The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Wang Chong had only brought ten-some ballistae with him, but King Qi still did not dare to be careless. In the Battle of Talas, Wang Chong had demonstrated to the entire continent the terrifying power of these ballistae.

  Wang Chong had five men to each ballista and could fire ten-some bolts in a volley. These ballista bolts possessed formidable piercing power that not even Profound Martial experts were guaranteed to block. A single volley would be enough to kill five to six hundred men.

  And given their firing speed, by the time his men got to the front, he would have lost more than one thousand men.

  Not even King Qi could hold against such lethal firepower.

  “King Qi, someone as ignorant as you might not know this, so I can tell you. After I used ballistae to defeat nearly one million Arab cavalry in the Western Regions, the Sage Emperor granted me these ten-some ballistae as a special reward when I was given the title of King of Foreign Lands. Just where did this talk of rebellion come from?” Wang Chong confidently proclaimed.

  Wang Chong’s opening of the armory had eventually caused him many difficulties, but it was precisely because he had fully displayed the powers of the ballistae at Talas that the Sage Emperor had made an exception and granted him ten-some ballistae.

  Few people had known about this gift, and Wang Chong had never used them before, so these ballistae had remained unknown within the capital.

  This was also the first time King Qi had heard of it, and he was filled with envy and hatred.

  Not even he had ever been treated this way! The Sage Emperor was showing far too much favor to Wang Chong. However, how could King Qi just give up after preparing for so long?

  King Qi glared at Wang Chong and bellowed, “Wang Chong, you dare! This is the capital, and there are many commoners around! This king doesn’t believe that you would actually dare to use them! Come! Seize all the members of the Public Order Squad!”

  Rumble! The Penal Court soldiers and King Qi’s personal soldiers rallied and surged forward in a great flood.

  Thudthudthud!

  In response came the flying ballista bolts. These bolts accurately shot through the gaps in the crowd and landed right in front of the Penal Court soldiers. With a slight adjustment of aim, these bolts would have shot straight through their bodies.

  Neigh!

  Horses cried out in panic, and all of King Qi’s men paled and backed away in fright. Some of them were even thrown off their horses.

  “Wang Chong!”

  King Qi couldn’t help but bellow in rage. He truly had not imagined that Wang Chong would dare to use ballistae in this situation.

  “King Qi, don’t go recklessly starting fights in the capital. The Public Order Squad is in the middle of official business. If you try to disturb them, don’t blame me for taking action.”

  Wang Chong’s tone was indifferent, but his words made King Qi shrink back. For some reason, he felt a completely different aura from Wang Chong. Where Wang Chong would have once been a bit more restrained, he now acted without any fear of the consequences.

  “Bastard!”

  King Qi gnashed his teeth, but as he looked at those ten-some ballistae, he truly did not dare to order his men back into the fray.

  In the end, King Qi was still very afraid of the Great Tang’s new War God. When it came to commanding an army, not even ten of him would be enough to beat him.

  “Li Junxian, hey, what do you have to say about this? The Great Tang’s relationship with the foreign countries is your domain. Are you just going to let this brat take away Pusan Tuoye and the others?”

  Unable to vent his rage, King Qi turned to the nearby Li Junxian.

  Chapter 1587 - Ambush! The Three Elders of the Northern Sea!

  Chapter 1587: Ambush! The Three Elders of the Northern Sea!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Wang Chong, although you are a King of the Great Tang, you are a noble without a position, one who has been driven from the court. All the important matters of state no longer have anything to do with you. No matter what it is you want to say, your actions have already crossed the line. I will give you one more chance to release Pusan Tuoye and the other foreign royals, as well as the Hu that have gathered here, and then disband your Public Order Squad! I can still let you off if you do these things, but once the First Prince arrives, things won’t be that easy to settle!”

  Li Junxian took two steps forward and coldly stared at Wang Chong.

  Although Li Junxian didn’t like King Qi’s attitude, he didn’t really care. Whether or not King Qi had intervened, he still had a problem to settle with Wang Chong.

  “Hmph, and if I say no?”

  Wang Chong’s expression gradually chilled.

  “It doesn’t matter what you choose. The choice isn’t yours.”

  As Li Junxian spoke, he reached out with his left hand and tapped on the silver sheath at his waist. Clang! The cry of a sword resounded through the air. A moment later, the air trembled as a vast and majestic sword intent radiated outward.

  At this moment, all the swords and sabers owned by the Public Order Squad cavalry, King Qi’s men, the Imperial Army soldiers on the walls, and the martial artists in the crowd began to tremble and buzz as if they wanted to break free and fly into the air.

  Wang Chong couldn’t help but squint, a grimace on his face.

  He had seen quite a few people use sword arts, himself included, and he was a powerful expert of the sword. But this was the first time he had ever seen an explosion of sword intent that could actually control the swords of others. From this move alone, he could tell that Li Junxian had reached a terrifying level of strength.

  But Wang Chong soon regained his composure.

  “So, Secretariat Advisor, you are threatening me?”

  Wang Chong coldly laughed. He had to admit that the situation had gone past what he had expected. This was the first time anyone had ever dared to threaten him like this.

  Clang!

  Wang Chong urged his horse forward to meet Li Junxian.

  The two were like a tiger and lion meeting on a narrow road, neither backing down.

  Buzz!

  Sensing the dangerous aura being exuded by the pair, the crowd gathered in front of the Imperial City fell silent.

  The Public Order Squad cavalry, the Penal Court soldiers, the Imperial Army soldiers on the gates, and everyone else waited with bated breath and shock in their eyes.

  Wang Chong and Li Junxian were the two proud sons of the Great Tang. Although they had their disagreements, their quarrels had only ever been verbal. But it now seemed like things were going to get physical.

  At this moment, an elderly voice came from behind King Qi, tinged with an extreme dignity. “Your Highness, why don’t we…”

  “Ha, no rush! Let’s see how things play out!”

  King Qi sinisterly narrowed his eyes.

  After getting such a rare opportunity, he was in no mood to go away empty-handed.

  “Su Shixuan, take these people away!” Wang Chong coldly ordered. “With this king here, I’d like to see if anyone dares to try anything!”

  He had yielded enough ground in this militarist-Confucian conflict. He would have everyone know that the lion of the battlefield was not something that anyone could provoke, whether in battle or in the court.

  “Yes! Your Highness!”

  Su Shixuan immediately began to escort Pusan Tuoye away.

  “Secretariat Advisor!”

  Pusan Tuoye and the other royals paled and immediately called out to Li Junxian.

  “Release Pusan Tuoye!” Li Junxian icily called out.

  Rumble!

  His sword left its sheath, and a dazzling white beam of Sword Qi soared into the air. At the same time, Li Junxian vanished from his original spot and shot toward Wang Chong.

  “Since that’s the case, don’t blame me for taking action!”

  Li Junxian’s cold and emotionless voice re
sounded above the Imperial Palace. At that moment, everyone could see a four-foot silver sword suspended in the air, radiating boundless righteousness.

  ‘Righteous’! ‘Upright’!

  These two words flashed in the air and then vanished, and then everything seemed to freeze.

  All the soldiers, Hu, and commoners in the area suddenly felt their minds go blank, and it felt like time had stopped.

  A moment later, a majestic beam of Sword Qi that seemed like an unending river descended toward Wang Chong.

  This attack seemed to transcend space and time, robbing the world of its luster. Even the ground in front of the Imperial Palace seemed about to break apart.

  Bang!

  As Li Junxian struck, Wang Chong vanished from atop the White-hoofed Shadow in a flash of light.

  “Li Junxian, you brought this on yourself!”

  Wang Chong’s roar was like a peal of thunder.

  “Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art!”

  A moment later, the images of the sun and moon manifested in the air, and Stellar Energy that transcended the peak Great General level flooded out of Wang Chong’s body and slammed into Li Junxian’s Sword Qi.

  “Great Yin Yang Art!”

  Wang Chong immediately used one of the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art’s three techniques. It was still the same technique, but its grandeur and power seemed even more solid and stable. Moreover, the Yin and Yang were no longer so distinct, as they were beginning to show signs of fusion.

  This was the result of Wang Chong comprehending the essence of the Origin Immortal Art and fusing it with the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art.

  Bang!

  Boundless Stellar Energy collided with Li Junxian’s vast Sword Qi, causing a deafening explosion, and a fierce gale swept over the entire square.

  Neeeigh! The crowd was thrown into chaos by the Stellar Energy shockwave, and the soldiers, both from the Public Order Squad and the Penal Court, were forced back. At the same time, dust and gravel were swept up into the air.

  In the sky, the illusory sun and moon vanished while Li Junxian’s vast Sword Qi crumbled away.

  This exchange had been a draw.

  “Now is the moment!” Nearby, King Qi’s eyes coldly gleamed, and he immediately gave the order. Behind him, three old men with long white hair, wearing gray-black robes, took action.

  “Secretariat Advisor, we’ve come to help you!”

  While Wang Chong was distracted by Li Junxian, the three figures soared into the air like eagles to attack Wang Chong from behind. One of them suddenly veered off and began to make his way toward Su Shixuan and the foreign royals.

  These three had been standing behind King Qi all this time, restraining their energy so that they seemed no different from ordinary people. It was only now that they revealed their true power, and their Stellar Energy was so condensed and refined that one could tell at a glance that they were top-class experts.

  With their immense power, these three should have joined with Li Junxian to attack Wang Chong from all sides, but this trio had chosen instead to wait until Li Junxian had distracted Wang Chong to strike from the back.

  “Hmph, finally couldn’t restrain yourself?”

  Wang Chong narrowed his eyes, which gleamed with a sharp light. The three experts at King Qi’s side clearly cultivated some special art that could restrain their Stellar Energy until they seemed like an ordinary person. Not even a peak Great General would be able to tell the difference.

  But in front of Wang Chong, who had a Psychic Energy five times stronger than experts of a similar level, these three had no secrets.

  Wang Chong had been guarding against them from the moment they appeared.

  “Life Execution!”

  The Origin Immortal Sword flew from its sheath and into Wang Chong’s hand, at the same time unleashing a Sword Qi that was countless times brighter than the sun.

  This bolt of Sword Qi split into three, one for each member of the trio.

  Upon seeing Wang Chong’s attack, the Three Elders of the Northern Sea decided to charge straight at Wang Chong.

  “The Darkness of the Northern Sea!”

  “The Northern Sea Turns to Mulberry Fields!”

  “The Kun Rises from the Northern Sea!”

  The three unleashed their vast Stellar Energy, which climbed and climbed, soaring past the Great General level and entering the Subtle realm.

  Chapter 1588 - The Inheritance of the Confucian Sect!

  Chapter 1588: The Inheritance of the Confucian Sect!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  The arts of the three elders originated from the same source, so though they were separate, they seemed to be one being, as vast as the Northern Sea.

  One could even hear the beating waves of the Northern Sea, and the fabric of space seemed to groan, unable to endure this weight.

  King Qi couldn’t help but smugly smile at this sight. In the Penal Court incident, Wang Chong had dared to force his way into the Penal Court to take someone away, but King Qi and his men couldn’t stop him, and King Qi had even been injured. This man who had always been proud of his martial arts experienced immense humiliation.

  Thus, he began to send men around to recruit powerful warriors with the promise of rich rewards.

  Unlike Wang Chong, who had only recently begun to recruit martial artists, King Qi had been doing so from the very beginning, and he paid no regard to their status as righteous or evil. In fact, King Qi favored evil path martial artists more, as their martial arts were more vicious and lethal.

  The Three Elders of the Northern Sea were outstanding members of this group, and they were much older than the renowned martial arts titans like Song Yuanyi and the Black Yin Ancestor.

  They always cultivated by the Northern Sea, which was where they had gotten their name. King Qi had only managed to find them and recruit them with great difficulty.

  “Ah!”

  Suddenly, three cries of alarm broke King Qi out of his brief reverie. A moment later, three bolts of Sword Qi pierced through the Stellar Energies of the Three Elders of the Northern Sea as if they were made of paper.

  The Three Elders of the Northern Sea panicked and retreated more quickly than they had come.

  “Impossible! How could someone be able to pierce through our Northern Sea Stellar Energy?”

  The three all gripped their left hands as they fell back, staring at Wang Chong in shock and anger. Blood was pouring out of their left hands, as Wang Chong’s Sword Qi had not just pierced through their Stellar Energies, but their hands as well.

  The three had been injured in exactly the same place.

  It was obvious that Wang Chong was much stronger than they were. Otherwise, he could not have possibly injured the three of them at the same time in the same place.

  But most shocking of all was Wang Chong’s Sword Qi. The trio had seen many things in their lives, but nothing as sharp and vicious as this Sword Qi.

  “Art of God and Demon Obliteration!”

  While the Three Elders of the Northern Sea were still trying to understand what was going on, King Qi’s eyes flew open in shock.

  “Impossible! Impossible! How do you know this sword art?!”

  King Qi felt an unprecedented shock, even greater than the shock of the Three Elders of the Northern Sea being defeated.

  The goateed advisor finally couldn’t help but step forward and whisper, “Your Highness, what is the Art of God and Demon Obliteration? How does Your Highness know of this art?”

  “You don’t understand! This is a sword art that should have never appeared here!”

  King Qi didn’t even turn to look at him. His chest was heaving up and down in shock.

  As an Imperial Prince, King Qi naturally knew about the Art of God and Demon Obliteration. This was the strongest art of Great Tang War God Su Zhengchen, one of the supreme arts of the Great Tang. When he was young, he had dreamed countless times that Su Zhen
gchen would take him as his disciple and teach him this sword art so that he could become the new War God.

  Alas, Su Zhengchen did not teach his art to outsiders. The previous Emperor had been refused, as had the then–’Crown Prince’, so King Qi did not dare to harbor such delusions. And it was rumored in the capital that Old Master Su had died a long time ago. Although there would always be a few rumors once in a while that said the War God was still alive, they weren’t worth believing.

  As time passed, King Qi naturally stopped thinking about it.

  But to his disbelief, the Art of God and Demon Obliteration that neither the previous Emperor nor the Crown Prince had been able to obtain had appeared on Wang Chong!

  The scene settled down. Wang Chong landed back on the White-hoofed Shadow, his domineering eyes brightly shining. The surrounding crowd was deathly still, all of them intimidated by Wang Chong’s formidable cultivation.

  The great clans of the capital had never questioned Wang Chong’s grasp of the art of war, but they had never imagined that his cultivation would be so profound.

  “Hmph!”

  Li Junxian’s eyes chilled, and he stepped forward in preparation to strike. But at this moment, a palm came from behind and pulled him back.

  “Young Master, no!”

  Elder Song looked at Li Junxian and shook his head, apprehension in his eyes. With so many people in front of the palace gates, he naturally understood that Li Junxian had not used his full power, afraid of harming innocents. There were also other reasons this was not a good time for battle.

  “You only recently received the inheritance. You don’t have full control over this power yet, so it’s best not to fight.”

  As Elder Song spoke, he glanced at Li Junxian’s silver sword. If one looked carefully, one would notice several words written in ancient Bird Script on it: ‘Noble Spirit Eternal’!

  This sacred sword was the holiest of the Confucian Sect’s swords, the Noble Sage Sword used by the founder of the Confucian Sect.

  The Confucian Sect had lasted for more than a thousand years and had gone beyond the bounds of imperial authority. At certain sacred and important occasions, it would hold ‘crowning ceremonies’.