Whoosh! While everyone was stunned at Longqinba's mighty Stellar Energy, there was a flash of bloody light. Without any warning, a stream of Sword Qi pierced through Longqinba's many layers of Stellar Energy, shooting straight toward his head.
Longqinba almost immediately tilted his head, causing this lethal strike to miss him by a hair. The Sword Qi instead struck his back. Shlick! A wound suddenly appeared, blood gushing forth.
"Stellar Energy Piercer!"
Wang Chong's strike had actually managed to trigger the rare effect of the Stellar Energy Piercer.
"What martial art is this?" Longqinba roared. Even someone of his composure couldn't help but pale at this point.
As someone raised by the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple, he had seen all kinds of martial arts, yet he had never encountered such a thing. His Stellar Energy had clearly stopped Wang Chong's attack, yet that stream of Sword Qi had inexplicably managed to get through all of it.
Even Luo Ji couldn't do such a thing, yet the weakling Wang Chong had succeeded.
If he hadn't reacted so promptly, Wang Chong's Sword Qi would have struck a critical point on his head.
Bzzt! Instead of answering, Wang Chong unsheathed a sword from his waist with his left hand and stabbed it toward Longqinba. The more times he attacked, the more chances the Stellar Energy Piercer would have to trigger.
Although he still didn't have a complete grasp over it, he was certain of one thing: as long as he attacked four times, the Stellar Energy Piercer would undoubtedly activate on the fifth attempt.
This was the best method to deal with an expert with reserves of Stellar Energy as deep as Longqinba's.
This was also Wang Chong's only way of threatening him.
This time, however, before Wang Chong could strike, Longqinba pushed out with his arms, causing a fierce wave of tyrannical Stellar Energy to explode from his body.
There was only a massive boom as Wang Chong, Luo Ji, Lin Wushou, Xu Andun… everyone was jolted away.
Longqinba was inconceivably powerful.
But this time, despite the success of his attack, no pleasure could be seen on Longqinba's face, nor any of that previous confidence.
Damn it, this brat can have his formidable military arts, but where did he learn that strange technique from!
Longqinba stood like an iron tower on the mountain slope, his dreadful eyes burning with killing intent as he stared at Wang Chong in the back of the crowd. Wang Chong's appearance had suddenly made this battle extremely disadvantageous to him.
It wasn't merely because of Wang Chong's strange 'Stellar Energy Piercer' that couldn't be defended against. More importantly, the places Wang Chong had pointed out moments before were the flaws in his defense that he had still not properly tempered.
The martial arts of the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple were famed for their power, but they were also famed for being difficult to cultivate. Despite cultivating them for ten-some years, achieving great success, he was still clearly quite some distance from perfection.
And his right rib and the Baihui point on his head were precisely the locations of his flaws.
Wang Chong had even managed to specifically pinpoint his weakness as being two inches to the left of the Baihui point, which truly made Longqinba apprehensive.
That location was his fatal weakness.
A fierce killing intent instantly began to boil within Longqinba's mind. But Wang Chong had already made ready, positioning himself behind Luo Ji and Lin Wushou. Even if Longqinba wanted to strike, his chances of success were zero.
"Longqinba, withdraw!"
A voice rang out like a peal of thunder. At the base of the mountain, the looming figure of Huoshu Huicang, the unmoving mountain, had suddenly taken a step forward and issued an order in Tibetan.
Bzzt!
This order was so sudden that let alone Longqinba, even Wang Chong was shocked.
Longqinba had been doubtful at the start, but he quickly noticed something. Turning around, he jumped forward and began to charge down the mountain without another word.
Chapter 579: The Decisive Battle! The Unspoken Challenge
Chapter 579: The Decisive Battle! The Unspoken Challenge
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
"What a pity!"
As Wang Chong watched Longqinba streak down the mountain like a bolt of lightning, he couldn't help but sigh.
"That's right! Truly a pity! If we had managed to delay him for just a little longer, Longqinba wouldn't be able to leave even if he wanted to! Although he didn't react, Huoshu Huicang did!" Luo Ji replied.
"What a waste of an opportunity!"
A voice came from the rear, only around fifty zhang from Wang Chong's group, as a few figures began to emerge. Longqinba had left, so these people no longer needed to conceal their energies. One by one, they began to exude auras as mighty as storms.
Every one of them was at the level of Luo Ji and Lin Wushou. It was clear that these people were some of the highest-ranking generals of the Annan Protectorate army.
The Annan Protectorate army might not have much of anything else, but it was replete with high-ranking generals.
If Longqinba had been just a little slower, these ten-some generals would have joined with Wang Chong and Luo Ji's group, and then together with the thousands of Annan Protectorate army elites in the surroundings, they would have forced Longqinba to remain.
"Kiiiill!"
With the fight over, it was only these heaven-shaking roars that made them realize that a fierce battle was still taking place.
Without Duan Wuzong or Jiaosiluo, and with Longqinba retreating, the remaining Whitestone Corps soldiers and Tibetan cavalry were incapable of stopping the charge of the Annan Protectorate army. Like a receding tide, they retreated back down the mountain.
"Young Master, what should we do now?"
Everyone began to look toward Wang Chong.
"Hmph, Huoshu Huicang wants to retreat, but can he retreat without leaving anything behind?"
Wang Chong was still wearing the Mengshe Zhao armor as he looked down the mountain and sneered. Before retreating, the dense ranks of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army had gotten almost halfway up the mountain.
Right now, the surface of the mountain was covered with eighty to ninety thousand Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang soldiers.
Wang Chong had already achieved the initial objective of his plan!
If Huoshu Huicang thought that he could have his army retreat in one piece at this time, then he was truly underestimating him.
"Begin the plan. Generals, return to your positions and begin the harvest!"
"Yes, Young Master!"
……
Everyone had complete faith in Wang Chong by now, and each of them swiftly left, even Luo Ji. As for the heavily injured Zhao Wujiang and Xu Shiping, there were people ready to take them elsewhere for recovery.
The slopes were covered in the sounds of fighting, with the charging Great Tang soldiers succeeding in holding down many Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang warriors.
"It's about time!"
Wang Chong coldly laughed as he raised the curtain to the most important part of this battle.
Boom!
Wang Chong raised his right foot high and then smashed it into the ground. For a moment, the entire world seemed to grow quiet, with even time seeming to come to a stop.
As Wang Chong's right foot hit the ground, ripples began to expand across the battlefield.
None of the Great Tang soldiers noticed these ripples, but there was a flash of light beneath the feet of a Mengshe Zhao soldier some one hundred zhang from Wang Chong, the flickering of a milky-white halo. Then there was a second, a third, a fourth… In just a few seconds, all the Whitestone Corps and Tibetan soldiers on the mountain were touched by these ripples.
Without any warning, in the space of a few seconds, the cultivation level of all the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang soldiers on the mountain rapidly dropped seve
ral tiers!
"What's going on here?" they all shouted in alarm.
The Mengshe–Ü-Tsang soldiers had been on nearly equal strength with the Annan Protectorate army, but at this moment, their power suddenly dropped several layers in all aspects: strength, speed, dexterity. Even those who were fleeing could feel their speed dropping.
None of them could have ever expected such a thing!
On the other side, all the Great Tang soldiers were energized. Given that they were mortal enemies, they were far too familiar with the soldiers of Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang.
The Annan Protectorate army had immediately noticed the change in the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army.
"Kiiiill!"
A burst of astonishing roars filled the skies as the entire Annan Protectorate army redoubled their efforts. Bangbangbang! One after another, Mengshe Zhao and Tibetan soldiers fell.
These opponents who had once been like violent gods had suddenly become unbearably weak. What was already a losing battle coupled with the sudden drop in strength resulted in close to ten thousand deaths on the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang side in mere moments.
"Flee!"
The rout spread through the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army like the plague, with even the Tibetan cavalry, famed for their valor, falling into complete panic.
"Kill!"
While the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang forces madly fled in the front, the Annan Protectorate army madly pursued from the rear. Corpses covered the ground and rivers of blood flowed.
All this happened without any guidance from Wang Chong.
"Dalun Ruozan, now it's my turn to see what moves you have!"
Wang Chong coldly chuckled as he turned around and began to leisurely stride toward the summit. The fully-armored soldiers of the Great Tang were charging past him, but whenever they got close, they would always yield to the sides of their own volition.
"Young Master!"
On the summit, Chen Shusun was elated and gave a respectful bow. His expression was even more reverential than the one he would show to Xianyu Zhongtong or Wang Yan.
Chen Shusun had completely submitted himself to Wang Chong.
Dalun Ruozan had arranged for Longqinba to mix into the army with the intent of ambushing and killing a Tang commander. In the end, however, he had been missing that final step. Not only had his plan been ruined by Wang Chong, he had even had to pay one Jiaosiluo.
Jiaosiluo had managed to escape disaster after disaster, had even managed to reach the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army, only several zhang from his mount. But he had still fallen before Wang Chong.
From start to finish, he had never managed to escape Wang Chong's schemes.
This fierce Tibetan general who had killed so many of the Great Tang's soldiers had finally been slain at Wang Chong's hands.
If Wang Chong had not killed him, it was difficult to say how many more Tang soldiers he would have killed.
"There's no need for all this courtesy!"
Wang Chong waved his hands, took off the Mengshe Zhao helmet, and threw it to the side. In the battle with Fengjiayi, he had obtained a few suits of Mengshe Zhao armor which he had finally used on this occasion.
In the war between the Great Tang and Mengshe Zhao, the people of Mengshe Zhao had many times disguised themselves as Tang to seek out news, spy on the Tang forces, and even attempt assassinations. The people of Mengshe Zhao had used this method, so Wang Chong was only giving them a taste of their own medicine.
Once he had removed the Mengshe Zhao armor, Wang Chong reached out his right hand toward that unmoving other 'Wang Chong' standing beneath the banner.
"Young Master, your subordinate did not let you down!"
The bodyguard who had been disguising himself as Wang Chong removed his helmet and bowed as he respectfully placed the helmet in Wang Chong's hands. Although Wang Chong was still very young, no one in the army dared to underestimate him.
"General Chen, have you finished preparations for the next phase?" Wang Chong unhurriedly asked as he took the armor from the thin guard and slowly began to put it on. "With the losses the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army took this time around, they definitely won't let the matter go. This battle is far from over!" As he spoke, his gaze drifted down the mountain to where the battle-hardened elites of the Great Tang were silently standing in their ranks like a forest of spears.
These approximately forty thousand warriors were Wang Chong's last move and his last resort.
It was still far too early for them to be used.
"Young Master, be at ease. Everything has been done as you ordered!" Chen Shusun sternly replied.
He basically regarded Wang Chong as a god at this point. No matter what order Wang Chong had for him, even if it was telling him to jump off a cliff, Chen Shusun would carry it out without hesitation.
"Mm."
Wang Chong smiled and nodded, saying no more.
Dalun Ruozan, it's your turn!
Zhao Wujiang and Jiaosiluo's fight was only the first exchange between Wang Chong and the wise minister of Ü-Tsang, Dalun Ruozan.
Now came the second exchange!
Wang Chong was deeply aware that he now had the complete attention of the Ngari Royal Lineage's Great Minister. Longqinba's appearance had been the best evidence of this.
You've truly got me caught up in anticipation! Dalun Ruozan, with me here, you will never succeed!
Wang Chong once more stood at the summit and looked down at that silk-robed figure with his feather fan at the base of the mountain.
Even to Great Generals of the Central Plains like Geshu Han or Fumeng Lingcha, Dalun Ruozan was still an extremely troublesome existence!
It was said that the Tibetans had only come south due to the requests from the King of Mengshe Zhao, Geluofeng.
But in Wang Chong's view, the Tibetans would have come south even without Geluofeng's request. Dalun Ruozan was the director behind the curtains, the one who had ordered those more than two hundred thousand cavalry to charge down the plateau.
Huoshu Huicang was only the knife in his hand.
The southwest had never been his objective. Dalun Ruozan's ambitions were far greater than Geluofeng's, and what he wanted was far more than Geluofeng could ever give.
If no one stopped him, Dalun Ruozan would eventually become a mortal affliction for the Great Tang.
…So, come then! This place will be your final stop, Dalun Ruozan!
Wang Chong's clothes flapped in the wind as he aimed his fiery gaze at that distant figure down below.
At the same time, a fierce wind was also gusting down below. Dalun Ruozan stood in the ranks of the army, his hair blown into disarray by the gale. Dalun Ruozan's mind at this moment was as difficult to calm as the wind.
On the mountain, the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army was being cut down like weeds, their corpses rolling down the mountain. This sight was a heavy shock to the entire army.
At this moment, the entirety of the army had an unprecedented understanding of the strength of the one hundred thousand Tang soldiers on the mountain!
But things were different for Dalun Ruozan.
Dalun Ruozan could sense in the air an unspoken challenge.
He's challenging me!
Dalun Ruozan's expression turned grave as he gazed at that figure on the summit.
No one dared to use this sort of method to challenge him at this sort of place. Not even Zhangchou Jianqiong had ventured to do such a thing. Yet this boy from the capital of the Great Tang had dared.
Jiaosiluo's death was not some isolated incident!
It was a silent pronouncement and challenge!
It was a challenge that Wang Chong had issued to him!
Chapter 580: The Decisive Battle! A New Wave of Offense!
Chapter 580: The Decisive Battle! A New Wave of Offense!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited: Michyrr
"All troops, prepare to attack!"
On the mountain, both the Whitestone Corps and the Tibetan cavalry were fleein
g. At this moment, not even a fierce general like Longqinba could do anything. Seeing all these soldiers being cut down like weeds, Huoshu Huicang finally issued an order.
"Wait a moment!"
Dalun Ruozan suddenly came to his senses and told Huoshu Huicang to stop.
"There's no need to send more troops, nor would there be any meaning to it. Didn't we get a batch of Celestial Wolf Bows from the Western Turks not too long ago?"
"Great Minister means…"
With a thought, Huoshu Huicang seemed to understand what Dalun Ruozan was getting at.
"It's about time to use those Celestial Wolf Bows anyway. Tell them to move out!" Dalun Ruozan said.
This time, Huoshu Huicang had no objections. Although Dalun Ruozan was somewhat overstepping his bounds by meddling in military matters as a civil minister, Huoshu Huicang had always known that he had never been a purely civil minister.
After all, it was from him that he had first obtained those military texts from the Central Plains.
Although Dalun Ruozan's methods might have been unsuitable at other occasions, they were ideal at this time. But it did seem a little cruel.
"Didn't you hear? Celestial Wolf Cavalry, prepare to move out!"
Huoshu Huicang's eyes gleamed as he made up his mind.
Dust began to rise as the sounds of horses trotting rose from within the army.
It took mere moments for a unit of fully-armored Tibetan cavalry to gallop out of the army. Unlike other Tibetan cavalry, each one of these horsemen was carrying a massive Celestial Wolf Bow on his back.
Each Celestial Wolf Bow was made from top-quality Phoebe Zhennan wood, and was four to five feet tall, towering over the heads of the riders. The gray wolf fur used to cover these bows clearly indicated their origins.
Only the Western Turks who lived on the steppe and deserts to the northwest of the Great Tang used this kind of bow.
Although the Western Turks were far inferior to the Great Tang in terms of metal smelting and weapon forging, and had always been lacking in access to metals, they were head and shoulders above the Great Tang in terms of bow-making.
The bows of the Western Turks possessed a power second only to the power of Great Tang ballistae. And compared to a ballista, these bows were much easier to construct.
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