“It’s about ready!”
This sudden voice caused Huoshu Huicang to turn his head back around. The massive golden wolf head in that distant cloud of dust had begun to roar, and the Celestial Wolf Cavalry now seemed unstoppable under the power of their formation, capable of toppling mountains and reversing the seas.
The two sides were getting closer and closer.
In the face of the Celestial Wolf Cavalry, the five thousand Wushang Cavalry seemed like a frail sail boat in the midst of a violent storm, liable to be smashed upon the waves at any moment.
Celestial Wolf! Wushang!
The battle between these two supreme cavalry forces had attracted everyone’s attention.
Wang Chong, Dalun Ruozan, Duwu Sili, and countless Great Tang, Tibetan, and Turkic generals were all watching this clash of champions!
Two hundred zhang!
One hundred zhang!
Seventy zhang!
At fifty zhang, the situation suddenly changed.
Roooar!
Everyone suddenly heard a stentorian bellow ringing in their ears.
“Ten Charges Ten Victories, begin!”
Boom!
The earth began to quake as Li Siye ordered his soldiers to take on the Ten Charges Ten Victories Formation, and a flood of energy brimming with baleful and murderous energy soared into the heavens. In that moment, all the Wushang Cavalry began to explode with an energy ten times stronger than before, and their strength, speed, and dexterity all began to rapidly increase.
In addition, the energy exuded by the Wushang Cavalry began to condense in the air, forming one, two, three, four… forty-nine illusory images.
A second later, these illusions had solidified into forty-nine enormous and golden spears!
Several months had passed, months in which the Wushang Cavalry had spent every day training in the Ten Charges Ten Victories Formation, reaching a totally new level of power. Not only had the number of spears increased from ten to forty-nine, but the buff it provided to the Wushang Cavalry had increased as well.
Rumble!
Thunder began to crackle in the air as dark clouds suddenly began to gather over the Wushang Cavalry, casting down shadows that shrouded them. Their strength swelled, and in a few moments, they had reached a stage where they were equal with the eight thousand Celestial Wolf Cavalry.
And their strength continued to increase. A few moments later, they had surpassed the Celestial Wolf Cavalry, reaching a stunning level of strength.
But it was still increasing!
Back in the rear of the army, underneath the Qixi war banner, Wang Chong had been keeping a close watch on Li Siye. The moment Li Siye had released the Ten Charges Ten Victories Formation, Wang Chong had connected with the White-hoofed Shadow beneath him, causing it to raise a hoof and stomp on the ground.
Clangclangclang! Three black-red halos, their edges peerlessly sharp, exploded outward from Wang Chong’s position, rapidly engulfing the battlefield. It took the blink of an eye for the halo’s strength to catch up to the Wushang Cavalry, and the Halos of Dusk Stallion swiftly began to appear under their feet.
Buffed by Wang Chong’s halos, the already formidable Wushang Cavalry swelled in strength once more. Besides that, the dark clouds overhead also grew thicker and more restless.
Buzz!
Shamask, hidden behind the Celestial Wolf Illusory Formation, gave a nasty grimace.
“This is impossible!”
Shamask’s eyes narrowed and his body shuddered as, for the first time in this battle, he lost his composure.
This Wushang Cavalry was completely different from the one present in the intelligence reports. At the very least, Ü-Tsang’s Qinghai Soldiers and White Braves were definitely not as powerful as this!
“Get ready for battle!”
Shamask was far from the only one to be shocked. Five hundred zhang in the rear, Huoba Sangye’s body had trembled, and as he stood up straight on his horse, his face turned extremely grave, his eyes shining with a sharp light.
The Wushang Cavalry’s transformation had utterly surpassed his expectations. He had believed that the Celestial Wolf Cavalry could easily defeat the Tang, but he now realized that the situation was full of unknown variables. There was no guarantee that the Celestial Wolf Cavalry could defeat the Wushang Cavalry!
“Impossible! Since when did the Central Plains have such a powerful formation!”
The Tibetan and Turkic commanders on the hill stared in astonishment at the dark clouds above the Wushang Cavalry. The Celestial Wolf Great General Duwu Sili was particularly stunned, his body trembling after receiving an unprecedented shock.
Formation phenomena!
Legends said that formations were, in some mysterious way, linked to the heavens and earth, and would elicit a response from the world. This sort of celestial phenomenon would not have a very large range, and it would not last for very long, but it indicated that the formation that had triggered it was as strong as it could be. Duwu Sili had only heard about these kinds of formations from the previous generation of shaman priests.
But such formations existed only in the legends.
Duwu Sili had traveled across the world and encountered all sorts of experts, and he knew the famous experts of the Great Tang like the back of his hand. Even when the Great Tang War God Wang Zhongsi had used his formations, he was still a little way from reaching the level of causing formation phenomena.
And outside of Wang Zhongsi, the other Tang experts were even further away from that legendary level.
It was said that when one reached the highest level of understanding of the Celestial Wolf Illusory Formation, one could also trigger a celestial phenomenon, but though Duwu Sili had pondered for many years, he had made no progress, could not find any way to improve the formation. But to his surprise, here, in the foreign land of Talas, he saw this supreme level of strength from this Great Tang youth called Wang Chong.
If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would have never believed that the formation phenomena that he had pursued his entire life would show up here.
Chapter 913 - A Cavalry Struggle for Dominance!
Chapter 913: A Cavalry Struggle for Dominance!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
No matter what, I have to acquire this for myself!
Duwu Sili clenched his fists as his heart was overrun by a fierce ambition.
In the distance, the five thousand Wushang Cavalry under Li Siye had pushed the Ten Charges Ten Victories Formation to its limit, and the crucial moment had arrived…
“Kiiill!”
Aroooo!
Not only did Shamask not fall back in the face of this powerful formation that could even trigger a formation phenomenon, he felt an even stronger desire to kill. Although Li Siye’s Ten Charges Ten Victories Formation was extremely powerful, the Celestial Wolf Illusory Formation was not one bit inferior. He was confident that he could lead the Celestial Wolf Cavalry behind him just like he had led them against all their other foes, and utterly vanquish the Great Tang’s Wushang Cavalry!
Neigh!
In that world of churning dust, the sixteen thousand Celestial Wolf Cavalry, both real and fake, brutishly crashed into the Wushang Cavalry.
Rumble!
The battlefield shuddered and swayed, as if the earth was a plank on a restless ocean. So intense was the impact of these two cavalry forces that the ground seemed ready to tear itself apart, and the force of their collision drowned out the noise of all other fighting, even the thundering of ballista bolts and the clanging of weapons.
Buzz!
It seemed like both a mere second and like countless eons before the sound finally died away. Meanwhile, the warhorses had kicked up a great storm of dust that rose ten-some zhang into the air. The massive golden wolf head of the Celestial Wolf Cavalry was flickering and wavering, but it had not been destroyed. As for the Wushang, of the forty-nine spears overhead, twenty-thre
e had been lost.
But the battle did not settle down, only intensified.
The battlefield was a sight of complete mayhem, the eight thousand Celestial Wolf Cavalry packed in with the five thousand Wushang Cavalry, battering against each other, weapon against weapon, armor against armor, Stellar Energy against Stellar Energy… All sorts of sounds could be heard in these few short moments.
The explosions of Stellar Energy, the grinding of metal, the swishing of weapons… as more and more sounds added to the mix, they created a discordant and clamorous din that deafened the ears. But most dreadful of all were the heavy thumps as warhorse battered against warhorse.
This battle of thirteen thousand people seemed to be as intense and grandiose as one involving a hundred thousand soldiers!
Rumble!
A Wushang cavalryman, his Wootz Steel sword gleaming with a cold light, charged at a Celestial Wolf cavalryman, but as he slashed down, the savage-faced Celestial Wolf cavalryman suddenly twisted and dissolved. An illusion! The Wushang cavalryman immediately understood, but it was too late.
Clang! An enormous strength came from behind him. Availing himself of the momentary surprise, the Turkic cavalryman slashed with his uniquely-forged Western Turkic sword at the Wushang cavalryman’s back.
“Die!”
The Turkic rider had a savage look on his face. The Celestial Wolf Illusory Formation mixed the true with the false, the real with the unreal. Failing to distinguish which was which was fatal on the battlefield, and countless people had fallen to the swords of the Celestial Wolf Cavalry in this way. The Celestial Wolf Cavalry had relied on these illusions to take down countless formidable opponents and create their own legend.
But this sword slash which could cut high-quality equipment in two seemed to hit a steel wall. Not only did it fail to cut through his foe’s armor, it was even sent reeling back.
How could this be?!
Shock appeared on the Celestial Wolf cavalryman’s face. The Celestial Wolf Cavalry were one of the three legendary cavalry forces of the Western Turkic Khaganate, equipped with the best armor, weapons, and warhorses the Khaganate could provide. He had never heard of an armor that these swords could fail to cut through.
“Hmph!”
A cold snort came in response. Though these two cavalrymen did not share a language, there were some things that one did not need language to understand. Clang! It was now the Wushang cavalryman’s turn to take advantage of his opponent’s surprise. He flipped his sword around and slashed it at the barbed armor of the Celestial Wolf cavalryman. But as he swung down his sword, he sensed a firm resistance. The sharp Wootz Steel sword had only managed to get halfway through. Though it had drawn blood from the arm that had been slashed, it had failed to cut all the way through.
What formidable armor!
As this thought flitted through his mind, he already understood what was going on. The armor of the Celestial Wolf Cavalry might not have been as impressive as Meteoric Metal armor, but their armor was still far above ordinary armor. Even the edge of the Wootz Steel sword could not cleave the armor of the Celestial Wolf Cavalry in two as it could with ordinary armor.
Gallop!
After a few short moments, the two had separated, their horses rumbling off in different directions. Fights between cavalry were constant struggles where life and death were decided in momentary clashes. But even so, the battle did not end there.
Barely after this Celestial Wolf cavalryman had escaped one disaster, another Wushang cavalryman came charging up from the rear. As he slashed down with his sword, an arm went flying into the air, landing on the ground with a thud. This blow had been made with breathtaking accuracy, landing at exactly the same place as the one made by the previous Wushang cavalryman.
The two attacked like they were one person!
“Aaah!” As the Turk screamed, a third Wushang cavalryman charged over. Blood splashed as he waved his sword, and the Celestial Wolf cavalryman was soon relieved of his head, the rest of his body dropping from his horse.
The entire process had only taken seconds. Two Wushang cavalry had attacked his arm while the other had cut through his neck, a stunning display of teamwork. By the time the other Celestial Wolf Cavalry could react, their comrade’s headless corpse had been dragged far away by his now-riderless warhorse.
The battle continued nonetheless. Clangclangclang! The Wushang Cavalry were all engaged in fierce clashes with the Celestial Wolf Cavalry. The Wushang Cavalry had far better weapons and armor than the Celestial Wolf Cavalry, and the Ten Charges Ten Victories Formation had also made them stronger.
But the tremendous number of illusions produced by the Celestial Wolf Illusory Formation proved useful, with these sixteen thousand real and fake horsemen far outnumbering the Wushang Cavalry. Most terrifying of all was that even though some of the illusions had been destroyed during this intense combat, the Celestial Wolf Illusory Formation continued to produce more, though at a much slower rate.
Boomboomboom!
With Turkic Celestial Wolf Blades hacking in from all sides, even though the Meteoric Metal armor prevented these blows from being fatal, the Stellar Energy impacts were still able to travel through the armor.
Squelch! A Wushang cavalryman trembled as he vomited blood. And then, provoked by the blood, seven large wolves immediately pounced upon him, one of them even jumping right onto the back of the horse.
“Beast!”
The Wushang cavalryman immediately thrust his armored hand into the wolf’s mouth and then cut off its head. Even in death, the wolf remained locked onto the man’s arm, its teeth bared and its face twisted into a savage expression.
The delay caused by this wolf caused even more Celestial Wolf Cavalry to converge on his location.
Clangclangclang!
Boomboomboom!
As the Celestial Wolf and Wushang Cavalry remained locked in intense combat, their formations also continued to batter against each other. The battle was far more intense than anyone had imagined, and there was no doubt that the Wushang Cavalry were fighting the most difficult battle in their history. The illusions mixed in with the real Celestial Wolf Cavalry were a huge impediment to the Wushang Cavalry.
At every moment, a Wushang cavalryman was losing the initiative in this intense battle by attacking an illusion. However, the Wushang Cavalry were also showing off their own impressive capabilities. The moment any real Celestial Wolf cavalryman was discovered, they would immediately be set upon by innumerable Wushang Cavalry.
Even though the Celestial Wolf Cavalry had their illusions, they could not gain that much of an advantage.
“Lord Marquis, what do we do? Could General Li Siye and the Wushang Cavalry be in danger?”
In the distance, Xue Qianjun looked with deep concern at the battle, and quite a few people around him had the same look.
This battle was turning out far worse than they had imagined. In past battles, the Wushang Cavalry had been nearly unstoppable. This was the first time any of them had seen the Wushang Cavalry in such a long battle. Most concerning of all was that the clashing of Stellar Energy and the intense battle was stirring up too much dust, massive clouds that floated several dozen zhang into the air, with the fierce winds only making the visibility worse.
From their point of view, all they could see was dust. It was impossible to tell Wushang Cavalry from Celestial Wolf Cavalry. Only the din and the mournful screams allowed them to understand the cruelty of the battle taking place, and this realization only made them more concerned.
Chapter 914 - Shamask!
Chapter 914: Shamask!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Don’t panic!”
Wang Chong’s voice was flat and suffused with a calming air. His eyes were fixed forward and devoid of emotion.
“Believe in General Li Siye and the Wushang Cavalry. There is no force more powerful on this continent!”
The peerlessly shar
p Wootz Steel swords, the sturdy Meteoric Metal armor, three layers of the Halo of Dusk Stallion, and the peak-state Ten Charges Ten Victories Formation—whether it was in power, defense, or dexterity, the Wushang Cavalry were currently at an unprecedented level.
There was very little possibility of there being a stronger force than the Wushang Cavalry on the continent. At the very least, that force could not be the Celestial Wolf Cavalry!
Wang Chong’s words immediately caused the people gathered around the banner to settle down.
“Milord, should we go and assist? Shamask seems to be faring rather poorly!”
The Turkic generals on the distant hills were also watching this battle, and they were just as concerned. One of Duwu Sili’s deputies had stepped forward, his eyes looking worriedly at the storm of dust on the battlefield.
“There’s no need to be concerned. I believe in Shamask’s abilities. The Celestial Wolf Cavalry will not lose to anybody!!” Duwu Sili confidently declared.
The Wushang Cavalry’s formation truly was formidable, but Duwu Sili was still confident in Shamask’s skills. This confidence was founded on past records and achievements. No matter how powerful a cavalry formation was, in the end, battles were decided by the strengths of the soldiers themselves. Although the formation was powerful, the enemy had a massive flaw that could not be fixed: their commander was only at the peak of the Imperial Martial realm.
If that Wushang commander could be killed, their formation would fall apart.
“Shamask, it’s about time for you to move.”
Duwu Sili looked down upon the battle, a fierce light in his eyes.
In the distance, the battle between the two cavalry forces had reached a fever pitch.
“Everyone, follow me!”
Wielding his massive Wootz Steel sword, Li Siye barged through the battlefield, his thundering voice calling all the Wushang Cavalry to his side. The five thousand Wushang Cavalry divided themselves into hundred-man units that followed Li Siye in charging through the battlefield.
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