The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Back then, when his own training on the martial path had not yet been complete, Fang Xiaoyan would have debates with him. She would occasionally mention this Protector uncle of hers who had reached a superb level in the Stone General, Huang Botian. Although he had astonishing strength and a vehement hatred of outsiders, deep within his heart, Huang Botian was a true man.

  He had an extreme fondness for martial arts, which also served as his greatest weakness. Anyone who could resist three of his blows would be able to obtain his good graces, and if they could defeat him, Huang Botian would quickly change his attitude.

  No matter where the opponent came from, whether they were righteous or evil, Huang Botian would immediately treat them as a brother, acknowledging them as a bosom comrade.

  In the past, there was a Tibetan expert who was being pursued by Great Tang experts and ended up wandering into Wushang Village. In the end, he fought a pitched battle with Huang Botian, and this battle ended with Huang Botian and the Tibetan becoming friends. In the aftermath, he did everything possible to protect the Tibetan expert, even almost fighting with his fellow villagers.

  In the end, the villagers were forced to let the expert go!

  He had clearly known that his opponent was a Tibetan who harbored no good intentions toward the Great Tang, so that Huang Botian did this was a testament to the intensity of his addiction for martial arts.

  However, although everyone in the village knew of Huang Botian's personality problems, outsiders knew nothing about it. Probably not even Fang Xiaoyan, who had so delighted in having debates with Wang Chong, could have ever imagined that he would one day fight with that Protector uncle of hers.

  This will be interesting. If I stop three of his moves, I can win his favor! Wang Chong said to himself as he looked up at the Stone General. It felt like he could look through the thick layers of stone armor at that mysterious middle-aged man sizing him up from the chest of the giant.

  To tell the truth, Wang Chong was also very interested in this strange martial maniac that Fang Xiaoyan had spoken of, who had ultimately ended up dying in the calamity. Many of Wushang Village's experts had died in that great calamity.

  To Wang Chong, this was a great regret.

  "You're rather fast, but do you think you're faster than me?"

  The Stone General's voice was brimming with energy, ringing out like a gong from over Wang Chong's head. While Wang Chong was thinking, a stone whistled through the air. Huang Botian had suddenly called over a large stone and sent it hurtling at Wang Chong.

  While the first boulder was still in flight, Huang Botian stomped down his foot. The earth cracked, and several more massive stones flew out of the ground and into the hand of the thirty-meter giant, after which they were fired from its palm like cannonballs.

  A second stone, a third stone, a fourth…

  Massive boulders were fired in quick succession at Wang Chong, winds howling in their wake. One of the stones flew past Wang Chong's head, as even Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the other soldiers were in the scope of the stone giant's attacks.

  Huang Botian's attacks were clearly not aimed at Wang Chong alone. He treated all invaders the same.

  "Careful!"

  The stunned guards began to scatter.

  This Wushang Village was shrouded in mysteries and was shocking them more and more. They could accept those villagers who could practically fly through the craggy peaks and steep mountains, but now, an expert had appeared who could control stone, a sub-element of Earth, one of the Five Elements. The feeling this expert gave to these soldiers was no less than that of the leader of Huoshu Huicang's Five Tiger Generals, Longqinba.

  Perhaps they could disregard all this if Wushang Village were some famous fort, but this was a remote and barren place, a place that they hadn't even known about until the marquis had mentioned it and brought them over.

  Thus, one could easily imagine the shock that came with the casual appearance of this Imperial Martial expert.

  "There's no need to worry. Let me handle this stone giant!"

  When his soldiers were at their most panicked and nervous, Wang Chong's calming voice rang out in their ears. Whoosh! The boulder that had been shooting toward Gao Feng and the others was halted in the air and then curved back around, traveling at the same speed back toward the Stone General.

  Buzz!

  At this moment, all the Wushang villagers were flabbergasted, and even Huang Botian's Stone General trembled. It was clear that the martial maniac of Wushang Village had been perturbed by Wang Chong's move.

  "Haha, if I were you, I definitely wouldn't use this move!"

  Wang Chong's laughter was still hanging in the air as the second, third, and fourth boulders spun around in the air. With a wave of Wang Chong's finger, they all began to shoot at astonishing speeds toward the Stone General.

  None of these boulders Huang Botian had thrown had been able to pose any real threat to Wang Chong.

  "Damn it!"

  Infuriated, Huang Botian punched and smashed the stones that Wang Chong had sent back. Not in all his time in Wushang Village had he encountered a situation like this.

  "I truly underestimated you! It seems like a minor technique like this is useless against you. But you really shouldn't have challenged me like this. I've stood guard around here for so long, and never has anyone dared to act recklessly in front of me! Now, pay the price!"

  WIth that resounding voice still echoing in the air, the earth began to rumble. The massive figure of the Stone General bent down and plunged five fingers into the earth. With a vigorous pull, the Stone General extracted a massive stone spear from the earth, fifty-some meters long and as thick as a large bowl.

  Chapter 701: Defeating Huang Botian!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  The moment the stone spear appeared, an invisible energy began to modify it. The internal composition of the stone grew increasingly dense, making the spear tougher and tougher. Moreover, gravel began to accumulate on the surface of the spear, rapidly drawing out spiraling designs upon it.

  Boom!

  There was a flash of light as the massive stone spear smashed into the area where Wang Chong had been standing, creating a massive pit in the earth. Debris flew several dozen zhang into the air while dust billowed and filled the air.

  "Can you really escape!" the Stone General thundered, his voice still hanging in the air as he stepped forward. With an extreme speed and agility that did not match his massive body, the Stone General approached Wang Chong and threw a punch.

  Even before the fist landed, the massive strength behind it was already sending ripples through the air. The area in a radius of several dozen zhang began to unleash a teeth-aching sound, and everything began to twist and contort.

  If such a fist were to land, no one doubted that the only result would be shattered bones and a broken body.

  "Hahaha, Protector Huang, your Stone General truly is at a superb level, but unfortunately, you're still missing a little tempering!"

  Wang Chong's first words were to heartily laugh, but his last words were extremely cold and grim.

  Boom!

  In the blink of an eye, as countless people looked on, the smiling Wang Chong leisurely avoided Huang Botian's attacks, constantly dodging them as his clothes flapped in the air.

  But in the final moment, Wang Chong suddenly stood his right foot on its toes, straightening them out so that he could step onto the right fist of the Stone General. Boom! This simple tiptoe seemed to contain the weight of ten thousand jun. The Stone General's right fist was pulled down by an enormous power and crashed to the ground, sending up massive clouds of dust.

  Buzz!

  All the Wushang villagers who saw this sight were stunned. Huang Botian was the outermost Protector of Wushang, and they had all personally witnessed his strength. No one had ever penetrated into Wushang, but the farthest most of them could get was here, where Huang Botian would stop them. No one
had ever been able to pull down Huang Botian's right arm with just a single clash.

  "It's useless. In this place, you're simply no match for me!"

  Huang Botian's voice was still cold and severe. Even though one of his arms had been pulled down, he remained stoic. With a thunderous rumble, the moment Wang Chong pushed down the right arm, Huang Botian's Stone General raised the spear in his left hand and thrust it like a lightning bolt.

  At the same time, crsshcrussh! Countless pieces of stone arose from the earth and flew to Huang Botian's right shoulder. In the blink of an eye, another stone arm, exactly the same as the first, had taken shape. Rumble! Its five fingers came to life, forming a fist that hurtled toward Wang Chong.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Huang Botian was truly enraged. His two fists worked with the spear to unleash a flurry of blows on Wang Chong. Everything within a radius of several hundred zhang was in range of his attacks.

  Each fist of Huang Botian's had the weight of several thousand jin behind it. Even steel would shatter when struck by his punches, much less a body of flesh and blood.

  Even more frightening was the Stone General's unusual speed. This and his mighty strength were enough to make any opponent pale.

  "I'd like to see just how long you can dodge!" Huang Botian sneered. In a flash, his right hand pulled another fifty-meter-long spear out of the ground.

  Wielding two spears, the Stone General's attack speed and level of threat multiplied. But no matter how fierce Huang Botian's attacks became, Wang Chong's voice remained calm, as clear as crystal amidst the rain of spear attacks.

  "I'm not dodging, I'm just experiencing the Stone General. Since you want to fight with me, I'll fulfill your wish."

  Wang Chong suddenly changed his attitude. Thump! His toes pressed against the ground and Wang Chong shot into the air like an arrow, instantly flying through the chink in the storm of spears and hurtling into the Stone General's chest.

  "Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art!"

  Hanging from the chest with one hand, Wang Chong spread out the fingers of his other hand and thrust them into the Stone General's chest. As he used the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art taught to him by the Demonic Emperor Old Man, a powerful attractive force emerged onto stage.

  The Little Yinyang Art required a physical connection, the use of the Little Yinyang Sword, and a whole pile of other conditions, but the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art was different. Wang Chong didn't even need to be touching his opponent to absorb their energy.

  Buzz!

  Under countless shocked gazes, the thirty-meter-tall Stone General froze in his posture of fierce assault, paused in time.

  "This is impossible! What evil art did you use?"

  In the chest of the Stone General, the extremely panicked and shocked voice of a middle-aged man arose. The moment Wang Chong had used the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art, the Stellar Energy in his body had immediately begun to surge out like water leaving a sluice gate.

  Even more frightening was that he instantly lost control over the Stellar Energy in his body, trapping him inside the Stone General without any ability to move.

  Rumble! In a place that no one could see, a torrential flood of Stellar Energy was flowing ceaselessly into Wang Chong's body.

  As he received Huang Botian's internal energy, Wang Chong's already-impressive strength began to swell, bringing him even closer to new heights.

  "Not good! Protector is in danger!"

  "This outsider is strange! Everyone, let's go together! Help Protector deal with him!"

  ……

  The Wushang began to panic as they realized that Huang Botian had been captured. Not a single person had ever come to Wushang Village without their tail between their legs, and many outsiders didn't even need a Protector's intervention to be captured.

  But now, even a Protector had been captured. To the Wushang, this was both impossible to accept and unimaginable.

  "Assume the formation!"

  "Protect Young Master!"

  At the same time, Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the other elite guards began to move. In a flash, before the Wushang could rush over, Gao Feng and Nie Yan had led the ten-some soldiers in forming a tight formation. This was a formation that Wang Chong had created after the southwestern war, one that excelled in both attack and defense, in charges and in melee, the 'Dragon Snake Formation'!

  The Dragon Snake Formation did not require many people, and only ten-some people were required to form a small-scale one. With this formation, one could advance in attack or retreat in defense, and would condense the strength of the people of the formation into one, making it into a sharp blade and allowing them to display a strength far above normal.

  Whether one was fighting against many opponents or an expert on a higher level, the Dragon Snake Formation could allow a group of soldiers to maximize their power.

  But the Dragon Snake Formation had very high demands on the soldiers using it. The soldiers not only needed to be extremely strong, but also have an extremely high level of teamwork.

  Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the other soldiers were Wang Chong's 'Dragon Snake Team', the strongest soldiers with the highest level of training and understanding of this formation.

  This was also why Wang Chong had brought them with him on this excursion to Wushang Village.

  "Kill!"

  As Gao Feng and Nie Yan swiftly assumed the formation, the Wushang villagers noticed what they were up to and lunged forward. Both sides were brimming with killing intent, and just when it seemed like a fierce battle was about to break out…

  "Halt!"

  A voice drifted out of the sky. Wang Chong lightly pulled his fingers out of the Stone General's chest and shot back to the ground. In mid-air, his speed began to slow, allowing him to gently drop to the ground without disturbing a single speck of dust.

  As Wang Chong returned to the earth, countless stones dropped from the sky. The thirty-meter Stone General had instantly begun to crumble, leaving only two legs and half its body standing.

  And as the stones toppled away from what would have been the Stone General's chest, the figure of a thirty-some-year-old man appeared, his face weathered and extremely composed.

  "Protector Huang, can we end this battle?"

  Wang Chong looked up at the middle-aged man and faintly smiled.

  His expression was relaxed, his demeanor confident. If it weren't for the fact that the ground was bruised and massive boulders were rolling around, it would be very difficult to believe that he had just gone through an intense battle.

  The battleground was silent, and even the Wushang villagers and Qin Qicheng came to a halt and looked in a daze at the pair.

  In the remains of the Stone General, the middle-aged man looked down at Wang Chong, his eyes going through countless emotions. No one could tell what he was thinking.

  Other than Wang Chong and Huang Botian, no one knew what had just happened.

  The Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art could be hailed as the supreme evil art, even the most powerful and legendary of the Central Plains' Ten Supreme Arts, not merely because of its extreme power. It was not only capable of defeating all people on the same level, but it could also allow the user to easily challenge opponents a level higher, even several levels higher.

  Many experts of the martial world, while much stronger than their opponent who was using the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art, would still end up being defeated and dying to the user of that evil art.

  One could easily imagine the fierce reputation this supreme evil art had in the martial world.

  But Wang Chong had come to subdue and recruit the Wushang, not kill them. Thus, Wang Chong had restrained his technique. After absorbing Huang Botian's energy and making it impossible for him to control the Stone General, Wang Chong had returned the energy!

  Buzz!

  As Wang Chong looked up at the Stone General, where the middle-aged man had just opened his mouth to speak, the situation suddenly changed�
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  Boom!

  Although nothing could be seen in the surroundings, in a dimension not visible to the naked eye, a condensed bolt of mental energy bored into Wang Chong's mind like a sharp awl. Buzz! Wang Chong's complexion instantly paled, and he was frozen in place.

  Chapter 702: Experts as Thick as Clouds!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  In the blink of an eye, Wang Chong returned to normal. His eyes immediately turned to a cliff on his right. But by this time, several massive boulders, thrown down from the cliffs as fast as lightning bolts, were already crashing down around him.

  Wang Chong didn't much care at first, but when he took two steps forward and his vision suddenly went dark, he quickly paled.

  At almost the same time, two figures flew down from the cliff. One was a graying elder of more than fifty years wearing a yellow robe, while the other was a middle-aged woman with a beauty spot at the corner of her eye.

  "Botian, hurry and leave. I'm currently using the formation to hold him down. Hurry and call Chief and the elders to deal with him. Ruorong, how are you doing?"

  The yellow-robed elder propped up the woman, his face fraught with concern.

  "Wanshi, Botian, you need to be careful. This young man is very bizarre. My mental thorn rarely fails, but I just used mental energy to deal with him and was only able to control him for a few moments. I even suffered mental backlash. I've never encountered such a situation before."

  The woman's complexion was pale and she seemed to be in great pain.

  "Elder Du, Elder Fang, you…"

  Huang Botian stood on the remains of the Stone General, hesitating to speak. Wang Chong had truthfully gone easy on him, but alas, Elders Du and Fang had come too quickly. Before he even had time to say anything, Elder Fang had used her metal thorn on Wang Chong while Elder Du had thrown boulders and set up a formation to imprison him.

  Huang Botian was currently in an awkward situation, as it was already too late for him to say anything.

  At this moment, a familiar voice rang in their ears. "Hahaha, what a formidable formation. This trip was worth it just to witness this."