The Human Emperor
chapter-532

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Buzz! Before anyone could react, the white tiger shook its body. Bengbengbeng! The thousands of arrows were suddenly jolted outward like the needles of a hedgehog.

“Not good!”

Wang Chong’s heart jumped, but before he could react, he heard a boom and a chorus of screams. All the infantry within several dozen paces of Jiaosiluo had been sent flying by that dense rain of arrows. Although they had the protection of their armor, they were still left dead or wounded.

The dense volley of arrows had become the best tool for Jiaosiluo to display his strength.

“Scatter! Master archers, immediately withdraw!”

With a grave expression, Wang Chong waved his left palm and immediately ordered the master archers to retreat.

The master archers might have been useful against ordinary Tibetan soldiers, but they were lacking against a fierce Tibetan general like Jiaosiluo. And it was only through this sight that Wang Chong finally sensed that Jiaosiluo’s Stellar Energy was even more vigorous than his fellow Tiger General, Bachicheng. It was much more vicious and formidable, and his energy was so thick that it could reflect a rain of arrows.

This was not something any ordinary Profound Martial realm expert could accomplish.

Jiaosiluo was the second of the Five Tiger Generals for good reason.

Roar!

With that savage sound, the massive white tiger locked its eyes on Wang Chong at the summit, a faint ridicule within. Bang! Its four paws hitting the ground, the tiger leaped forward.

Boom!

The soldiers around Wang Chong immediately grew frantic at this sight. No matter how slow they were, they could tell that the white tiger was looking to make trouble for Wang Chong.

“Protect Milord!”

While people were shouting all around him, Wang Chong remained the sole person to retain his calm.

“Hmph!”

Wang Chong waved his right hand, immediately ordering an attack on the leaping white tiger.

“Fire!”

Boomboomboom!

With Wang Chong’s order, the ballistae immediately fired their bolts. By leaping into the air, Jiaosiluo had offered the best opportunity for the ballistae to fire. No matter how strong Jiaosiluo was, he would still find it difficult to dodge in these circumstances.

Wang Chong couldn’t let such a chance slip by.

How foolish! Wang Chong mentally sneered. In this large-scale battle involving tens of thousands of soldiers, one could find a method to deal with even the most powerful of warriors. Jiaosiluo had overestimated himself.

Buzz!

The air exploded with sound waves as twenty to thirty ballista bolts flew toward Jiaosiluo. These well-trained survivors of the Annan Protectorate army had no problem with the angle or precision of their shots. Even Jiaosiluo had to slightly pale at the glimmering tips of the ballista bolts and the dreadful energy within them.

In a flash, a majestic barrier of Stellar Energy, seven or eight zhang thick, burst out of Jiaosiluo’s body, shrouding the huge white tiger. Just barely after he completed this process, thirty-some ballista bolts almost simultaneously struck the white tiger.

Roar!

The white tiger’s gigantic body dropped from the air, sending mud and dirt flying into the sky upon crashing into the ground.

“Brat, I’ve underestimated you!”

That resounding voice now had a tinge more solemnity and a tinge less contempt. There was no question that Jiaosiluo had come off poorly in that engagement. Swish! Massive claws raked through the earth, stirring a screen of mud and gravel to obscure its tracks, and then the tiger leaped once more.

This time, the white tiger did not choose to jump straight forward. Instead, it jumped left and right, choosing to attack with a zigzag pattern.

Swooshswooshswoosh!

The ballista bolts all flew past him. Although he had chosen a zigzag path, Jiaosiluo’s speed did not drop. In a few moments, he was only thirty-some zhang from the summit. Given Jiaosiluo’s speed, he could now jump straight to the peak.

Even Wang Chong had to slightly pale at this moment.

When a Profound Martial realm expert got serious, they would become very difficult to deal with. Moreover, Jiaosiluo was clearly using a secret technique from the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple.

“Uncle Chen, I’ll be relying on you for this!” Wang Chong coldly said.

In the end, a battle between martial artists had nothing to do with tactics or strategy. In his present state, Wang Chong had no good methods of dealing with an expert like Jiaosiluo. The only person on the summit who could deal with him was Chen Shusun. As a veteran officer of the army, Chen Shusun had a strength that couldn’t be doubted.

“Protect Milord!”

A saber hummed through the air, and though rain continued to trickle down his hair and forehead, Chen Shusun seemed unmoved. Boom! After pausing for a moment, Chen Shusun became one with his saber and transformed into a white ray of light that burst through the curtains of rain as he struck at the nearby Jiaosiluo.

“Protect Milord!”

At the same time, all the other bodyguards at the summit unsheathed their sabers and followed Chen Shusun.

It was their duty to protect the army’s commander-in-chief, and this was precisely the moment they had been waiting for.

Boomboomboom!

Terrifying explosions came from the top of the mountain as Chen Shusun and Jiaosiluo began to fight. Both of them were Profound Martial realm experts who unleashed powerful energies with every movement. Such was their power that the torrential downpour could not get within seven or eight zhang of the pair, instead congealing into ripples that were repelled outward.

“Jiaosiluo is too strong!”

As Wang Chong observed from the summit, his brow furrowed. Although Chen Shusun had already been mobilized, this was only enough to barely stop Jiaosiluo. Not even assisted by Wang Fu’s bodyguards was he a match for Jiaosiluo, and Jiaosiluo was clearly suppressing them.

At least, this was how Wang Chong saw it.

The martial arts of the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple truly are powerful. Although Jiaosiluo’s body has gotten larger, making him more susceptible to being attacked from all sides, that white tiger that he’s transformed into is almost impervious to sabers and spears. His strength is enormous and seemingly unaffected by all his moving around. In the end Uncle Chen doesn’t know about these martial arts, so it’s not possible for him to stop Jiaosiluo!

Wang Chong’s mind was currently in turmoil.

In the short time that had elapsed, Chen Shusun’s body was already covered in several bleeding wounds, all of them scratched out by the tiger’s claws. Wang Chong had never understood that much about the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple, so he didn’t have many good ideas.

He suddenly heard a familiar voice at his ear. “Milord, why don’t I and my brothers go down and help. Otherwise, he won’t be able to last long alone!” Old Eagle was looking down from the summit, his voice tinged with worry.

Old Eagle had arrived at the summit somewhat later than Wang Chong. Unlike Wang Chong, Old Eagle had been helping to steady the defense lines and stave off the Tibetans, which had consumed no small amount of time. As for after he arrived at the summit… Old Eagle was well aware that he knew nothing of strategy and the art of war, so he had chosen to lead the Black Dragon Bandit elites and quietly stand guard on the side, saying absolutely nothing.

“There’s no need!”

Wang Chong raised an arm and lightly said, “The threat this time is not restricted to Jiaosiluo. Jiaosiluo is easy to deal with. After all, all his abilities are out in the open. But that’s not the case for the other person!”

“Milord is speaking of Fengjiayi?” Old Eagle said.

He had heard a little while standing guard, and back then, he had also heard a little about Fengjiayi in the capital, though he hadn’t paid it much mind at the time.

“Hmph!”

Wang Chong gave a noncommitted nod.

“The art of war is the art of deception. Fengjiayi spent a very long time in the Great Tang, and he learned quite a lot about that principle, ‘All warfare is based on deception’. The battle has gone on for so long, I don’t believe he won’t appear!”

“All warfare is based on deception?”

A surprised look appeared in Old Eagle’s eyes. He truly didn’t understand much about the art of war.

Wang Chong only smiled in reply.

Wang Chong had only heard of the Crown Prince of Mengshe Zhao’s reputation, but he had never met him in person. He also knew nothing of what this person was actually like. However, Fengjiayi’s continued lack of appearance had actually allowed Wang Chong to understand one thing about him: Fengjiayi was not someone who was easy to deal with.

This was a person of a calm and patient personality, and whenever he decided to strike, it would be a lethal blow. This truly made him difficult to deal with. Moreover, as the crown prince, he was able to mobilize a large number of resources, yet he also didn’t put on the haughty airs of a crown prince.

Wang Chong could feel that this was one of those people who would use any methods to reach their goal.

When comparing Fengjiayi to this valiant and unstoppable Jiaosiluo plowing his way to the summit to take Wang Chong’s life, Wang Chong actually felt that Fengjiayi was the more serious threat to the Great Tang.

“Milord, if he doesn’t appear, will we just have to keep standing here? The current situation isn’t to our advantage!” a swarthy Black Dragon Bandit elite said.

They had been ordered by Li Siye to stay at Wang Chong’s side, and though they didn’t respect Wang Chong as much as Li Siye, they still respected him a great deal. In their view, Wang Chong truly shouldn’t have ordered Li Siye away. With Li Siye here, there would still be a chance to stop Jiaosiluo.

They would also have probably been better able to adapt to the changing situation.

“That’s right, Milord. If Jiaosiluo manages to get here and Fengjiayi arrives to work with him, we’ll be completely unable to stop them. After all, while we’re out in the open, one of our enemies is hiding in the shadows!” another of the Black Dragon Bandit elites said, his voice fraught with worry.

Wang Chong turned his head in surprise and saw that the speaker was a thin Black Dragon Bandit elite. His eyes seemed much more intelligent than those of his compatriots.

So it was him.

A thought occurred to Wang Chong. He had some idea of who this man was. Li Siye had mentioned before that this person had been a part-time advisor in the Black Dragon Bandits. Although he was no proper military strategist, he was still rather intelligent.

“Relax; he won’t get such a chance! I’ll have him come out himself,” Wang Chong indifferently said, a natural confidence in his voice.