Chapter 586: The Decisive Battle! A Duel of Tactics!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Boom!
The metal giant, ten-some zhang high, smashed a fist down, instantly sending a metal wall flying along with ten-some Tang soldiers. After flying around ten zhang, it crashed down to the ground, unleashing a cloud of dust.
“Jiaosiluo was a useless thing! Watch as I kill these Tang and tell you what a true expert of the plateau is like, what it truly means to be an eagle that lords over the skies!”
Tumi Sangzha’s resounding roar in Tibetan echoed through the skies. He began to stride up the mountain, each step crossing seven or eight zhang. Boom! Another fist casually struck out, sending another heavy steel wall flying away in a cloud of dust.
Upon seeing this sight, even Wang Chong couldn’t help but widen his eyes in shock.
Metal element halos were considered the strongest of the Five Element halos, but even so, the strength Tumi Sangzha displayed was abnormal. Although he was relying purely on savage strength, it was precisely this sort of method that was more troublesome and difficult to deal with.
“Not bad!”
At the base of the mountain, Huoshu Huicang stood like an imposing mountain, his posture giving off the feeling of a boundless ocean or unending mountain range, that nothing could ever shake him. As for Tumi Sangzha’s performance, only he remained unsurprised.
Jiaosiluo had always been in conflict with tribal generals like Tumi Sangzha, as this was the particular selection method used by Ü-Tsang. The tribal generals were in competition with the Five Tiger Generals, and only the true experts could survive to take up a position in the Five Tiger Generals.
Whether it was Longqinba, Jiaosiluo, or the other deceased generals, they had all been chosen through this method. Thus, Huoshu Huicang actually hadn’t cared that much about Jiaosiluo’s death.
“I wonder what you’ll do next?”
As Huoshu Huicang looked up at the summit, the hint of a smile appeared in his eyes. The massive fireballs carpeting the sky and a fierce general like Tumi Sangzha would probably leave even someone like Zhangchou Jianqiong helpless.
But with regards to that youth who had handed so many defeats to his subordinates, Huoshu Huicang felt a sliver of anticipation.
Politics was something that only people like Dalun Ruozan considered. As a pure soldier and general, Huoshu Huicang was only interested in the appearance of powerful opponents and their eventual destruction at his hands.
“Old Eagle, it’s about time for you to go,” Wang Chong suddenly said. “Your cultivation should have just about reached the proper level, right?”
“Yes, Young Master!”
With this familiar voice, a familiar figure emerged: Wang Chong’s faithful follower, Old Eagle, walking out from the rear. After a period of absence, Old Eagle seemed to have reached a whole new level, his entire body bursting with energy.
“I have already broken into the Profound Martial realm and reached around Tier 3 or 4. I have also grasped the method behind the Six-armed Ksitigarbha! Right now, I should be strong enough to fight against an expert at Tier 6 or 7 of the Profound Martial realm!”
Old Eagle had a brilliant expression, brimming with confidence.
As an older expert from the capital, Old Eagle had remained at Tier 9 of the True Martial realm the longest of his old companions. His lack of talent had prevented him from crossing the threshold.
But it was also for this reason that he had accumulated much more energy than a normal expert could hope for. Old Eagle had originally believed that he would never be able to cross the threshold of the Profound Martial realm no matter how much energy he accumulated.
But the Six-Armed Ksitigarbha had given him just this chance to break through.
As a result, Old Eagle had broken through and, like a flood unleashed, immediately risen to Tier 3 of the Profound Martial realm, bordering on Tier 4.
The current Old Eagle was now someone with powerful abilities who could tip the balance of power.
This was also the reason Wang Chong had not used him until now.
“That foreigner is extremely powerful. Only our Wootz Steel swords are capable of breaking through his technique. However, you alone aren’t enough. Luo Ji, you go as well!” Wang Chong firmly ordered with a glance to his left.
Luo Ji bowed and said, “Yes, this general will go!”
There was currently no one in the Annan Protectorate army who dared to disobey Wang Chong. Everyone treated Wang Chong as the Annan Protectorate army’s savior. Without him, the Annan Protectorate army would have been wiped out long ago. Besides, Wang Chong also had Zhangchou Jianqiong’s private token.
Wang Chong looked behind Luo Ji and ordered, “General Lin, you go as well!”
“Yes, your subordinate will go,” Lin Wushou immediately replied.
By now, Wang Chong had been acknowledged by the soldiers of the southwest as the best and most suitable commander. Even General Wang and Protector-General Xianyu had ceded their authority to him, much less others.
“But just you won’t be enough. Zhang Long!”
“Your subordinate is here!”
“Give your Wootz Steel sword to General Lin!”
“Yes, your subordinate will comply!”
……
In the Annan Protectorate army, only Wang Chong’s subordinates were equipped with Wootz Steel swords, and only Wootz Steel swords could deal with a Metal element halo expert like Tumi Sangzha.
Ordinary sabers and swords would be transformed or snatched away and made into metal men before they could get close, so they were completely useless!
Gallop!
Old Eagle, Luo Ji, and Lin Wushou, equipped with Wootz Steel swords, rode off. They were also wearing the Meteoric Metal armor of the Black Dragon Bandit elites.
Boomboomboom!
Massive fireballs were still crashing out of the sky, leaving seas of fire around the mountain, but Old Eagle, Luo Ji, and Lin Wushou seemed utterly unaffected, easily weaving through these obstacles.
This trio was at a level where these fireballs could not even touch them, much less threaten them.
The three moved with such speed that they needed only a few moments to reach the base of the mountain.
“Foreign general, take my strike!”
With a heaven-shaking roar, Old Eagle leaped forward. His entire body suddenly disappeared, replaced by a Six-Armed Ksitigarbha Vajra Guardian, its six arms actually wielding six Wootz Steel swords. Clang! The Six-Armed Ksitigarbha Vajra Guardian lunged forward with inconceivable speed. With a slash of its six Wootz Steel swords, a large amount of refined iron was immediately shorn off the metal giant enclosing Tumi Sangzha.
“The Ksitigarbha Vajra Guardian!!! You’re using Batunlu’s technique!”
A furious roar echoed through the battlefield as Tumi Sangzha glared. Like some primordial beast from before history, he smashed a fist at Old Eagle.
“The Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple’s things are not for you to take! Give it back!”
“Careful!”
Only close up could one feel the power of Tumi Sangzha’s steel giant, its unstoppable strength. And the thick layers of metal made it difficult for any weapon to truly threaten Tumi Sangzha within.
Bangbangbang! Roaring, Luo Ji and Lin Wushou soared into the air, brandishing Wootz Steel weapons. Four experts of the Profound Martial realm fell into an intense melee.
On the other side, nearly ten thousand Tibetan cavalry were fighting against the Annan Protectorate army.
“Get ready!”
Wang Chong’s gaze rested on Old Eagle, Luo Ji, and Lin Wushou for only a few moments. A commander’s focus could not remain long on a battle between two generals. He needed to focus on the overall situation and determine what would decide victory or defeat.
Leading the army to the final victory was a problem of tactics, a matter that the commander needed to handle.
“Tumi Sangzha won’t be able to cause too much stir. In a little while, Huoshu Huicang should be sending even more cavalry in a large-scale assault. Pass on my order! Get ready to reinforce the lines and fight with the Tibetans!”
“But, Young Master, in the current situation, those constant fireballs make it impossible for us to get close,” Chen Shusun worriedly said.
“Hmph, relax. It’s no easy task to prepare these fireballs. The southwest is a land of hills and plains, making it very difficult for Dalun Ruozan to get his hands on so many boulders. Moreover, I might not know about much else, but I know that the Tibetans can’t have very much Arabian Kerosene. These fireballs will soon be all used up. From the very start, Huoshu Huicang’s goal has always been to destroy the defenses I deployed. Call Master Zhang over and tell him to get ready. The workers will need to take advantage of that break to repair the damaged walls.”
The ‘Master Zhang’ Wang Chong referred to was naturally Zhang Shouzhi of the Bureau of Works. The greatest advantage of the modular walls was the ease in dismantling, moving, and repairing them.
It was impossible for Huoshu Huicang and Dalun Ruozan’s attack to destroy these steel walls.
“Yes, I’ll make the arrangements.”
Chen Shusun immediately left to carry out his orders.