The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  This plan was not his, nor was it Huoshu Huicang's. It was the crystallization of their combined wisdom, Huoshu Huicang's military tactics coupled with his schemes… This was the mutual understanding the pair had shared for a very long time now.

  Long ago, the two had relied on these methods to suppress the wildly ambitious Zhangchou Jianqiong and his 180,000 Annan Protectorate army elites. Now that Zhangchou Jianqiong had moved to the capital, their target had changed to that teenager, that immature boy.

  Fifty zhang, thirty zhang… the Tibetan force was getting closer and closer, yet there was no sign of activity from the mountain.

  When the Tibetan army was only twenty zhang from the mountain…

  Boom!

  Suddenly, a rumbling came from the mountain. Right when the Tibetan cavalry were about to charge onto the mountain, the soldiers of the Annan Protectorate army suddenly appeared in the gaps between the walls.

  The moment they appeared, a large construction made from steel was also pushed out.

  "Barricades!"

  The sight of that large metal construction caused the Tibetans to immediately open their eyes in shock. Large steel platforms had been pushed out, their sloping sides covered in sharp and chilling teeth, like the fangs of a beast, all of them pointed down the mountain slope.

  All around the mountain, thousands of these metal barricades were pushed out.

  "This is impossible!"

  The army had almost reached the foot of the mountain, and so even someone as valiant as Tumi Sangzha had to pale at the sudden appearance of these heavy steel barricades. In the previous battle, he had clearly seen Duan Wuzong lead the Whitestone Corps up the mountain and Jiaosiluo lead ten thousand cavalry up.

  All these soldiers had been charging up the mountain, but none of them had seen any barricades!

  "Where did these barricades come from?"

  Tumi Sangzha's eyes widened in astonishment.

  Much less him, even some as composed as Huoshu Huicang couldn't help but look up to the summit with raised eyebrows.

  It's this again! It seems like he also prepared for this!

  It had only taken a day for Wang Chong to produce these steel walls, and now, in front of their eyes, he had suddenly produced these heavy barricades. Huoshu Huicang was rarely moved, but even he was somewhat affected by Wang Chong's ability to move around all these barricades in complete secrecy while surrounded.

  There was no doubt that Wang Chong had already planned this out.

  Huoshu Huicang had been fighting wars for so long, encountering all sorts of formidable opponents, but he had never met one so hard to deal with.

  Alas, you're facing Tumi Sangzha this time!

  Huoshu Huicang's eyes flashed for a moment before he regained his composure. At the same time, as if responding to Huoshu Huicang, Tumi Sangzha let out a furious howl.

  "Hmph, you think this can stop me? Naive! Get out of my way!"

  While everyone else was slowing in the face of these barricades, Tumi Sangzha bellowed, his entire body exploding with a majestic momentum as his mount sped up and broke free from the ranks of his army. The earth quaked as black ripples began to spread out around Tumi Sangzha.

  These black ripples seemed to be alive, stretching through the void to enclose the steel walls and barricades.

  "Black Iron Spirits, rise up!"

  Tumi Sangzha's eyes sharpened as he roared and swung down at the ground. Rumble! The entire mountain seemed to tremble. As everyone looked on, space seemed to blur, and these massive steel walls suddenly began to fall, crumple, and twist.

  Roaaarr!

  Soldiers on both sides watched as four steel walls several zhang from Tumi Sangzha suddenly pulled themselves out of the ground and transformed into four steel giants, several zhang tall.

  Thick limbs, massive heads, and terrifying strength… a storm of energy began to explode from these steel giants.

  !!!

  In an instant, everyone paled, including Wang Chong, who was supervising the entire battle from the summit.

  The most shocked of all was the Crown Prince of Mengshe Zhao, Fengjiayi.

  “This fellow's Black Iron Halo has actually reached this level!"

  Fengjiayi had never known that Tumi Sangzha cultivated the Black Iron Halo, a halo very similar to his own, but the most frightening thing of all was that Tumi Sangzha had cultivated his Black Iron Halo to a level that far surpassed his own!

  At the very least, Fengjiayi's abilities were not at the level where he could transform the steel walls erected by the Tang.

  "Young Master, what do we do?"

  At the same time, on the summit, Chen Shusun turned to Wang Chong.

  The greatest defenses offered by this mountain were the modular steel walls that Wang Chong had erected. Without the shelter of these metal walls, the Mengshe Zhao and Tibetan cavalry could charge all the way from the foot of the mountain to the summit.

  Infantry were skilled in defense!

  But if they didn't have the defense of these walls, the Annan Protectorate army would not be able to exert their full abilities.

  And the existence of Tumi Sangzha was now the most concerning variable in this defensive framework, the greatest threat!

  Chapter 585: The Decisive Battle! Threat!

  Chapter 585: The Decisive Battle! Threat!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  "There's no need to worry!"

  Wang Chong looked down from the summit in the direction of Tumi Sangzha. In the distance, Tumi Sangzha was exuding an astonishing aura. His massive Halo of Thorns was covering the earth, drawing out countless grains of metal powder from underground and condensing them into metal soldiers.

  Tumi Sangzha's Halo of Black Iron was much stronger than Fengjiayi's halo, and he could summon many more metal soldiers. It took only a few seconds for nearly one hundred metal men to appear around Tumi Sangzha.

  This was not all. As a Tang infantry formation charged toward Tumi Sangzha, before they could get close, the armor on their bodies began to writhe, breaking free of their former owners to transform into even more metal men.

  The limbs of these metal men transformed into sabers, swords, and spears, and quickly began to fight the Annan Protectorate army soldiers.

  These metal men did not have the protection of Stellar Energy, but they had the advantage of constantly morphing attacks that simply couldn't be defended against. Moreover, they didn't need to defend themselves as they could never die.

  In a few moments, without Tumi Sangzha even needing to personally strike, his army of metal men had thrown the charging Tang formation into chaos.

  And even more terrifying was the damage that Tumi Sangzha's Halo of Black Iron did to the steel walls.

  Under the effect of Tumi Sangzha's halo, these tall and unmoving walls suddenly began to twist and transform into steel giants that now charged up the mountain.

  Boom boom boom!

  These metal giants smashed their fists down, each with the weight of one thousand jun, their every strike raising clouds of dust and causing the earth to quake. Even these Great Tang elites who had survived through the battle of Erhai and Lion City could not take a single blow from these metal giants.

  A casual strike, smash, toss, or collision from these massive steel soldiers was enough to plow through the Annan Protectorate army and fling its soldiers screaming into the sky.

  Not a single person on the mountain could take even a single blow from them.

  And Tumi Sangzha was still summoning more steel giants. Coupled with the massive fireballs still careening out of the sky, it seemed like the defenses that Wang Chong had put so much effort into were about to be annihilated.

  Even so, Wang Chong was still smiling, a leisurely expression on his face.

  "…Although I don't know who this Tibetan general is or how he managed to cultivate such a powerful Halo of Black Iron, if he thinks that this will be enough to destroy the metal wa
lls that I had made in the capital specifically for this battle, then he's truly too naive."

  "Eh?!"

  Chen Shusun was dumbstruck, his face a picture of confusion.

  From a certain perspective, he had watched Wang Chong as he grew up. But at this moment, Chen Shusun felt like he couldn't see through this smiling and relaxed youth.

  Even though he was much older than Wang Chong.

  "These metal walls are covered in toughening inscriptions, with each wall holding thousands of all sizes. If that foreign general only wants to transform four of them, he's completely capable of that, but if he wants to twist all of them into metal men, that's nothing more than wishful thinking!" Wang Chong said nonchalantly as he looked down the mountain.

  Although he was still young, Wang Chong's experience and insight left even a veteran general like Chen Shusun in the dust. If Chen Shusun knew that this youth at his side had the soul of the most powerful and revered 'War Saint' in the history of the Central Plains, he would probably be so scared and shocked that he wouldn't be able to speak.

  The southwestern war was the first war the empire would face, and also the most important one.

  The first domino to fall was here. This war concerned the future of the Great Tang and the Central Plains, so Wang Chong had no place to retreat. He had to put forward everything he had.

  Not even Wang Chong had expected experts with Metal element halos like Fengjiayi or Tumi Sangzha to appear, much less that someone would have an even more powerful halo than Fengjiayi, presenting a massive threat to Wang Chong's defensive arrangements. However, these modular metal walls were bound to the lives of the one hundred thousand Tang soldiers and the almost one million civilians of the southwest.

  Thus, when constructing these metal walls, Wang Chong had expended all his capital, investing the Hyderabad ore and the fortune made from selling the Wootz Steel swords into the venture.

  Besides that, Wang Chong had even sold off more than half of the spirit vein mountain to obtain even more funds, making the nobles, wealthy clans, and even the princes and princesses of the palace descend into a buying frenzy.

  The fortune accumulated from these various avenues was enough to make Wang Chong one of the richest people in the empire. Even if he constructed several more cities like Lion City, he would still have extra.

  But Wang Chong had invested all of it into constructing these steel walls.

  Beneath the ordinary exterior of these steel walls, each piece of metal had been affixed with a large number of inscriptions. Wang Chong had gathered almost all the inscription masters of the capital and had them take part in this undertaking of unprecedented size.

  No such undertaking had ever appeared before in the capital. No one had ever attempted such a thing.

  One could say that the price of these modular metal walls was far more expensive than the ordinary person could imagine. This was an incredibly costly venture, but Wang Chong did not have the manpower to alter the course of this war, so he could only use wealth.

  If Tumi Sangzha wanted to deal with Wang Chong by transforming all these metal walls into his desired metal army, he would first have to overcome the countless toughening inscriptions within the walls.

  Although someone with Tumi Sangzha's abilities could definitely do this, it was impossible for him to do it without paying a price!

  Buzz!

  Space seemed to blur as Tumi Sangzha's halo continued to expand. The steel walls on the base of the mountain seemed to come to life, twisting and deforming. This time, Tumi Sangzha's Halo of Black Iron covered more than ten of these steel walls.

  If he succeeded, not only would ten more undying steel giants of boundless strength appear on the mountain, a massive gap would be torn through the defenses of the Annan Protectorate army.

  But in the next moment, Tumi Sangzha suddenly paled as if he had suffered some heavy blow, his forehead suddenly covered in sweat. Those steel walls to his left and right which had seemed on the verge of transforming suddenly returned to normal, as if the connection between them and Tumi Sangzha had been cut off.

  The transformation of these walls into giants had been halted!

  Although Tumi Sangzha was very far away and the massive fireballs were still plummeting out of the heavens, Chen Shusun was able to quickly notice that Tumi Sangzha had paled and fiercely turned his head to the summit. Wang Chong truly had been correct.

  "He truly couldn't transform them!"

  Stunned, Chen Shusun suddenly understood.

  "Not even a Great General of Huoshu Huicang's level could be guaranteed to transform all the steel walls I brought into metal men, let alone this foreign general. Given his abilities, four metal giants is his absolute limit. Any further attempts to summon a metal giant will consume a massive amount of Stellar Energy… If an expert on his level wants to do that, then I welcome it with open arms!" Wang Chong said with a chuckle.

  Before the imposing War Saint, no one could do things so easily. Not even Dalun Ruozan could have it easy, so why these foreign generals? Battles were fought step by step. If Ü-Tsang and Mengshe Zhao hoped to use this method to defeat him, then they hoped in vain.

  On the other side, Tumi Sangzha had clearly understood this principle and swiftly altered his plans.

  Rooaaar!

  With a furious bellow, the pitch-black halo under Tumi Sangzha's feet began to explode outward. All the metal men currently engaged in furious battle on the front lines were suddenly magnetically attracted to him, flying through the air to attach to his body.

  Clangclangclang! Countless metal men along with the metal grains rising from deep underground began to attach to Tumi Sangzha, all of them quickly fusing together into a thick suit of armor that completely enclosed him.

  Tumi Sangzha's body continued to grow taller and taller, and he was quickly replaced with a metal giant, ten-some zhang tall, appearing like some demonic god.

  Dust plumed around him as a powerful aura rose from the giant's body.

  "Where, where, where did this fellow come from! Isn't he too powerful?"

  "Not even Jiaosiluo was this powerful, right?"

  "The Tibetans still had a powerful expert like this!"

  ……

  At this moment, the most shocked were the soldiers of Mengshe Zhao. After fighting together with Ü-Tsang for several months, they had grown very familiar with Huoshu Huicang's Five Tiger Generals.

  As for the person before them… although they had run into him once or twice, it was generally the Five Tiger Generals leading the charge into enemy ranks. They truly had no impression of this valiant general.

  A voice came from behind Fengjiayi as Mengshe Zhao's Great General Duan Gequan chose this moment to speak. "Of the Five Element halos, the Metal element has the fewest people possessing the talent to cultivate it, as it is the most difficult, with a chance of success far smaller than the other elements. This Tibetan can already use the Halo of Black Iron to this level, meaning that he's already reached or is close to reaching the even higher Halo of Bronze. Using it requires putting in one's heart and soul. Through the method used by this general, in terms of defense, he's already surpassed Jiaosiluo.

  "Your Highness Crown Prince, you cultivate the same kind of metal halo. You must pay attention to this person's every action. Learn from him. It might be of great assistance to you."

  "Jiayi understands. Many thanks to Great General for this advice," Fengjiayi earnestly replied.

  Fengjiayi had always treated this Great General who had always stood in his father's shadow with the utmost respect.

  Silence quickly settled in around him.

  Everyone, both Mengshe Zhao and Tibetan, was focused on Tumi Sangzha. All of them had to admit that this strength displayed by this tribal warrior far surpassed their initial expectations.

  Chapter 586: The Decisive Battle! A Duel of Tactics!

  Chapter 586: The Decisive Battle! A Duel of Tactics!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

&
nbsp; Edited by: Michyrr

  Boom!

  The metal giant, ten-some zhang high, smashed a fist down, instantly sending a metal wall flying along with ten-some Tang soldiers. After flying around ten zhang, it crashed down to the ground, unleashing a cloud of dust.

  "Jiaosiluo was a useless thing! Watch as I kill these Tang and tell you what a true expert of the plateau is like, what it truly means to be an eagle that lords over the skies!"

  Tumi Sangzha's resounding roar in Tibetan echoed through the skies. He began to stride up the mountain, each step crossing seven or eight zhang. Boom! Another fist casually struck out, sending another heavy steel wall flying away in a cloud of dust.

  Upon seeing this sight, even Wang Chong couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock.

  Metal element halos were considered the strongest of the Five Element halos, but even so, the strength Tumi Sangzha displayed was abnormal. Although he was relying purely on savage strength, it was precisely this sort of method that was more troublesome and difficult to deal with.

  "Not bad!"

  At the base of the mountain, Huoshu Huicang stood like an imposing mountain, his posture giving off the feeling of a boundless ocean or unending mountain range, that nothing could ever shake him. As for Tumi Sangzha's performance, only he remained unsurprised.

  Jiaosiluo had always been in conflict with tribal generals like Tumi Sangzha, as this was the particular selection method used by Ü-Tsang. The tribal generals were in competition with the Five Tiger Generals, and only the true experts could survive to take up a position in the Five Tiger Generals.

  Whether it was Longqinba, Jiaosiluo, or the other deceased generals, they had all been chosen through this method. Thus, Huoshu Huicang actually hadn't cared that much about Jiaosiluo's death.

  "I wonder what you'll do next?"

  As Huoshu Huicang looked up at the summit, the hint of a smile appeared in his eyes. The massive fireballs carpeting the sky and a fierce general like Tumi Sangzha would probably leave even someone like Zhangchou Jianqiong helpless.

  But with regards to that youth who had handed so many defeats to his subordinates, Huoshu Huicang felt a sliver of anticipation.