she drew out two daggers.
However, shadows flashed, and yet another figure appeared before Wang Chong with a much greater speed than Miyasame Ayaka.
"Chong-er, get away!"
In that crucial moment, Li Lin sensed that Wang Chong was in danger and rushed forward.
Boom! The next moment, a powerful force struck him, sending him flying far away.
Even Li Lin was no match was no match for King Sosurim's fearsome saber qi. However, his interference wasn't completely useless—he managed to dispel two of the three saber qi.
Boom!
A streak of black light flashed across the sky, and the final saber qi was crushed by Luo Chong's arrow from eight hundred meters away.
"No one will be able to save you!" King Sosurim sneered coldly. Xiu, at that instant when the three saber qi were taken down, he flicked his wrist, and a black screw-like dart curved in a unique trajectory, aimed straight for Wang Chong.
Even space distorted in the trajectory where the black dart flew. Its immense might seemed like it would even combust oxygen in the air.
"This is bad!"
A strong feeling of danger rushed up on Wang Chong like a tsunami. His body turned cold, and goosebumps rose.
He could sense King Sosurim's determination to kill him. It seemed that the other party would pay any price so long as he could take down Wang Chong.
Xiu xiu xiu!
In that split moment, Wang Chong had little time to think. He struck the back of the steed to make use of the momentum to leap off it while shooting out five surges of Sword Qi of Massacre from his fingers.
The martial arts experience he had accrued in his previous life proved to be crucial at this very moment. With his cultivation of Origin Energy Tier 9, it should have been impossible for him to hit King Sosurim's rotating dart. Yet. three of Wang Chong's six sword qi did manage to land on its target.
Chi!
The dart flew past him by just the smallest of gap, tearing apart Wang Chong's sleeve and leaving behind a crimson streak on his shoulder.
That was close!, Wang Chong thought fearfully. If not for his sword qi changing the trajectory of the dart, given the force and sharpness of it, he would have surely lost an arm or even everything beneath his shoulder.
"All Imperial Army guards, stop King Sosurim! Don't allow him to get away!" Wang Chong issued an order. At the same time, as soon as he landed on the ground, he immediately dashed for another steed not too far away.
When the Imperial Army encircled the residence, they left their steeds outside. At this moment, they had become the straw of hope for Wang Chong's survival.
Jya!
Striking the back of the horse, he galloped into the distance.
Of all that were gathered in the area, he was the weakest. The Bane of the Battlefield aura was completely ineffective on King Sosurim. In other words, there was no doubt that he would die if he were to collide with King Sosurim.
For a Profound Martial realm expert, slaying an Origin Energy martial artist wasn't much different from killing an ant.
"How is this possible?"
Seeing Wang Chong's departing back, King Sosurim was stunned for an instant. His rotating dart wasn't any slower than Luo Chong's arrow. Given Wang Chong's current cultivation realm, it would be impossible for him to even perceive it clearly, let alone dodge it.
Yet, not only did Wang Chong dodge it, he even used his sword qi to change the trajectory of his dart thrice. This should have been impossible!
"Advance together, don't let him get away!"
At that instant, a formation consisting of dozens of Imperial Army encircled King Sosurim tightly. His cultivation might be impressive, but on a battlefield, what that would make the difference b
etween a win or a loss wasn't one's individual prowess.
An army of ants biting an elephant to death—such sights couldn't be more common on the battlefield.
Hong long!
In an instant, Ma Yinlong, Steel Arms, Old Eagle, Solitary Wolf, and Li Lin charged forth. From afar, Luo Chong also shot arrows out at an incredible pace from behind Wang Chong as well.
While it wasn't suitable for him to interfere in this kind of chaotic battle, he could still spray his arrows out to prevent King Sosurim from pursuing Wang Chong any further.
Boom!
A saber qi rose more than ten zhang high. With just a single strike, five Imperial Army guards were knocked flying as blood spewed from their mouths. Boom! Yet another saber qi struck, and another group of Imperial Army soldiers was jolted flying once more.
Despite the collaboration of the group, they were still unable to stand toe-to-toe with King Sosurim. All they could manage was to encircle him at the moment.
However, judging from the situation, it wouldn't take long for King Sosurim to charge out of their encirclement.
"He's too strong!"
Upon seeing this sight, everyone's faces darkened.
Even though they were all using the arts from the Three Saber School, King Sosurim was clearly much stronger than the three Goguryeon heads in the monastery. Every single time his saber was raised, blood would surely splatter. The savagery of this fight was astonishing.
The three sabers seemed to come to life in King Sosurim's hands, turning to ferocious beasts that would tear apart those that they laid their fangs on.
In just a short encounter, Ma Yinlong, Steel Arms, Old Eagle, Solitary Wolf, and Li Lin were already injured. There were even deep cuts on the Xuan metal armor Li Lin was wearing.
Unlike Dae Hyeonseok and the other Goguryeon commanders, King Sosurim was much more cunning. While suppressing the crowd with his saber qi, he continuously moved among the crowd, leaving them unable to work together properly.
Furthermore, his movements were well-calculated to best use the bodies of others to block the group's attacks. Thus, despite the valiant sight of dozens of people surrounding King Sosurim, only a small handful of them could attack him at any given time.
In fact, the numerical advantage seemed to be even working against them. Most of the Imperial Army guards found themselves incapable of utilizing their strength. Instead, they were maneuvered by King Sosurim to hinder Ma Yinlong, Steel Arms, and the other Profound Martial realm experts' attacks.
While the circumstances seemed to be against King Sosurim, the truth was that he could possibly break through the encirclement at any moment.
"These Imperial Army guards have never learnt any offensive formation, so they aren't able to bring out their numerical advantage!"
With a glance, Wang Chong could see the core of the problem, and this had left him anxious. However, there was nothing much he could do at this point.
But after a short moment of contemplation, he suddenly thought of an idea.
"All of the Imperial Army guards, take eight people to be a group. There'll be a group that is in charge of offense whereas the others will back off and maintain the encirclement to prevent King Sosurim from escaping. Also, immediately call for assistance!"
Weng!
King Sosurim's face immediately darkened. Even amidst the chaotic battle, he still lifted his head, and amidst the gleaming swords, ferocious roars, and rain of blood, he saw Wang Chong in the far distance.
Strong killing intent emanated from his eyes.
This young man might be so weak such that he wasn't even qualified to participate in the battle, but King Sosurim still felt the greatest threat from him.
The other party could issue decisive and effective orders despite the tense circumstances. What left him feeling the most threatened was his instruction to 'call for assistance'.
He was currently at the very core of Great Tang, Chang'an. It might still be dark, and there weren't many people around, but he had no doubt that as soon as a signal for assistance were to be made, a huge crowd of experts would immediately come swarming over.
By then, his fate would truly be sealed!
Wang Chong had stepped right on his weakest spot.
"Seems like I really can't let you go!"
King Sosurim narrowed his eyes, and the overwhelming killing intent that came pouring out from him caused the temperature to plummet in an instant. Even from a hundred meters away, Wang Chong could sense an immense threat looming above him.
"Do as he says! HURRY!"
At this moment, the only other person who was capable of thinking rationally and could order the other Imperial Army guards was Wang Chong's uncle, Li Lin.
He possessed the utmost trust in whatever Wang Chong said, so he immediately ordered to have the other party's instructions carried out.
Weng!
With that order, except for the eight section leaders of the Imperial Army, the others immediately backed off. YIIII! At the same time, one of the Imperial Army guard took out a cylinder-shaped firework and lit it. A blinding spark of flame burst into the air, leaving behind a trail of white smoke.
The brilliant spark amidst the dim sky of dawn immediately caught the attention of many.
The patrol squads, the Imperial Army sentry at the city gates, as well as the royal palace... All of them saw this call for assistance in an instant.
Di da da!
A formless ripple spread across the surroundings, and in the blink of an eye, squadron after squadron of black-armored soldiers came rushing to the area where the signal was sent...
"Damn it!"
Seeing the signal, King Sosurim's face immediately twisted in frenzy. Not to mention, the new formation of leaving only eight Imperial Army section leaders to deal with him only further increased the pressure on him. With everything turning against him, the killing intent King Sosurim had against Wang Chong intensified.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
By forcefully taking the blows from Ma Yinlong, Steel Arms, Old Eagle, and Solitary Wolf, King Sosurim suddenly displayed a burst of immense might with his three sabers, and along with a furious gale of Stellar Energy, he actually managed to break out of the primary encirclement.
"This is bad, don't let him get away!" The group's faces immediately paled in shock.
Boom boom boom!
While dashing away from the primary encirclement, another powerful burst of Stellar Energy from King Sosurim sent more than a dozen Imperial Army guards flying. With the gap which he forcefully created, he actually broke out of the encirclement!
Sou!
As soon as he was out, King Sosurim shot a dozen rotating darts behind him. The immense might of every dart and their unpredictable trajectories forced the crowd to retreat. At the same time, with a burst of speed, he dashed towards Wang Chong.
Dragging an incredible shock wave behind him, King Sosurim's killing intent seemed to have materialized, twisting the space around him.
No matter what happened to him today, he was determined to kill this lad!
Boom!
Several dozen zhang were covered in an instant, and even before King Sosurim arrived before Wang Chong, his saber qi and flying darts were already whizzing for his target.
"Shit!"
Wang Chong immediately turned his steed around and galloped for the distance.
"You can't escape!"
King Sosurim's speed was actually even faster than the sprinting horse! His eyes reflected a vicious gleam, like a cat toying with a mouse.
If not for Wang Chong's spectacular performance, he could have put him off for later. But since that lad just had to get on his nerves, he had this coming!
No matter how many guards Great Tang sent after him, he was confident that he could escape after killing this lad.
Given his wisdom, there were simply too many ways he could avoid the pursuit of those guards.
Boom!
Words couldn't begin to describe
how swiftly everything happened. Just as King Sosurim was about to reach Wang Chong, out of another humble residence by the side, a silhouette suddenly appeared, charging into the midst of King Sosurim's storm of saber qi.
Hong long! The saber qi immediately shattered, the Steller Energy was extinguished, and the overwhelming killing intent vanished. Right before King Sosurim, a green-robed, stern-looking elder suddenly appeared.
His hand held onto King Sosurim's throat as he measured the latter with a nonchalant gaze, as though what he was holding was a ragged doll. Just like that, the legendary chief spy was lifted from the surface of the ground by his neck.
Chapter 265: The Unfathomable Old Butler!
Chapter 265: The Unfathomable Old Butler!
In that instant, the area around the saw pit turned silent.
The figure which had just appeared left everyone's mouth agape with shock.
They had experienced King Sosurim's immense might personally. Even a collaboration between Ma Yinlong, Old Eagle, Solitary Wolf, Steel Arms, and Li Lin couldn't stop him, and he managed to break out from their encirclement.
The incredible master archer whom King Song assigned to Wang Chong could kill a True Martial realm expert with every single arrow, but King Sosurim was able to catch his arrow bare-handed.
And yet, such a powerful person actually had his armor of Stellar Energy shattered so easily, and was currently clutched by his throat.
"Ol-old butler?"
Seeing the silhouette by the street, astonishment was suddenly reflected in Li Lin's eyes. The person who saved Wang Chong was no other than the old butler who was often by King Song's side.
"How could this be?" Li Lin muttered to himself. He had never known that the old butler by King Song's side was actually such an astounding expert.
"Lad, is this fellow the Goguryeon chief spy you were looking for?" The old butler nonchalantly ignored the dumbfounded crowd and turned to Wang Chong instead.
In his hands, King Sosurim was howling in fear, but he was unable to do anything at all. He found that he couldn't even lift his own arms.
On the other hand, seated on the back of his horse, Wang Chong wasn't any less astonished than the others.