Chapter 914: Shamask!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Don’t panic!”
w.a.n.g Chong’s voice was flat and suffused with a calming air. His eyes were fixed forward and devoid of emotion.
“Believe in General Li Siye and the Wushang Cavalry. There is no force more powerful on this continent!”
The peerlessly sharp Wootz Steel swords, the st.u.r.dy Meteoric Metal armor, three layers of the Halo of Dusk Stallion, and the peak-state Ten Charges Ten Victories Formation—whether it was in power, defense, or dexterity, the Wushang Cavalry were currently at an unprecedented level.
There was very little possibility of there being a stronger force than the Wushang Cavalry on the continent. At the very least, that force could not be the Celestial Wolf Cavalry!
w.a.n.g Chong’s words immediately caused the people gathered around the banner to settle down.
“Milord, should we go and a.s.sist? Shamask seems to be faring rather poorly!”
The Turkic generals on the distant hills were also watching this battle, and they were just as concerned. One of Duwu Sili’s deputies had stepped forward, his eyes looking worriedly at the storm of dust on the battlefield.
“There’s no need to be concerned. I believe in Shamask’s abilities. The Celestial Wolf Cavalry will not lose to anybody!!” Duwu Sili confidently declared.
The Wushang Cavalry’s formation truly was formidable, but Duwu Sili was still confident in Shamask’s skills. This confidence was founded on past records and achievements. No matter how powerful a cavalry formation was, in the end, battles were decided by the strengths of the soldiers themselves. Although the formation was powerful, the enemy had a ma.s.sive flaw that could not be fixed: their commander was only at the peak of the Imperial Martial realm.
If that Wushang commander could be killed, their formation would fall apart.
“Shamask, it’s about time for you to move.”
Duwu Sili looked down upon the battle, a fierce light in his eyes.
In the distance, the battle between the two cavalry forces had reached a fever pitch.
“Everyone, follow me!”
Wielding his ma.s.sive Wootz Steel sword, Li Siye barged through the battlefield, his thundering voice calling all the Wushang Cavalry to his side. The five thousand Wushang Cavalry divided themselves into hundred-man units that followed Li Siye in charging through the battlefield.
Almost no one could stop the onslaught of Li Siye’s giant figure. His emblematic sword easily cut through the Celestial Wolf Cavalry, even slicing some of them in two. Not even the Celestial Wolf armor could stop a full-strength blow from Li Siye.
When w.a.n.g Chong had forged this sword for Li Siye, he had used many jun of Hyderabad ore and placed all his attention upon it. In terms of both weight and sharpness, it far exceeded any other Wootz Steel sword. However, it was only someone of Li Siye’s immense strength that could use it to cut a Celestial Wolf cavalryman in two with a single slash.
As for the Celestial Wolf Illusory Formation, Li Siye dealt with it using the most primitive of methods.
Roooar!
As Li Siye bellowed, his entire body exploded with Stellar Energy that swept through the battlefield, jolting and scattering all the illusions, leaving behind only the real Celestial Wolf Cavalry. With this simple tactic, Li Siye was able to inflict grievous casualties on the Celestial Wolf Cavalry!
Even the veteran Celestial Wolf Cavalry couldn’t help but feel dread at Li Siye’s fierce fighting style.
“Kill him!” the Celestial Wolf Cavalry shouted as hundreds of them converged on Li Siye. No matter how dauntless Li Siye was, the Celestial Wolf Cavalry still had the advantage of numbers.
“Just what I wanted!”
Li Siye had a contemptful gaze, his body exuding a domineering aura as he urged his Ferghana steed to charge forward and meet the Celestial Wolf Cavalry. Boom! Li Siye swept his sword toward them with the weight of a mountain behind it.
These Celestial Wolf Cavalry were simply no match for the Imperial Martial Li Siye, no matter how many of them charged at him.
Buzz!
Just when Li Siye was about to cut through five or six Celestial Wolf Cavalry, he suddenly trembled, an ill foreboding gripping his heart. Almost at the same time, a soft and chilly voice, like the buzzing of a mosquito, murmured in his ear.
“Heheh, let me borrow your head!”
Although it was a soft voice, it was exceptionally clear and suffused with the smug tone of someone whose plan had succeeded. Boom! A gale exploded onto the scene as a storm of destructive energy that had lain in waiting for so long suddenly appeared in Li Siye’s perception and approached him with a thunderous momentum.
Li Siye couldn’t see it, but he could hear the vibration of metal as the edge of a sword swept through the air, a sound that made Li Siye tremble in fear.
“s.h.i.+t! It’s an ambus.h.!.+”
Li Siye paled. He had not even noticed this enemy’s presence just moments ago, so it was obvious that they had been hiding their energy for this moment. Most frighteningly, this person’s cultivation level was far above the Imperial Martial realm.
This was a Saint Martial expert, one at the Brigadier General level!
In a flash, Li Siye immediately thought of the Celestial Wolf Cavalry commander. But it was clear that he did not have time to respond. To kill him, this opponent had pretended to be an ordinary Celestial Wolf cavalryman, waiting for the right moment to abruptly attack so that Li Siye would not have a chance to counter.
“Huang Botian!
“Kong Zi-an!
“Hong Youqi!”
Li Siye suddenly shouted, at the same releasing all the Stellar Energy in his body. At this moment, he had time for only one thing:
“Skanda’s Strength1!!!”
Li Siye opened his arms, his entire body seeming to swell. Under the guidance of some invisible energy, all the strength of the Wushang Cavalry in a fifty-zhang radius began to gather in Li Siye. As the Celestial Wolf Cavalry looked on in shock, the light condensed behind Li Siye, transforming into a swarthy G.o.d, enormous and savage, that then fused with Li Siye.
Bang!
Behind Li Siye, Shamask gathered up all his strength, his black halo vibrating, and gave Li Siye’s back a savage slash. Booom!Li Siye was sent flying along with his horse, his mouth already vomiting blood as he flew through the air.
Bang! Li Siye landed in a cloud of dust. Even though Shamask had attacked with almost all his strength, Li Siye was still alive.
“How could this sort of thing happen!”
Shamask’s eyes narrowed and his face paled. At his cultivation level, dealing with a peak Imperial Martial warrior should have been as easy as flipping over his palm, but to Shamask’s surprise, the commander of the Wushang Cavalry had suddenly begun to swell in strength, ascending from the Imperial Martial realm to the Saint Martial realm.
Not only that, though Shamask’s sword could usually cleave through steel, Li Siye was wearing some sort of mysterious armor that his slash had not been able to leave a single mark on. Even someone of Shamask’s temperament couldn’t help but be stupefied at this sight.
“Cutting Formation!”
On the other side, Li Siye did not tarry. Shamask’s ambush had given him a severe wound. If this armor given to him by w.a.n.g Chong had not been made of pure Meteoric Metal and further strengthened with many toughening inscriptions, and if he hadn’t also been bolstered by the Halo of Dusk Stallion, Li Siye would already be dead.
Bang!
The moment Li Siye gave the order, the five thousand Wushang Cavalry immediately split up into fifty hundred-man groups that scattered across the battlefield.
“Where are you going?”
Shamask grimaced and urged his horse to pursue.
“All soldiers, stop them!”
Although he didn’t know what the Wushang Cavalry were up to or why they had suddenly scattered, his battle-hardened intuition told him that something was wrong. While leaving the Wushang Cavalry to his men, he continued his dogged pursuit of Li Siye.
But the Li Siye now was completely different.
Bang!
With a sweep of his enormous Wootz Steel sword, Li Siye sent three Celestial Wolf Cavalry, horses and all, flying away like ragdolls. Before they had even landed, a tyrannical Stellar Energy had already rampaged through their bodies, rendering their insides into mush.
The Skanda Halo!
Li Siye had finally used the supreme technique w.a.n.g Chong had taught him. In the era of the calamity, War Saint w.a.n.g Chong had led ten Great Generals in battle, and the Skanda Halo was the unique technique used by the number one Great General.
The Skanda Halo was similar to Death’s Scythe, the joint attack formation w.a.n.g Chong had employed in the southwest, but it was much stronger. Only one who learned the Skanda Halo and had Skanda’s Strength could execute the Skanda Formation, which allowed one to borrow the strength of others to bolster their own.
This was somewhat similar to the Mighty Miracle G.o.d Formation used by w.a.n.g Yan, though not as powerful.
While w.a.n.g Chong had spent the last two months after the onset of the Battle of Talas in Wushang’s City of Steel preparing for war, Li Siye had spent them cultivating the Skanda Halo.
Li Siye’s level of strength had been his constant handicap and weakness, so, with the Battle of Talas in mind, w.a.n.g Chong had taught him the Skanda Halo. But even though the Skanda Halo could allow one to borrow the strength of others, it had a terrible weakness: it could only be maintained for an hour. Furthermore, the user would suffer a severe backlash afterward. Thus, the Skanda Formation could only be used at the most critical junctures of battle.
______________1. ‘Skanda’ can be a reference to two things. It can refer to the Bodhisattva Wei Tuo, who is the guardian of Buddhist monasteries. Skanda is also another name for the Hindu G.o.d of war, Kartikeya.↩