The Human Emperor

Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr

Neigh!
“Kiiill!”
Warhorses shrieked and war cries filled the air as the tension reached its maximum. The first to strike was not Zhangchou Jianqiong or another Tang commander, but Su Hanshan’s ballista army!
Boomboomboom!
With a great howl, tens of thousands of ballista bolts flew through the air like furious dragons, a rain of death hurtling toward the Arabs. Thud! Thud! Thud! Behind Adnan and Abu Muslim, screams rang out as their men were cut down like wheat.
The bodies of numerous warhorses crashed to the ground!
Forty thousand!
In the blink of an eye, more than forty thousand Arab soldiers had been pierced through by ballista bolts. Scimitars, arrows, black war banners, and the bodies of horses and men littered the ground.
The blood spilled in the space of a few seconds congregated into rivers.
Such immense lethality truly made one despair!
And the ballista bolts were still coming down!
“Everyone, hear my order! Break out!”
Adnan raised the Blade of Mukala as he mentally despaired. The Hierophant was dead, as was the High Priest. The Arabian Empire had also lost numerous Governors and Deputy Governors, and even the Behemoth Army had been wiped out, but the Tang ballista army still remained.
It was impossible to continue this war.
Gallop!
A moment later, the frantic Arab horsemen joined Adnan and Abu Muslim in charging toward the northwest, where the defenses were strongest.
Even though it was the northeast where the defenses were weakest, no one dared to brave the barrage of the ballista army!
The killing power was just too terrifying!
Even Adnan had cast aside the idea.
Rumble!
In the blink of an eye, the two sides began a fierce battle in the northwest. At the same time, An Sishun, Gao Xianzhi, and Abusi converged with their armies.
But on the western side, no one moved. The Tang commanders had seemingly agreed to leave open a large gap for Su Hanshan’s ballista army.
Buzz!
One volley of bolts after another came down in a stable and despairing rain, playing out the dirge of death as swaths of Arab cavalry were cut down.
The ballista army was the most terrifying of reaping machines, cutting down the lives of the Arabs.
Eighty thousand!
One hundred and ten thousand!
The army led by Abu Muslim and Adnan was suffering losses at a horrifying rate.
The Tang army approached under the cover of the ballistae, and even more Arab soldiers were cut down, spilling their blood on the battlefield.
One hundred and fifty thousand!
One hundred and seventy thousand!
Two hundred thousand…
The Arabs had suffered immense losses in short order, a consequence that could only be expected when one side had the disciplined, cohesive, and high-morale Tang army versus the dispirited and disordered Arab army.
And the Arabs didn’t only have to worry about the ballista army!
Roooar!
The sky darkened, and then a massive black silhouette crashed into the center of the Arabs.
“It’s the King Ape!”
“Careful!”
Upon seeing this massive beast, countless war horses shrieked and Arab horsemen despaired. The Behemoth Army had been almost completely wiped out, and only the strongest, the King Ape, had survived.
But the Great Tang had giant ballistae to deal with the Behemoths. Meanwhile, the Arabs had nothing to deal with the King Ape.
Roooar!
The Behemoth roared and bared its fangs, its eyes red as it slammed its giant arms to the ground. Boom! Seventy-some Arab cavalry were instantly pulverized by the King Ape’s terrifying strength.
Awooooo!
And right after the King Ape, large armored giants also charged into the Arab ranks.
These upgraded Skyquaking Giants had been thrown into the Tang ranks using catapults, dealing significant damage to the Tang army. However, now that his battle was over, Wang Chong had used the Psychic Energy and knowledge he had obtained from the High Priest together with the power of the Crown of Confucius to take control of their minds.
“Die for me!”
The armored giants bellowed like beasts as they rammed into the Arab ranks. Bang! An Arab horseman was caught off guard and struck by a metal cudgel. He screamed as he and his horse were knocked several dozen meters into the air.
Bangbangbang!
The armored giants were like wolves amongst sheep, sowing chaos in the Arab ranks.
Adnan and Abu Muslim felt their hearts sink to rock bottom. When it rained, it poured, and the Great Tang was unleashing all its strength and not giving them a single chance.
“We don’t have any more chances! We have to break out!”
Abu Muslim’s heart was ice-cold.
“We can’t run!”
At this moment, a voice rang out in Abu Muslim’s ear, and he immediately turned his head in shock to Adnan.
He saw that Adnan had a calm and enlightened expression, completely different from the Beast of Brutality that Abu Muslim knew.
“Adnan?”
Abu Muslim was stunned.
“They won’t let us leave so easily! We have to pay a little, or else we will all die here.”
Adnan’s face was extremely calm. The Hierophant’s death had seemingly completely changed him.
“I’ll hold them down. You lead the army in breaking out. No matter what, you must bring our army back to Arabia!”
“!!!”
Abu Muslim was startled by Adnan’s words, but before he could reply, war cries came from all sides.
“Kiiill!”
“Adnan, Abu Muslim, you can’t escape!”
Powerful mental waves swept across the entire battlefield.
The Tang commanders were converging on the pair.
“Hahaha, taking this Adnan’s life is not that easy!”
Not giving Abu Muslim a chance to refuse, Adnan shot into the air, the earth groaning under his power. He waved his hands, and a dark yellow energy exploded out of the Blade of Mukala as he charged at Wang Zhongsi and the others.
“Run!” Adnan’s voice shouted into Abu Muslim’s ears.
Bang!
As he watched Adnan close the distance with Wang Zhongsi and the other Tang experts, Abu Muslim clenched his teeth. He understood that Adnan was determined to die now that the Hierophant was dead, so he turned his horse around and charged off into the distance.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
Upon seeing Abu Muslim flee, An Sishun and Gao Xianzhi immediately turned to pursue.
But before they could do so, a majestic wave of saber energy slammed into the ground in front of them, sending dust and debris several dozen meters into the air. At the same time, a wave of petrifying energy swept over them. At the crucial moment, Adnan had unleashed the power of the Blade of Mukala to hold them back.
An Sishun and Gao Xianzhi focused as they were forced to stop.
This brief pause allowed Abu Muslim to successfully escape so that he could lead the rest of the army in breaking through the northeast.
After a few moments of hesitation, Gao Xianzhi and An Sishun decided to turn around and join Wang Zhongsi and the others in finishing off Adnan.
The battle was fierce and gruesome, large numbers of Arab cavalry dying every moment!
“Ah!”
With one last scream, Adnan finally fell to the ground. Not even the Blade of Mukala could allow Adnan to stand up against so many Tang commanders at once.
But his death had won a chance at survival for the Arabs. With Wang Zhongsi and the other Tang commanders drawn to him, Abu Muslim, after paying a bitter price, had managed to successfully break out through the northeast with his army.
“After them!”
Gao Xianzhi, mounted on a Ferghana steed, immediately began to pursue, his pupils constricting.
No one understood more than him the threat that Abu Muslim posed. Abu Muslim had been the one to start the Battle of Talas, but he had also easily escaped from death there. He was also closely linked to this second war. If he were allowed to escape again, he might raise another army in the Arabian Empire and start a third war!
“There’s no need!”
But at this moment, Wang Chong’s voice spoke into Gao Xianzhi’s mind, causing him to pause.
“Let him be! One Abu Muslim can’t cause much of a stir. Our first priority should be to kill as many Arabs as we can. Moreover, even if he escapes this place, he’s not guaranteed to successfully return to Arabia!”
Wang Chong’s voice was flat and indifferent, apparently having expected all of this.