Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Roar!

Ruthless and beast-like roars came from down below. The earth rumbled, and the pounding steps seemed to be treading on the hearts of the Tang soldiers.

"Careful! They're coming!"

"Hold them! We can't let them break our defensive line!"

At the outermost edge of the front line, countless soldiers watched on as giant black silhouettes emerged out of the dust. Their hands were so tightly clenched that cold sweat was beginning to drip out.

After all this time, the giants of the Skyquaking Army had finally arrived.

Boom!

A metal rod as thick as a thigh swept down, the ma.s.sive energy within it sending five or six Tang soldiers flying. Before any other soldiers could come to fill the gap, a ma.s.sive arm rested on the edge of a steel wall and pushed the weighty object away.

"Asilan kedafeilu!

"Qie'erseilipa!"

……

A strange language emerged from the lips of the Skyquaking Giants as they charged up the mountain. Compared to their ma.s.sive bodies, the soldiers of the Annan Protectorate army were insignificant ants.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The giants wreaked havoc on their formations, steel walls, and s.h.i.+eld barriers, none of which were able to withstand even a single blow.

"Aaaaah!"

The Great Tang soldiers were sent flying here and there, none of them able to hold down the giants or even slow their steps slightly.

Wherever the giants pa.s.sed, the Tang were thrown into disarray…

"Old Eagle!"

As w.a.n.g Chong watched the Skyquaking Giants kill their way up the mountain, he suddenly spoke.

"Your subordinate understands!"

Without another word between them, Old Eagle unsheathed his Wootz Steel sword and looked behind him, his expression grave.

"Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, all of you, follow me."

Old Eagle mounted a horse and galloped down the mountain, the Black Dragon Bandit elites close behind.

The Skyquaking Giants were all equipped with thick and st.u.r.dy plate armor, forged through the collaboration of Ü-Tsang and the Abbasid Caliphate. In the entire army, the only weapons capable of cutting through this army were the Wootz Steel swords wielded by w.a.n.g Chong's subordinates.

Neigh!

Old Eagle's warhorse charged down the mountain, colliding with a Skyquaking Giant charging up from below. The ma.s.sive impact caused Old Eagle and his horse to be flung into the sky, but Old Eagle flipped in the air and slashed down at the giant with his Wootz Steel sword.

"Owwww!"

A scream broke out of the giant's mouth, its mountainous figure staggering back down in retreat. Close by, an arm thicker than an adult's waist dropped to the ground, its stump gus.h.i.+ng blood.

Old Eagle dropped back down, half-kneeling on the ground. As he looked at the severed arm, a smile crept onto his lips.

For a moment, all was silent. The bronze-colored eyes of all the giants around Old Eagle stared at him, or rather, at his sword. For the first time, they showed fear.

This was the first time they had seen something in the hands of these weak and puny humans that could injure them!

……

"It's seems like it's time for me to enter the field!"

At the base of the mountain, in the center of thousands of gazes, a tall and imposing figure smiled and suddenly began to stride forward. Boom! The earth quaked and dust plumed. The entire battlefield and the tens of thousands of soldiers fighting upon it all trembled at this single step, the earth seeming ready to sunder.

"This is…"

Sensing the frightening vibration behind him, w.a.n.g Chong narrowed his eyes, his heart beginning to madly thump. In the entire southwest, the number of people who possessed such a tyrannical aura could be counted on one hand.

And in that direction, w.a.n.g Chong could only think of one person.

"Huoshu Huicang!!"

w.a.n.g Chong turning his head to the southwest and quickly spotted that figure, who seemed to be standing at the center of the world. Other than that roar that had interrupted the sound attacks on the Erhai elephants, Huoshu Huicang had not engaged in a single attack in this battle. He had not shown any sort of technique or skill, until now…

Boom!

Merely by setting eyes on Huoshu Huicang, w.a.n.g Chong could feel a ma.s.sive wave of pressure a.s.sailing him, sweeping over him. Even from this distance, w.a.n.g Chong could feel that incredibly oppressive aura. It was like a blazing fire that could explode with terrifying power at any moment.

Bzzt!

Though this was only a tiny bit of power, w.a.n.g Chong could clearly see a blue ray of energy soaring out from the top of Huoshu Huicang's head. This energy which seemed shapeless and yet physical at the same time was a sharp sword that threw the black clouds above him into turmoil.

"So powerful!"

w.a.n.g Chong's eyes widened, his mind experiencing an unprecedented pressure.

There were many legends about Huoshu Huicang.

Although there was no proof for many of these things, there was one thing that could be guaranteed: Huoshu Huicang was an Ü-Tsang Great General, one of the most elite experts, a Saint Martial realm expert. Although it was said in the Great Tang that Zhangchou Jianqiong was definitely the strongest of the powerhouses of the southwest, Huoshu Huicang was not far behind.

"Alas, Zhangchou Jianqiong isn't here."

w.a.n.g Chong's heart sank. His father's strength was definitely not enough to deal with Huoshu Huicang, and Xianyu Zhongtong was also no match for Duan Gequan. There was a still a gap between these two and the individuals at the Great General level.

Right now, the only things allowing the Annan Protectorate army to contend with the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army were the Great Tang's numerous generals and the power of formations.

This was the Great Tang's distinguis.h.i.+ng feature in its foreign campaigns, and it was also the defensive measure the Great Tang used when confronting powerful foreign experts.

A familiar voice rang out at his ear. "Chong-er, no matter what happens next, you can't get close. This is our fight with Huoshu Huicang." w.a.n.g Yan's voice was calm and composed, imbued with a sort of understanding.

'Officials did not receive rewards and generals did not mind death.' This was a principle that every general needed to grasp before embarking on a foreign campaign. Huoshu Huicang was the strongest opponent w.a.n.g Yan had ever faced, and this was certainly not the first time the two had fought against each other. But no matter what, w.a.n.g Yan would never cower.

The eighty-thousand-some Great Tang soldiers would also not allow him to cower.

"Father…"

w.a.n.g Chong looked at his father's back, his mind in great agitation. His father had always given him a grim and harsh impression. He rarely smiled or showed any other emotion. This time, however, w.a.n.g Chong got a completely different feeling.

My strength is still too lacking. I have to find a way to increase it as quickly as possible. Father, be at ease. No matter what, I'll never let you fight alone.

w.a.n.g Chong clenched his fists, his hair scattering and dancing in the wind. Starting from his reincarnation, his strength had been increasing very quickly, at a rate which no ordinary person could ever imagine, but in this level of battle, he was still far too weak.

I only have that method now!

w.a.n.g Chong suddenly recalled the 'Bane of Generals' that the Stone of Destiny had once mentioned.

……

Regardless of w.a.n.g Chong's thoughts, the movements of w.a.n.g Yan and Huoshu Huicang had attracted the notice of the entire battlefield.

"w.a.n.g Yan, even now, do you still insist on putting up a desperate struggle…"

A voice rang out over the mountain like a peal of thunder, resounding over the entire battlefield. Huoshu Huicang looked at w.a.n.g Yan as well as the Great Tang generals ringed around him like the stars twinkling around the moon. Slowly, his lips formed into a smirk.

Throughout the length of this war, no matter what tactics w.a.n.g Chong had used or how many losses he had inflicted, Huoshu Huicang had never cared very much.

'Soldier against soldiers, general against general.' Regardless of how the Central Plains regarded a war, Huoshu Huicang had always believed that wars were always decided by a clash between the strongest powers on both sides.

As long as he could defeat w.a.n.g Yan and Xianyu Zhongtong, the Annan Protectorate army would collapse without any further fight.

"If Great General wishes to fight, w.a.n.g Yan will keep you company!" w.a.n.g Yan indifferently said, his voice rumbling across the skies. Although it was nothing as domineering, it carried daring and persistence that would never break or move. Like a rock protruding out of a river, it would never fear any waves. Like the bamboo forests of the mountain, it would never snap under any storm.

A look of surprise flickered through Huoshu Huicang's eyes. "w.a.n.g Gengzhi is truly the descendant of ministers and generals. Just through this alone, you are worthy of being my opponent!" Even the Ü-Tsang Great General couldn't help but admire the demeanor and spirit displayed by w.a.n.g Yan.

"Since this is the case, let us fight!"

Clang! Huoshu Huicang unsheathed a long saber and strode forward. Dust roiled behind him and warhorses neighed as his elite guard and the cavalry under him, a force numbering more than ten thousand, began to sweep toward the mountain with a dreadful and shocking momentum.

After all this time, Huoshu Huicang had finally mobilized his entire army.

"Disperse!"

A harsh order was issued from the summit, causing the army to instantly part. The forty thousand soldiers that the Great Tang had not committed for the entirety of this battle finally began to move.

Bzzz! Several dozen spirited energies soared into the sky. A pitch-black horse, exuding the demeanor of a dragon, leaped down from the mountain. w.a.n.g Yan led the charge, surging toward Huoshu Huicang, with countless elite generals of the Great Tang behind him.

Huoshu Huicang was an Ü-Tsang Great General. No one in the southwest was any match for him, and no defensive line would be able to stop him. The steel walls that w.a.n.g Chong had erected on the mountain were mere decorations to a supreme expert like Huoshu Huicang.

Boom!

As w.a.n.g Yan stepped down, several dozen Mengshe–Ü-Tsang soldiers blocking his way were suddenly sent flying away like ragdolls.

Just like how the Tang soldiers could not stop Huoshu Huicang, the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang soldiers could not stop w.a.n.g Yan.

"Retreat!"

An order came from down below as Huoshu Huicang led his countless Tibetan warriors up the mountain. In the middle of the mountain, the summit, the base, to the southeast, the southwest… thousands of eyes nervously watched as these two figures approached each other.