The Human Emperor
Chapter 1013: Phase Reward!

Chapter 1013: Phase Reward!

Wang Chong would never underestimate his opponents, especially a shrewd Great General like Duwu Sili or a wise tactician like Dalun Ruozan. If he had tried to fool Duwu Sili with a fake, Duwu Sili would have taken the first moment available to kill Chen Bin.

Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, and Xi Yuanqing were further confused by Wang Chong’s words, at a loss as to what he was trying to say.

“So, Wang Chong, were those three papers real or fake?”

Gao Xianzhi creased his brow and cut straight to the point.

“The papers were real, as were their contents, but they were not the type that Duwu Sili was seeking.”

Wang Chong gave a faint and enigmatic smile.

Wang Chong was probably the only one who understood what had actually been happening in that deal. Formation phenomena, this highest level a formation could achieve, were an ancient power that was far more complicated than others imagined.

In this history of the continent, there was a period of time where formation phenomena were very widespread. The Central Plains, the Western Turks, and even the Tibetan Plateau were all home to their own unique formation phenomena, all of them exhibiting supreme levels of power.

At the level of formation phenomena, one could use the power of the world to strengthen one’s soldiers to an inconceivable level and crush one’s foes.

But after a certain incident, this supreme level of formations and ultimate power completely vanished from the face of the continent. If this were not the case, the Celestial Wolf Great General would have never spent so much time in fruitless research, much less have been so overcome by his desire upon seeing that Wang Chong knew the secret of formation phenomena.

In the continent afflicted by the calamity, many people had thought about reviving this ultimate formation strength to deal with the otherworldly invaders. However, from the initial phases to the final reproduction, countless amounts of manpower and resources had been consumed, with countless detours and editions being produced.

It was only after gathering the strength of the entire world that the best and most authentic version of formation phenomena was found amongst all the innumerable versions!

Wang Chong rapped his finger against the table and confidently proclaimed, “Milord, be at ease. I’ve taken care of everything. The version that Duwu Sili obtained was real, but I’ve made a few small modifications. The more he practices and researches it, the more harm it will do to him and the more it will grind away at his strength. He will never be able to reach the level of true formation phenomena. This is my punishment to him for using the lowly tactic of taking Chen Bin hostage.”

Wang Chong did not give too much explanation.

“Wang Chong, I trust in you.”

Gao Xianzhi’s eyes flashed, and he asked no more. No matter what Wang Chong had done or how he had done it, everything was fine as long as Duwu Sili did not obtain the true formation phenomena. This was the only thing he was concerned about.

“Qianli, Yuanqing, strength the defenses. Ensure that Abu Muslim and Dalun Ruozan don’t join together and try to stage a comeback. In addition, have the soldiers take a good rest.”

“Yes, Milord!” the pair deferentially affirmed.

……

As the meeting concluded and everyone left, Wang Chong himself prepared to stand up when a familiar voice rang out in his mind.

“Congratulations to user! For obtaining victory in this phase of the Battle of Talas, you have been rewarded 8000 points of Destiny Energy.”

A golden light flitted into his mind, and Wang Chong instantly felt his body change. His body seemed to get stronger, his cells more bursting with vitality.

At the same time, scenes began to flit through his mind. The entirety of the Battle of Talas, from the moment of his arrival to the final retreat, all the scenes of carnage and fighting, flashed through his mind at astonishing speed.

The final picture was that of spinning numbers floating over an enormous map of the continent, finally stopping at four golden numbers of ‘8000’.

“The first phase of the battle has ended. The second phase of battle is about to begin!

“Warning! User has an extremely high chance of defeat!

“Warning! User’s circumstances are growing increasingly complicated. The true opponent is far from just the Arabs. Mission failure will result in user’s obliteration! User must utilize every method available to survive.

“For the second phase, user will be rewarded with 20000 Destiny Energy upon success and deducted 80000 Destiny Energy upon failure. User has an extremely low chance of survival. Additional warning! Until the final victory is achieved in the Battle of Talas, user cannot retreat. Retreat is death! A mountain cannot hold two tigers, and the two empires must decide a victor between the two of them!”

Almost immediately after being rewarded for the first phase of the mission, Wang Chong was deluged by messages. His expression momentarily froze in shock. He already found it rather strange that the Stone of Destiny had only announced victory in the first phase after he had rescued Chen Bin, but strangest of all was the information the Stone of Destiny had revealed in its messages.

This battle hasn’t been won yet?

Wang Chong’s mind was in turmoil. He had taken control over the Behemoths, killed more than half of the Skyquaking Army, and also halved the elite Arab army. Abu Muslim and Ziyad had retreated more than a dozen li and had none of their former advantages. Wang Chong had believed that in this state, the siege had been lifted and the battle could be considered over.

He had never expected the Stone of Destiny to say that this battle was only just beginning.

My circumstances are getting more and more complicated, and my true opponent is far more than just the Arabs… What does this mean? Could it be that the Arabs have more allies? But the Arabian Empire is the strongest power west of the Cong Mountains, and they’ve already conquered all the nearby countries. What other allies could they have?

This was the most confusing piece of information the Stone of Destiny had divulged. Wang Chong sensed that the Battle of Talas had yet again changed because of his interference, that there was something important that he knew nothing about.

But what could it be?

As his mind whirred with thought, Wang Chong left the reception hall.

……

Putting aside the matter of the Stone of Destiny for the moment, news of the victory at Talas was quickly sent back to the rear. At this moment, east of the Cong Mountains, in the city of the Western Regions closest to Talas, Suiye…

“Wonderful!”

“The Arabs have retreated! The Tang have defeated the Arabs!”

“I knew that the Great Tang would win! Protector-General Gao! Protector-General Gao!!”

The disorderly Suiye was now filled with cheers, countless merchants filling the streets. Moreover, the bandits who had been plundering and stealing, as well as the powers that had hoped to use this opportunity to advance their own plans, began to retreat. Order was slowly restored to the entire city.

The Great Tang had operated in the Western Regions for many years, so it still had some prestige. The Great Tang had defeated a combined army of Arabs, Western Turks, and Tibetans, which meant that the Western Regions was once more under the rule of the Great Tang. To continue making trouble at a time like this, making an enemy of the Great Tang, was an extremely unwise course of action.

“Damn it! The Arabs had several hundred thousand soldiers, far more than those bastards of the Anxi Protectorate army and Qixi, but they still lost. What sort of nonsense is this? Truly a pile of trash!”

In the northwest corner of Suiye, on the road leading out of the city, a one-eyed and bearded Hu sat mounted on a stalwart horse, with a long and strangely-shaped blade in his hand and a hateful expression on his face.

The Tang had ruled the Western Regions for many years now, and this had been a rare opportunity to finally wreak some havoc. But after such a short amount of time, the godlike Governor of Iron and Blood, Abu Muslim, had somehow been forced into retreat.

“Boss, what do we do? The Arabs gave us gold and silver to make trouble in the rear. We have to keep it up for at least three months, but it’s still not time yet,” a thin and quick-witted Hu whispered as he bowed his body.

The Arabs had spent a great deal of money to bribe the various tribes into making trouble in the rear. It wasn’t every day that one could be paid to steal and plunder, so all the tribes had immediately agreed.

“There’s nothing to be done! Feng Changqing isn’t an easy fellow to deal with. He managed to escape from all the people the Celestial Wolf Great General Duwu Sili dispatched to kill him. Moreover, he’s managed to bring some people to his side. It’s not to our advantage to make an enemy of him now. After all, Gao Xianzhi himself isn’t easy to deal with. Retreat! As for the Arabs… they only have themselves to blame,” the one-eyed man spat out.

After taking one more glance at the Anxi Protectorate headquarters and the banner flying above, the man waved his hand and led his men out of Suiye.

With the Great Tang’s power still extant, they had no other choice than to reluctantly retreat.

“Wonderful!”

In the very center of Suiye, countless buildings towered into the sky, and in the very center of this collection of buildings was an estate with sharp and angled eaves, spectacular and magnificent, built in an ancient and refined style.

‘Anxi Protectorate’!

These words, painted in gold on black, indicated that this place was where the highest authority of the Western Regions was based.

At this moment, Feng Changqing was seated within this lofty building, his fists tightly clenched in excitement.

“Young Marquis, I just knew that you could do it!”

Feng Changqing’s eyes were red and bloodshot, his expression agitated. Ever since Wang Chong had led his army out of Suiye and over the Cong Mountains, he had kept a constant watch over the area. After enduring such extreme torment, he had finally heard the news he had waited so long to hear.

Although Abu Muslim and the Arabs had not fully retreated, Feng Changqing still regarded this victory as the best news he had heard in a while. At the very least, the Anxi Protectorate army now had the initiative and was no longer besieged and on the brink of being totally wiped out.

“Wang Chong, thank you!”

Feng Changqing’s heart was bursting with gratitude.