In the meantime, those Great Tang cavalry who had been slowed gradually began to regain speed, eventually adding on to the end of the Arrow Formation.
Everything happened swiftly and automatically!
Round after round, over and over, the Arrow Formation of one thousand soldiers worked like a fine-tuned machine. Before this precision, even Ü-Tsang's world-famous Echelon Formation felt like a grasshopper trying to stop a carriage.
Crash!
With a bout of painful and fearful screams, the last few Tibetan cavalry of the Echelon Formation were knocked flying like stray kites into the air. Wang Chong's Arrow Formation burst out of the Tibetan army, having cleared the entirety of the Echelon Formation.
By this time, the Tibetan army was in complete chaos.
"Now is the time. Kill!"
After piercing through the entire formation, Wang Chong led his army in a figure eight so that they could turn around and attack the Tibetans again. Once more like a sharp arrow, the army charged into the tail end of the Tibetan Echelon Formation, throwing it further into chaos.
"Excellent! Success!"
Seeing the Tibetans in chaos, their advance completely stymied, Old Eagle clenched his fists as he inwardly rejoiced. This entire battle had been carried out under Wang Chong's command, and even though he had been at his side this entire time, not even he knew what was going on.
He had been on the sidelines observing when Wang Chong was training this army and knew everything about the Arrow Formation, but he could have never expected this formation to be so powerful.
And this wasn't just about piercing through the army and inflicting casualties. Wang Chong had completely shattered the ability of the Tibetans to fight.
The most powerful aspect of an army was its ability to fight as a cohesive whole, and the more people there were, the more powerful it was. But if every person fought individually, this advantage would utterly vanish.
This was precisely what Wang Chong had managed to do!
Although this wasn't the first time Old Eagle had seen Wang Chong at work, none of the previous times had ever been as stimulating or as impactful to Old Eagle. This was his first time directly observing Wang Chong's talent, that brilliant and terrifying talent to command that far surpassed his age.
"Young Master!"
Old Eagle looked at Wang Chong, a deep respect in his eyes.
He had originally followed Wang Chong out of gratitude, but now, even without this reason, even if someone wanted him to leave, he would never leave. Wang Chong had a deep potential, one that did not lie in something as simple as strength.
Old Eagle felt that in another ten years, if nothing unexpected happened, this empire would gain another influential Great General on the level of Geshu Han, Fumeng Lingcha, Gao Xianzhi, and Zhang Shougui, perhaps one even more outstanding.
In his heart, Old Eagle no longer considered Wang Chong a junior, but a leader that he was willing to follow for the rest of his life.
Of course, no one knew of any of this except for Old Eagle himself.
"Congratulations to user for killing 617 Tibetan regular heavy cavalry!"
"Congratulations to user for killing 619 Tibetan regular heavy cavalry!"
Congratulations to user for killing 632 Tibetan regular heavy cavalry!"
……
Message after message flew through his mind, but Wang Chong couldn't be bothered to pay attention to them. Each time his Wootz Steel sword slashed, another Tibetan would fall. The massive drop in Wang Chong's strength made it very difficult for him to deal with one Tibetan cavalryman alone, but this wasn't a problem.
A large number of experts had gathered around him, which he had requested from Li Siye. These experts had originally been elites of the Black Dragon Bandits in the Western Regions. When Li Siye killed their boss, he also subdued these elites.
Wang Chong had requested these Black Dragon Bandits elites to protect himself. Every time Wang Chong struck out with his sword, he needed three or four others to strike with him, and with this rain of blows… plop! Another Tibetan would drop to the ground. With each fallen Tibetan, another stream of refined energy would flow from the Little Yinyang Sword into Wang Chong's body.
The energy in Wang Chong's body had dropped down to Tier 1 of the True Martial realm, but by now, nourished by the blood energy of the Tibetans, it was rapidly rising.
Boom!
Wang Chong heard an explosion in his body as he shook. Like a volcano, a stream of energy instantly allowed him to break into Tier 2 of the True Martial realm. Stellar Energy continued to flow, and it was only a few seconds later that there was another boom. Wang Chong had broken through again, into True Martial Tier 3, and he was still rising.
"So powerful!"
The enemies filling this crowded battlefield were the finest nutrients for the Little Yinyang Art, and the rapid growth of energy in his body was almost intoxicating. At this moment, Wang Chong was experiencing the ecstasy felt by members of those evil sects.
This ecstasy was almost maddening. Many people would be willing to take desperate risks to maintain it, killing more and more people to feel that rush of strength, not hesitating to kill for the sake of killing.
"So powerful, so powerful…"
There was another boom as Wang Chong's strength rose to Tier 4 of the True Martial realm, only one tier off from his original cultivation level of True Martial Tier 5. Blood began to suffuse his eyes, and a ruthless aura began to pervade his heart. A powerful impulse began to dominate Wang Chong's mind: kill everyone around him and make them his food!
Right now, his target was no longer just the Tibetans. Wang Chong now had the intense desire to point his sword at the people on his own side.
"Unable to tell friend from foe!"
He suddenly heard a voice at his ear.
"The evil path is called the evil path not because of a love for murder, but because of its indiscriminate killing, slaughter that does not differentiate between friend and foe. This isn't a consequence of the technique, but because that ecstasy that comes from a rapid swelling of strength is capable of triggering a person's most primal desires. But in normal circumstances, it's not easy for practitioners of the evil path to reach that point. You must remember that once you begin to feel that intense desire and lose the ability to tell friend from foe, when you want to even attack people on your own side, your Little Yinyang Art has reached its peak and you're about to suffer a cultivation defect!"
His master, the Demonic Emperor Old Man, had once told him these words.
In these circumstances, his master had told him that he needed to calm down, stop absorbing energy, and rest for three to four months. After that, he would need to rely on his luck and will to restrain that desire. However, the Demonic Emperor Old Man had also told him a little technique.
Boom!
Without a thought, Wang Chong caused the flow of energy in a line of acupoints consisting of the Shangqiao, Fengxiang, Renque, and three other acupoints to suddenly reverse. In an instant, Wang Chong's mind instantly grew sober, as if a jar of ice water had been dumped over his head. That haze that made it hard for him to differentiate friend from foe instantly weakened.
When the Little Yinyang Art reached its peak, one would risk suffering a cultivation defect. In the past, the Demonic Emperor Old Man had not said anything, holding back this information so that he could test the character of his disciples. However, his master had not kept any secrets from Wang Chong.
Swoosh!
A cold light flashed through the sky, penetrating through blood and bones. In the next moment, Wang Chong's body began to rumble and burn. The Stellar Energy from a slain individual had instantly pushed Wang Chong through the threshold of True Martial realm Tier 5. As that body thumped to the ground, Wang Chong realized that it was the figure of a Tibetan hundred-man commander.
But before Wang Chong could look anymore, the earth quaked and the ground swayed. A powerful energy swept across the battlefiel
d, generating a powerful gale that caused the White-hoofed Shadow to rear up and neigh.
"Everyone, hear my order! Kill that Tang general!"
A ruthless order in Tibetan came from that cloud of dust in front of Wang Chong. Many people couldn't understand those words, but Wang Chong could.
It's that Tibetan commander!
With this flash of thought, Wang Chong instantly remembered.
At almost the same time, a destructive energy shot toward him. Apprehensive, Wang Chong shook his shoulders, and Stellar Energy began to gush out of his body, forming a barrier that protected him and the White-hoofed Shadow.
All True Martial realm experts had the powerful ability to use Stellar Energy to protect their bodies, which served as an excellent method of self-defense.
Bang!
Wang Chong had barely brought up his barrier of Stellar Energy when that furious energy struck. His horse neighed and Wang Chong felt the energy and blood in his stomach rage. As man and horse were sent flying back, the dust in front of Wang Chong settled, allowing him to finally see what was going on.
In the front ranks of the Tibetan army, Li Siye was wielding his sword with both hands, breathing heavily as he stood like a giant. Across from him was no Tibetan commander, but a bronze figure, more than one zhang tall and fully armored, with six arms and a vicious expression of rage upon its face. It was a Ksitigarbha Vajra Guardian1.
"No matter who you are, I'll have you die today!"
That massive Ksitigarbha Vajra Guardian's six arms were each wielding a bronze artifact, and its resounding voice was like pealing thunder.
______________
1. Vajra Guardians were the guardians of Buddha and wrathful manifestations of the bodhisattva Vajrapani. However, in this case, I believe the author is referring to dharmapalas, which were wrathful manifestations of bodhisattvas or Buddhas and often took on fearsome appearances with many arms, legs or feet; black, blue, or red skin; and fierce expressions with fangs. The dharmapala, 'protectors of dharma', were defenders of the Buddhist faithful. The vajra itself is a type of club with both symbolic and ritualistic purposes.↩
Chapter 503: Killing in Three Moves!
Chapter 503: Killing in Three Moves!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Boom!
The black-skinned and furious Ksitigarbha Vajra Guardian took a step forward with its right foot and immediately sent one of its vajras swinging. There was a heaven-shaking boom as a flood of Stellar Energy swept across the world to smash Li Siye. This massive power was enough to pummel a hill into dust.
Rumble! In the face of this heaven-shaking vajra, Li Siye raised the massive Wootz Steel sword over his back, stirring up roaring waves of energy. Bringing the sword over his head, he slammed it down.
A blazing lightning bolt streaked out of the air. Dust plumed as these two Profound Martial realm experts clashed.
"This…!"
When the dust settled and Wang Chong saw the result, his eyebrows flew up in disbelief.
Ü-Tsang had many formidable martial arts, and though Wang Chong didn't know many of them, this black-skinned and furious-faced Ksitigarbha Vajra Guardian was unquestionably one of them. But this was not the reason for Wang Chong's surprise. What shocked him was that Li Siye's sword, personally forged by Wang Chong and inscribed with many toughening and sharpening inscriptions, had actually been blocked by those golden gauntlets worn by that Ksitigarbha Vajra Guardian.
How could there be an armament like that? Wang Chong asked himself in consternation.
A Wootz Steel weapon could cleave through metal and cut through jade, and was so sharp that a falling hair would be severed on its unmoving blade. And this weapon was even more impressive in Li Siye's hands. As a future Great General of the empire, Li Siye could display an unfathomable power with this weapon in hand. Back then, he had relied on his own power and this sword to exterminate the hundreds of Black Dragon Bandits.
Wootz Steel weapons counted as one of the sharpest weapons in the world, a fact that could not be questioned. Wang Chong had never imagined that any other weapon or armament would be capable of blocking Li Siye's full-force blow.
At this moment, Wang Chong heard a very soft but crisp sound. This sound was almost inaudible, but Wang Chong had managed to catch it.
No, he didn't block it! His gauntlets are cracked!
It was obvious that the material those gauntlets were made of was slightly inferior to Wootz Steel.
It's Meteoric Metal!
With this flash of insight, Wang Chong immediately understood.
A material that could still block Wootz Steel but was slightly inferior could only be Meteoric Metal. The Tibetan Plateau didn't have much iron ore, so most of their iron ore was imported from elsewhere. However, the Tibetan Plateau did have one thing: Meteoric Metal.
Over the ages, meteorites would often fall into the pastures of the Tibetan Plateau.
The Ü-Tsang Empire would often dispatch people to gather those fallen meteorites and forge weapons from them to equip their subordinates. What Wang Chong had not expected was that this Tibetan commander not only knew the Ksitigarbha Secret Art, he also had a weapon forged from Meteoric Metal.
Rumble!
Dust roiled as that giant six-armed Ksitigarbha Vajra Guardian wielded vajra, spear, cudgel, and gauntlets against Li Siye, joining its attacks with the other Tibetan cavalry. The power of the Ksitigarbha Vajra Guardian was already pressuring Li Siye, and now with the attacks from the others, Li Siye quickly descended into a bitter struggle.
"Old Eagle, lead some people in a charge to scatter them!" Wang Chong unhesitantly ordered, his eyes glimmering with an icy light.
This Tibetan commander was far too strong. Given the incredible power in each of his attacks, if Li Siye were not blocking them, Wang Chong's army would immediately suffer terrible casualties. When a person's strength reached a certain level, numbers and tactics became irrelevant. Wang Chong only had one thousand people at his side, and he couldn't lose them here before the true war had even begun.
"Yes, Young Master!"
Old Eagle complied and began to holler orders, leading several hundred people charging over.
"Hmph, you want to help him? You're seeking death!"
The Ksitigarbha Vajra Guardian's voice thundered in their ears. Before the troops could react, a bronze spear flew through the air like a bolt of lightning. This single spear immediately struck a clan expert from his horse, smashing a giant hole in the ground. As the dust settled, it was possible to see from the deformation of the armor and the pooling blood that this expert was dead.
"Careful!"
Old Eagle paled and quickly pulled the reins on his horse.
These were all experts recruited from the great clans, possessing extraordinary strength, and they also had Meteoric Metal armor. This armor had powerful defensive capabilities, as Old Eagle had personally experienced. Not even the Tibetan cavalry at full charge had been able to leave a mark on this armor, but this one spear from that Tibetan commander had slain one of these armored experts. This strength was simply absurd.
"Don't come over! I can still deal with it!" Li Siye's anxious voice came from the distance.
Wang Chong and the rest weren't in this fight, so they didn't know just how formidable this commander was. In terms of strength, he had already reached Profound Martial realm Tier 9, and the secret incarnation techniques of the Great Snow Mountain Holy Land were not as simple as outsiders imagined. Li Siye currently had a very strong feeling that this Tibetan commander was no obscure soldier or mediocre commander.
"Old Eagle, go over and help Li Siye. The rest of you, use the Mobile Circle to eliminate the rest of the Tibetan soldiers!"
"But Young Master, what of Li Siye?" Old Eagle anxiously asked. If Li Siye couldn't block that commander's attacks, the rest of them would be fish in a barrel, waiting to be slaughtered.
"Old Eagle, listen to my orders!" Wang
Chong declared, his eyes icily gazing into the distance.
'You have Zhang Liang's plans, and I have my wall-scaling ladders1.' Since you've ordered the majority of your forces to deal with Li Siye, don't blame me for gathering my troops to deal with the rest of the Tibetans. This is a competition of strength and will to see which one of us can kill their opponent faster and free up troops.
(TN: This saying actually refers to two different stories, and its meaning can be taken as 'You have your plans, and I have my corresponding strategies'. The first part refers to Zhang Liang, who was one of the key strategists behind the founding of the Han Dynasty. The story about wall-scaling ladders refers to a particular incident in the Warring States period between Gongsu Ban, the Chinese inventor of siege ladders, and Mozi, a philosopher who ardently advocated peace. In this episode, Mozi attempted to convince the King of Chu to not attack the state of Song by playing out a war game with Gongsu Ban to see which one could take a city. In the first round, Mozi defended the city and fended off all nine strategies used by Gongsu Ban. When it was Gongsu Ban's turn to defend, Mozi took the city after only three strategies. After this, Mozi told the King of Chu that he had already sent three hundred of his disciples to guard the state of Song, whereupon the King of Chu gave up on his plan.)
"Yes!"
Old Eagle hardened his heart and took off.
At almost the same time, a thunderous voice tore through the sky. "Dengba, stop him!" The Tibetan commander, transformed into the six-armed Ksitigarbha Vajra Guardian, also issued his order.
"Yes, Milord!"
Immediately, the Tibetan deputy commander took off with a rumbling of Stellar Energy and began to engage in an intense struggle with Old Eagle. Meanwhile, as Wang Chong watched on the side, the one thousand Great Tang cavalry swiftly began to take a formation that had never been seen before in all the history of the Great Tang.
The Mobile Circle!
This was a tactic that Wang Chong had developed in his last life, a formation that he had developed using his knowledge from the other world. It could only be used when one possessed the upper hand and was cleaning up the enemy, and allowed one to cut down the enemy as quickly as possible.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 346