The Human Emperor

Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr

“Deep within the palace is the Saint Martial Barracks, holding six to eight thousand soldiers. Their duty is to protect the Sage Emperor, and if I remember correctly, underneath Taiji Palace is the Nine Heavens, Ten Earths, Three Emperors Formation. While eight thousand soldiers of the Saint Martial Barracks isn’t a lot, with the power of the Three Emperors Formation and the narrow confines of the palace avenues, they should be able to easily defend… The First Prince’s advance is probably not very smooth, yes?
“Moreover, Taiji Palace is also guarded by the Dragon Guards. Each one is a Brigadier General, and there were even those with Great General cultivation. They were originally established to deal with rebellions. Throughout the various dynasties, rebellions have never been in short supply within the Imperial Palace. The Great Qin experienced them, as did the Great Han and the Great Sui. Thus, Emperor Gaozu took measures against them from the moment the dynasty was founded, which is why we have the Three Emperors Formation. You are the strategist for the First Prince, so you must know all this,” Wang Chong nonchalantly said, his expression unperturbed.
“In addition, in order to prevent me from leading soldiers into the palace and causing your forces to be attacked from both sides, you set up the Imperial Army into a formation. In other words, the number of forces attacking Taiji Palace can’t be too large—fifty thousand at most. Even if these are your best soldiers, taking Taiji Palace will still be extremely difficult. It will at least take more than thirty minutes!
“Moreover, while you and the First Prince have control over the Imperial Army and the City Guard, the capital is home to hundreds of thousands of people. While you can control the people, you can’t control their minds. This is why you ‘lowered yourself to descend’, luring me to this place. The one who really needed this was not me… but you!
“I presume you don’t need me to tell you what the punishment for rebellion is, yes?”
Wang Chong sat up straight, his eyes bright and his words incisive. Hou Junji’s face shifted again and again until it eventually turned dour.
“I truly underestimated you, but you only said a part of it, not all!”
Hou Junji’s expression became much more serious. It seemed like he was finally treating Wang Chong as a real opponent.
“Set the plans and then move, so how could this old man not know of what you speak? That Three Emperors Formation has fused together with the thousands of other formations beneath the Imperial Palace, accumulating a vast amount of energy. And I have already used the Three Emperors Formation as the energy source for my Hundred Thousand God-Devil Execution Formation! Thus, hah, those eight thousand Saint Martial Barracks soldiers won’t be able to get that much power from the formation!
“For this reason, your calculations are wrong. Those Saint Martial Barracks soldiers aren’t even worth considering. Completely exterminating them will require a meager amount of time,” Hou Junji calmly said.
“You don’t think that the Hundred Thousand God-Devil Execution Formation was only for you, do you?!”
Wang Chong’s heart sank. There was no doubt that Hou Junji was the most difficult opponent he had ever encountered.
But Wang Chong quickly got hold of himself.
“Senior, regardless of what you say, you have yet to win this contest, correct?”
Wang Chong softly chuckled. His gaze quickly settled on the golden chess board, his meaning obvious.
“Black moves first. Senior, please.”
“Heh.”
Hou Junji chuckled, not taking this as an expression of disrespect as he looked at the chess board.
“Truly as they say, the young are the heroes, but given how much time has passed, it’s about time!”
Hou Junji profoundly smiled.
Clap!
Hou Junji thrust his right hand out and took a black piece between his index and middle fingers, placing it on the center of the golden board.
There seemed to be little special about this move at first. In truth, no one understood why Wang Chong and Hou Junji had the leisure to play a game of chess at such a crucial moment.
But a moment later, they seemed to understand something.
“Look at that!”
As the crowd shouted in alarm, the earth began to rumble, and a dazzling pillar of violet energy surged out of the depths of the Imperial Palace. This pillar of energy was even more brilliant than the one before it, and as the heavens were dyed purple, fierce gales of energy swept outward.
Neigh!
Horses neighed as the winds struck, and the surrounding Imperial Army soldiers were forced to step back in alarm.
Even at this distance, they could sense the terrifying power of that energy pillar.
“Kill!”
Loud roars came from the distance, and a vast wave of energy came from the direction of the Center Gate and slammed against the palace walls. At that moment, the Imperial Army soldiers were seemingly reinvigorated.
At the Qian Gate and Kun Gate, the Imperial Army soldiers also bellowed and thundered.
“Your Highness!”
Behind Wang Chong, Li Jingzhong looked in alarm in the direction of the three gates.
Wang Chong’s soldiers and the Imperial Army had been basically on par, with Wang Chong’s forces holding the slight upper hand, but at this moment, the Imperial Army had suddenly become much stronger and were starting to crush Wang Chong’s soldiers.
Wang Chong’s soldiers were the last hope for the supporters of the Sage Emperor. If they couldn’t hold, no one dared to imagine what the consequences would be.
“Don’t panic! The victor has yet to be decided. I trust in him!”
Li Heng stared at Wang Chong’s back, his eyes gleaming and his face unperturbed. The cries of fighting in the distance seemed to have no effect on him.
Hou Junji looked at Wang Chong and nonchalantly said, “Heh, enough time has passed that it’s only right to unleash the power of the Three Emperors Formation. I’ve already guided all of its energy into the Hundred Thousand God-Devil Execution Formation. What you see now… can be considered its true form!”
His expression was calm and gentle, but under the surface was the threatening sharpness of a blade.
“Kill!”
The Imperial Army soldiers stationed at the three gates charged with renewed vigor. Metallic clattering came from under their feet as additional halos appeared.
At this moment, each Imperial Army soldier gained three milky-white halos of varying sizes, signaling that the power from the formation had increased.
The Imperial Army soldiers were surprised and pleased by this sudden development.
“Haha, great! Everyone, listen up! Follow me and kill these traitors!”
At the Qian Gate, Lu Qiongji flourished his sword and charged at Guo Ziyi and the Wushang Cavalry.
Huang Tianzhao at the Center Gate and Duan Zhuyan at the Kun Gate also sensed this change and quickly shifted to offensive stances.
The situation immediately became unfavorable for Wang Chong’s side. The clamor of fighting made Miyasame Ayaka crease her brow and worriedly glance at Wang Chong.
“Senior truly is formidable. It is no wonder that even His Majesty Taizong praised Senior’s talent as unparalleled!”
The hair on Wang Chong’s temples danced in the wind, but his expression was as calm as a placid lake.
“I have heard that Senior is an erudite scholar who knows all the martial arts and formations of the world. I have even heard that, starting many decades ago, Senior had already fused all his learnings together with the desire of creating the strongest formation. Alas, in the end, that venture failed, but to think that after the passing of decades and diligent study and research, Senior managed to succeed.”
Wang Chong faintly smiled. These foes who got along like fire and water now seemed like bosom friends.
But Hou Junji raised an eyebrow, his face tightening.
“Su Zhengchen already told you?” Hou Junji suddenly asked.
“Heh, he truly did mention a little here and there.”
Wang Chong chuckled.
Hou Junji’s pupils constricted, his face turning solemn.
“What else did your master say?”
Hou Junji regarded Wang Chong as nothing more than a trifling junior whose abilities had a limit, but Su Zhengchen was different. As the most illustrious War God of their generation, Su Zhengchen had earned everyone’s admiration, had been as bright as the sun and moon.
If Su Zhengchen had mentioned his formation, then perhaps things were not as absolute as he thought they were.
“Heh, that’s not the case. Senior is using the Hundred Thousand God-Devil Execution Formation for the first time. Not even my master has seen it before, so how could he say anything about it?” Wang Chong indifferently said. He took his cup from the table and sipped a little tea.
Hou Junji stared at Wang Chong, his eyes shifting, but he quickly calmed back down.
It was true!
The Hundred Thousand God-Devil Execution Formation had taken more than half his life to develop. He had transformed the Imperial Army into heavenly soldiers, a celestial wall that even God-Devils would find hard to overcome. No matter how amazing Su Zhengchen was, would he really be able to break this formation?
“He told you nothing?” Hou Junji asked, distrust still evident on his face.
Wang Chong put down his cup and casually replied, “No. Master only said that my abilities alone should be more than enough to deal with you.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
Hou Junji scoffed, his expression chilling.
“What have you brought to break my formation?”
Wang Chong chuckled. He naturally understood what Hou Junji was trying to say, but he didn’t argue. Facts would overcome even the most eloquent of arguments.
“Has Senior ever heard of the Origin Immortal Formation?” Wang Chong asked.
“So, you think this Origin Immortal Formation can break my Hundred Thousand God-Devil Execution Formation?” Hou Junji asked back instead of answering the question.
“That’s right!”
Wang Chong firmly nodded, and then as Hou Junji stared, he took a white piece from the nearby gourd and placed it on the center of the board.
“My turn now!”
Boom!

As if in response to Wang Chong’s voice, the moment the white piece struck the board, a white pillar of energy exploded up from the Center Gate.
The pillar of energy wasn’t very bright at first, but, as if it was rapidly absorbing energy, it quickly began to grow, and white began to turn to gold. In the end, there was a massive boom as a golden and black Taiji symbol manifested in the night sky.