Chapter 1709: The Pressure of Status!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
This fellow has become somewhat difficult to deal with! w.a.n.g Chong quietly said to himself.
“w.a.n.g Chong, we finally meet!” Fumeng Lingcha said icily as he stared at w.a.n.g Chong, his body seething with almost tangible killing intent that surged toward w.a.n.g Chong. If looks could kill, w.a.n.g Chong would have already been obliterated into dust.
“Lord Protector-General, after more than half a year, it seems like your martial arts have grown! Congratulations! It seems that the imperial prison suits Milord!” w.a.n.g Chong nonchalantly replied, cracking open his eyes. At the same time, a tsunami of energy rose from his body and blocked Fumeng Lingcha’s force.
No matter how Fumeng Lingcha tried, his energy could not get past w.a.n.g Chong’s. Even more killing intent surged into Fumeng Lingcha’s eyes as he stared at the youthful figure.
He naturally could not forget just who had been responsible for turning him from the mighty Qixi Protector-General into a prisoner with nothing.
“Foul brat, he who laughs last, laughs best! The game between us is far from over!” Fumeng Lingcha coldly said, using w.a.n.g Chong’s own phrase. He quickly turned to the Big Dipper Army generals and raised his voice.
“Who currently has the highest rank in the Big Dipper Army? Who is running things around here?”
Even though he could not overcome w.a.n.g Chong, Fumeng Lingcha was still an ill.u.s.trious commander in front of the Big Dipper Army.
The Big Dipper Army generals looked at each other in surprise at this question, but one of them quickly stepped forward.
“I am!”
“Very good! You no longer have that responsibility!”
Fumeng Lingcha coldly chuckled and looked around at the dense ma.s.s of Big Dipper Army soldiers.
“This is a decree from the Imperial Court! Starting from now, Hujiali, you will take his place. In the future, you will command the Big Dipper Army!”
“Yes, Milord!”
A stalwart man behind Fumeng Lingcha who towered above other Hu generals got down on one knee and bowed.
Whoooah!
All of the Big Dipper Army officers grimaced at Fumeng Lingcha’s words.
Great General Geshu Han’s body was still cooling and the Big Dipper Army was still in an unstable state, but on his first day, Fumeng Lingcha had decided that seizing authority was more important than soothing the troops, and decided to replace the upper echelons of the Big Dipper Army with his own men. How could such conduct not chill one’s heart?
Even w.a.n.g Chong’s face darkened upon seeing this.
“b.a.s.t.a.r.ds! What do you think you’re doing?!”
“General Li, we’ll only listen to you! Outsiders shouldn’t even think of ordering us around!”
“Get out of Big Dipper City, all of you! Our Big Dipper Army doesn’t need interference from outsiders!”
The soldiers seethed with fury, but Fumeng Lingcha was utterly unmoved.
“You want to rebel? Is the decision of the Imperial Court something you have any right to intervene in? Anyone who dares to disobey will be arrested!”
Fumeng Lingcha’s gaze swept across the army like a bolt of lightning, his expression turning even colder.
“In addition, an army cannot be without a commander for even a single day. Great General Geshu’s body is still in the main hall of Big Dipper City. This is improper and against the rules of propriety. Pa.s.s on my order! Tomorrow at noon, he is to immediately be buried!”
Bang!
The soldiers could no longer restrain themselves, and their roars of fury resounded through the world. Demoting the remaining officers of the Big Dipper Army was one thing, but to even compel the burial of the deceased Geshu Han was going too far. Fumeng Lingcha’s party hadn’t even gone to the spirit hall to pay their respects and had shown not even a shred of respect for Geshu Han. These soldiers would no longer stand for it.
“Who dares to be so impudent?!”
When the crowd was at its most agitated, a roar exploded like a crack of thunder, and Fumeng Lingcha immediately displayed his profound cultivation. This roar was infused with boundless Stellar Energy that immediately stirred up a gale. The surrounding Big Dipper Army soldiers were forced back, the immense pressure in the gale causing their faces to go pale.
Whether in Anxi or Qixi, Fumeng Lingcha had always been known for his ironfisted style during his tenure as a Protector-General. Despite the protest of the Big Dipper Army soldiers, Fumeng Lingcha was determined to get his way.
Clang!
At almost the same moment, the ten-some Hu generals who had followed Fumeng Lingcha from Qixi pulled out their sabers and aimed the cold edges at the Big Dipper Army generals.
To shoot down a man, it was best to shoot the horse first, and to capture the subordinates, it was best to first capture the king. Originally, they didn’t have a very good excuse to strip these officers of their authority, but now, they had an excellent pretext to take control of this powerful army.
“Strike!”
Seeing the soldiers getting angrier and angrier, that Qixi general whom Fumeng Lingcha had called Hujiali immediately seized the opportunity, his eyes turning cold as he lunged at a nearby furious Big Dipper Army general.
As one of Fumeng Lingcha’s long-time followers, he was keenly aware of the best time to strike.
The mark Geshu Han had left on this army was too deep, and ordinary methods would fail to let them take control of the Big Dipper Army. Even a kindhearted Bodhisattva could strike with thunderous might. They would first seize the high-ranking generals, and then they would forcefully suppress the leaders of the opposition. With the power of Great General Fumeng Lingcha, they were wholly capable of quas.h.i.+ng any dissent. This was the fastest way of taking control over the Big Dipper Army!
But before Hujiali could get very far, rumble! A majestic Stellar Energy swept in front of him, engulfing him like a powerful net and flinging him backward.
Several more booms could be heard as Hujiali and the other Qixi generals were slammed into the ground like so many roof tiles, sending up great plumes of dust. The force was so great that the ground for several hundred meters around trembled.
“w.a.n.g Chong, you dare!”
Fumeng Lingcha thunderously roared, his left hand pulling out his saber and unleas.h.i.+ng an earth-rending blow that sliced the air in two as it flew at w.a.n.g Chong.
This grandiose saber energy extended for several dozen feet. Everyone else only saw a white flash of light, by which point the blow was about to hit w.a.n.g Chong.
The destructive energy imbued within the attack made the earth groan as if it was on the verge of being sundered apart!
“Not good!”
“Your Highness!”
The Big Dipper Army generals felt their hearts freeze, their bodies tightening with tension. Fumeng Lingcha had been the oldest and most powerful of the Great Tang’s Protector-Generals, but he had run into several bottlenecks that he had never been able to get past. Yet when Fumeng Lingcha unsheathed his saber, it became evident from that sharp energy which was hard to look at directly that he had broken through these bottlenecks.
He had clearly come prepared to seize control of the army, and it was hard to say who would emerge the victor in this clash.
Just as the tension reached its maximum—
Bang!
w.a.n.g Chong planted his feet on the ground and simply thrust out his right palm. This simple palm seemed to contain unfathomable power, and easily stopped Fumeng Lingcha’s seemingly unstoppable saber blow.
Kaboom! Winds howled and dust exploded as powerful shockwaves swept over the earth, but w.a.n.g Chong stood as a firm as a seawall against the tide.
“w.a.n.g Chong, you dare!”
Fumeng Lingcha’s face was a sheet of ice as he glared at w.a.n.g Chong. His men, who had been prepared to strike, instantly turned quiet and tense.
“The Imperial Court decided who would take control over the Big Dipper Army! w.a.n.g Chong, you dare defy the court?!” Fumeng Lingcha sharply rebuked, his left hand gripping his saber, prepared to strike again.
“Hmph, Fumeng Lingcha, you can’t order me around!”
w.a.n.g Chong’s expression was aloof, and his first words immediately made Fumeng Lingcha’s face go stiff.
“Moreover, Fumeng Lingcha, just who here is responsible for the crime of an inferior offending a superior? Did the First Prince not tell you that I am the Minister of War? That rank happens to be above yours!!”
Buzz!
Fumeng Lingcha’s face nastily scowled as if he had been stabbed. What pained Fumeng Lingcha the most was that while he had been imprisoned in a dark cell, w.a.n.g Chong had been soaring upward in his career.
In the nearly ten months he had been imprisoned, not only had w.a.n.g Chong taken the post of Qixi Protector-General, he had risen to become the King of Foreign Lands and Minister of War.
There was no greater injustice than this in the world for Fumeng Lingcha, and he could never forgive w.a.n.g Chong.
“Hmph, the country has its laws, and not even the Minister of War can defy them!”
Fumeng Lingcha thrust a finger at w.a.n.g Chong and sternly ordered, “Come! The King of Foreign Lands defies the Imperial Court and obstructs military affairs! Arrest him!”
“Haha, Fumeng Lingcha, you seem to have gotten the wrong idea. Since you’re forcing me to take action, this king will fulfill your wis.h.!.+”
Before Fumeng Lingcha could actually attack, w.a.n.g Chong suddenly laughed and then seized the initiative.
Boom! w.a.n.g Chong shot upward in a flash of light.
An immense energy erupted from his body, far stronger than any energy w.a.n.g Chong had previously displayed.