The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  No one was more nervous at this time than the eight-thousand-some craftsmen, and the entire fortress was jittery and nervous. If it weren't for the fact that the foremen had followed Wang Chong to the southwest, they wouldn't have been able to maintain their calm and soothe the workers, convincing them that Wang Chong had everything planned out, and all the craftsmen would have already taken to their heels.

  Rumble!

  The massive gates opened. Eight people were needed to open the gate, but at this moment, thirty-two people were hastily working at this task.

  Whoosh! A gust of wind blew in as a Wushang cavalryman charged through the gate, followed by a second, a third, and then a surging river.

  "Quick! Close the gate!"

  There was a thunderous roar that could be heard all over the city. The craftsmen quickly began to move, and the gears began to rumble as the gate was closed.

  As the last of the Wushang Cavalry charged in, the gates completely closed.

  ……

  "Don't let them run!"

  "Kill them!"

  "Kill all the Tang! Now is the time for our revenge!"

  The Tibetans roared into the heavens. These last few battles had cast a shadow over the hearts of these Tibetans that once used to look down on the Tang. However, the sight of the Wushang Cavalry fleeing had immediately swept this shadow away.

  There was no question that not even the Wushang Cavalry were a match for Lord Dusong Mangpoje. As long as the Great General was present, these Tang weren't even worth mentioning.

  Thousands of horses cried out as they charged past the steel walls toward that small fortress in the triangular gap.

  The Tibetans encountered no obstacles this time, and no beehives filling the sky with arrows. All the soldiers were able to gallop past the outlying walls and reach the base of the nine-zhang-high walls.

  "Ready the hooks!" someone in the army roared. Dingdingdangdang! Countless hooks flew up to the walls. At this moment, the only soldiers that could have brought such tools meant for assaulting cities were Dayan Mangban's White Braves.

  Rumble! A long, silver battering ram, its surface covered in complicated patterns, crashed against the gate with a force of ten thousand jun. The massive impact caused the entire city to tremble as it let out a deafening boom.

  The White Braves were far too familiar with assaulting cities. In many battles, the five thousand White Braves had relied on precisely this set of techniques to conquer many small kingdoms of the Western Regions.

  For this attack, Dayan Mangban had already known that a steel fortress had been erected at the triangular gap, so these grappling hooks and silver battering rams had been prepared in advance.

  It was just that in the previous battles, the five thousand White Braves had not had any chance to reach the fortress walls to use this siege weaponry.

  Whoosh!

  The winds howled as the White Braves began to scale the walls. These were not the walls of that towering City of Steel in Wushang, so they were much easier to climb.

  In just a few moments, the White Braves began to peek over the walls.

  But the first person to appear on the wall was not any of those nimble White Braves. In a flash of light, Dusong Mangpoje and his divine steed leapt into the air.

  He didn't even need to use any hooks, simply traversed that nine zhang of height with his own strength.

  "Look! Over there! Shoot arrows at him!"

  The walls were in chaos. The moment Dusong Mangpoje appeared, he was greeted by arrows from all sides.

  This was a unit of archers that had remained within the fortress this entire time. Sensing Dusong Mangpoje's powerful aura, almost all the archers had fired at him.

  "Petty tricks!"

  Dusong Mangpoje faintly smiled, and he simply stood on the wall, allowing the arrows to come at him. But at a distance of three zhang, all these arrows stopped and fell to the ground.

  But when this volley was finished, another volley of arrows exploded toward him.

  Dusong Mangpoje gave a relaxed grin, his hawkish eyes piercing through the sky full of arrows and flitting across the city in search of something.

  "Found it!"

  Dusong Mangpoje chuckled as his eyes locked onto a figure opening a gate, ready to flee.

  Chapter 791: Dusong Mangpoje's Fear! I

  Chapter 791: Dusong Mangpoje's Fear! (I)

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  "Do you think you can escape?"

  Dusong Mangpoje inwardly sneered. He had only needed a glance to recognize Wang Chong's back.

  In the distance, Wang Chong seemed to sense something, his body shivering as Dusong Mangpoje's eyes locked onto him. He inadvertently turned his head to look, and those eyes that had always been so calm and wise finally revealed a tinge of deep panic and fear.

  In the face of absolute strength, all plans and tactics were merely the toys of children.

  Only Great Generals could deal with Great Generals. Wang Chong had been able to use certain methods to control Fumeng Lingcha's movements, using the Great General of Qixi to hold down Dusong Mangpoje. For this, Dusong Mangpoje deeply admired him.

  "Alas, you underestimated the daring of a Great General, and underestimated Fumeng Lingcha's determination to kill you. For these reasons, you are bound to die here."

  Dusong Mangpoje grinned as he looked at the youth. To have offended so many Great Generals on both sides of the border was a feat that only this youth of the Great Tang could have accomplished. No matter how overflowing with talent one was, anyone that was too brash and arrogant was doomed to be short-lived, cut down mid-flight.

  Bang!

  Dusong Mangpoje leapt forward, leaving countless blurs in the air. When he next appeared, he was several dozen zhang away. When Dusong Mangpoje truly began to move, he was countless times faster than a warhorse, the only drawback being that he would consume a great deal of Stellar Energy.

  Perhaps Wang Chong could have escaped if he had left right from the start, but it was impossible to escape from right under his eyes.

  "Little friend, why are you in such a rush? It's been several months since our meeting in the capital. Let's chat about old times."

  Dusong Mangpoje's voice was not loud, yet it could be heard throughout the steel fortress. His body exuded a vast sea of energy that filled the fortress to the bursting, his divine strength intimidating everyone present. Cries of panic and fear filled the fortress, mixing together with the sounds of wooden and steel racks being knocked over.

  The eight thousand craftsmen were in chaos, and even the Wushang Cavalry that had entered the fortress were scattering!

  Dusong Mangpoje had originally been somewhat cautious and vigilant, but when he saw this scene, all hesitation left him. True or false, authentic or feigned panic, real fear or faked fear… an Imperial Great General like Dusong Mangpoje could distinguish these things at a glance.

  Moreover…

  The most important part of an army was its formation. With Wang Chong's Wushang Cavalry in such disorder, fleeing in every direction, even if they really were up to something, they were essentially crippling themselves with these actions. Once his army opened the gates and entered, even the formidable Wushang Cavalry would have their fates sealed.

  Rumble!

  Dusong Mangpoje immediately began to streak through the air like a lightning bolt, leaving a long white trail of energy as he charged toward the rear gate. Majestic Stellar Energy tore at the sky, the air shrieking at his passage. Behind Dusong Mangpoje, the faint image of a plateau and snowy mountains could be seen. Lightning was crackling over the plateau as a spider web of electricity in the air, constantly cleaving down at the plateau, each strike making Dusong Mangpoje's figure seem even more imposing, enigmatic, and powerful.

  Shadows began to emerge on Dusong Mangpoje's hand, condensing into a massive black and monstrous claw.

  There were many legends about the Tibetan Plateau, and the Zhan
gzhung Dynasty was only one of them. Before this dynasty, it was said that countless strange monsters of all shapes and sizes used to dwell on the plateau. In the end, the legends of these monsters became the supreme techniques of the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple.

  Dusong Mangpoje had learned one of these supreme techniques, and this technique was one of the reasons he was able to sit firmly on the plateau, becoming one of the Ü-Tsang Empire's few Imperial Great Generals.

  With no Fumeng Lingcha to fear, Dusong Mangpoje needed only one strike to finish off the greatest threat that the Ü-Tsang Empire had ever faced.

  "Young Master Wang, accept your fate!"

  Dusong Mangpoje's voice was still echoing in the air when another furious voice butted in.

  "That brat's life is mine!"

  The voice pealed through the city like thunder. There was a flash of light behind Dusong Mangpoje as another muscular and divine figure appeared on the wall. That person's eyes were blazing with an intimidating light, and even at this distance, they were still capable of striking fear into any onlookers.

  Dayan Mangban was a Brigadier General and was still quite a bit weaker than Dusong Mangpoje, but in terms of desire to kill Wang Chong, Dusong Mangpoje was left in Dayan Mangban's dust. Boom! Dayan Mangban shot from the walls like he had been fired from a cannon.

  Before this operation, Dayan Mangban had never met Wang Chong and was only killing him because the Tsenpo had ordered it, but now, this was no longer a simple mission.

  Rumble!

  There was a metal rumbling that instantly caught the attention of both Dusong Mangpoje and Dayan Mangban. They both trembled for a moment and noticed that the rear gate of the fortress had opened a sliver, and Wang Chong seemed on the verge of running out.

  Buzz!

  There was no more time to think. Both Dusong Mangpoje and Dayan Mangban pushed their Stellar Energy to the limits, exploding through the air. Both Brigadier General and Great General moved with extreme speeds. Dusong Mangpoje was hailed as the Eagle of the Steppe, and when his identity had been exposed in the capital of the Great Tang, he had fled all the way from there back to the plateau, so one could easily imagine how fast he was.

  Buzz! Dusong Mangpoje's dantian exploded with energy, and he left a long trail behind him as he instantly traveled two hundred zhang. With another flash, another two hundred zhang had been covered. In just the blink of an eye, Wang Chong was now not even fifty zhang from him.

  When an Imperial Great General was using all their strength to chase after a single person, that was a speed that was terrifying to just think about. Dusong Mangpoje was like a shooting star, so fast that the eyes could no longer keep up. Whether it was Wang Chong and his Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art, the Brigadier General Dayan Mangban, or the future Invincible Great General, no one in this triangular gap could match Dusong Mangpoje's speed.

  Buzz!

  Suddenly, when he was only thirty zhang from Wang Chong, Dusong Mangpoje's eyes widened, and he felt a strange sensation. His eyes scanning the area, he quickly noticed two elderly figures standing by the gate.

  These two men didn't seem like craftsmen or foremen. One was dressed in a black robe and had a head of black hair and a grim expression. The other was dressed in a faded robe of hemp, his hair white and his expression tough and inflexible. Neither of them seemed very young, the profusion of wrinkles on their face indicating that they were at least sixty. Moreover, the white-haired man had turbid eyes, so he was at least eighty years old.

  In this city full of nervous people fleeing in every direction, even Wang Chong running for his life, only these two elders remained still, standing to the left and right of the rear gate. Their eyes were calm, and not only were they not running, they were looking at him, apparently waiting for him to pass. They were a stark contrast to the rest of the people in the city.

  "This is…"

  Dusong Mangpoje's pupils constricted, and for a moment, he doubted. But he quickly cast this thought to the back of his mind. No matter how suspicious these two elders were, to an Imperial Great General, they were no concern at all.

  At the most, if they dared to try and stop him, he would just crush them.

  Rumble!

  Behind him, the gate was opening. The White Braves had scaled the walls and had succeeded in opening the main gate, allowing the tens of thousands of Tibetan cavalry to surge in. At this stage, the Tibetans had finally won.

  Hearing the roars behind him, Dusong Mangpoje no longer hesitated. The Stellar Energy in his dantian erupted as he rushed toward the rear gate.

  He could see that Wang Chong wasn't very far now. As long as he could kill this Young Marquis, he could complete the Tsenpo's mission and wash away Ü-Tsang's humiliation.

  "What an arrogant Tibetan." At this moment, the black-robed elder to the right suddenly spoke. "He's just at the peak of the Saint Martial realm. I can't even count the number of experts of his level that I've killed. Does a junior of forty-some years of age really think that no one can hold him down?" His eyes were cold, and even someone of Dusong Mangpoje's cultivation level couldn't but feel a chill in his heart.

  "Brother Zhang, do not blame him." The white-haired elder on the left began to move his lips as well. "Ü-Tsang is far from the Central Plains, so it is very normal that he does not know about how Brother Zhang wreaked havoc on the sects, how so many people would pale in fear at the mention of your name. The Young Marquis has come this time with the intent of vanquishing Ü-Tsang and resolving the Great Tang's troubles. Although I am aged, if I am able to assist the Great Tang and the people of the Central Plains, then I would be willing to die ten thousand deaths. Let us assist him by taking care of this problem."

  When this pair began to speak, Dusong Mangpoje instantly felt a very eerie and bizarre feeling. As a peak Saint Martial realm expert, Dusong Mangpoje could travel vast distances in the blink of an eye. In normal circumstances, these people shouldn't have even been able to finish saying a word, much less spit out whole sentences.

  But not only had they managed to finish their thoughts, there had even been time for the one on the right to speak first and the one on the left to follow him. This was the first time Dusong Mangpoje had ever encountered such a bizarre situation, and he felt like he was seeing ghosts.

  But the most shocking thing of all was yet to take place…

  Rumble!

  Like an extremely dangerous beast from prehistory tearing off its disguise and revealing its true face, an inconceivably powerful energy began to explode from the black-robed elder on the right.

  Chapter 792: Dusong Mangpoje's Fear! II

  Chapter 792: Dusong Mangpoje's Fear! (II)

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Never in Dusong Mangpoje's life had he encountered a situation like this. He basically recognized all the Imperial Great Generals of the world, but he did not recognize this black-robed elder. However, the energy bursting from that old man was ruthless, cruel, and suffused with a boundlessly aggressive nature.

  For a moment, Dusong Mangpoje felt like he wasn't looking at a human, but tens of thousands of swords and sabers exploding outward. In the heart of that explosion of swords and sabers, however, was a pitch-black hole.

  Bang!

  Before Dusong Mangpoje could react, another tsunami of energy exploded from the other side.

  That old and tottering white-haired elder with the inflexible expression began to rapidly rise in cultivation: True Martial realm, Profound Martial realm, Imperial Martial realm, Saint Martial realm… In an instant, both elders had reached the peak of the Saint Martial realm.

  "Dusong Mangpoje, I spared your life in our last meeting, so why haven't you learned anything?" said the Wushang Village Chief in a thunderous voice.

  "It's you?!"

  Dusong Mangpoje's body trembled as if he had been struck by lightning, countless images beginning to flit through his mind. As he examined that aged face, he finally recognized wh
o it was.

  Around half a year ago, he had mixed into the capital with the First Prince, but Wang Chong had exposed his identity, forcing him to flee. He first had the First Prince return to the Tibetan Plateau and then led off the pursuing soldiers by himself.

  At the time, he had mistakenly wandered into a mountain valley, where he had almost been killed. Dusong Mangpoje had never imagined that the mysterious elder who had defeated him in the mountain valley would show up here.

  The shock was so great that, for a moment, this Ü-Tsang Great General showed a little consternation.

  "Not good!"

  Dusong Mangpoje trembled as an enormous fear seized his body. He suddenly understood why Wang Chong had been so confident, daring to step onto the plateau with only five thousand cavalry to challenge all the Tibetans of the northern region.

  Dusong Mangpoje had believed this entire time that Wang Chong was relying on the Tang Great General Fumeng Lingcha, but only now did Dusong Mangpoje realize just how wrong he was.

  The flight after two consecutive victories had simply been a part of Wang Chong's plan.

  He had been relying not on Fumeng Lingcha, but on these two monstrous old men. Everything about this, including Wang Chong attempting to open the rear gate of the fortress and flee, had just been bait to lure him out.

  In this battle, Wang Chong's goal had not been Dayan Mangban, but a Tibetan Great General. Although Dusong Mangpoje had not participated in those previous battles, Wang Chong's gaze had been fixed on him from start to finish.

  The Great Tang actually has such a formidable individual! With him here, our Ü-Tsang will find it very difficult to do anything in Qixi.

  An icy chill began to surge through Dusong Mangpoje's trembling body. He had long ago heard of Wang Chong's name, and he had also heard of the massive battle he had fought against Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huicang, but in the end, he had still been too dismissive.

  Wang Chong's cultivation was simply far weaker than his.

  But now, Dusong Mangpoje could finally sense just how terrifying this youth of the Great Tang was. He was terrifying not because of his martial arts, but because of his intelligence and foresight that always seemed to have control over the situation.