The Human Emperor

Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr

King Qi scowled at the officer and icily said, “Shut your mouth! Where did this no-name soldier come from? Do you have the right to speak in front of this king?!”
“That’s right!” A green-robed advisor by King Qi’s side spoke up in agreement. “What’s your status that gives you the right to speak to His Highness?”
“In addition, ha, where do you see any Penal Court soldiers?
“Wang Chong, look carefully. These are all Imperial Army soldiers. Just when did this king take Penal Court soldiers into the Imperial Palace?”
King Qi sinisterly chuckled.
“There’s been a rumor in the capital that someone is secretly recruiting soldiers and plotting rebellion. This king was worried about the Sage Emperor’s safety and waited in ambush here with soldiers to arrest that treasonous scum, but to think… to think that you would be that rebel, Wang Chong!”
King Qi thrust a finger at Wang Chong.
Buzz!
The men around Wang Chong paled. The area around the Imperial Palace gates was dimly lit by the torches on the walls, and with this light, they could see that the cavalry around them were all wearing the armor of the Imperial Army.
Just as King Qi had said, there were no Penal Court soldiers to be seen.
“This…”
Their faces further paled. There was no question now that this was a trap targeted at their liege.
King Qi had intentionally led his Penal Court soldiers in order to draw their attention and lure them into the Imperial Palace, and then he had his men put on the armor of the Imperial Army. Given the connection between King Qi and the First Prince, obtaining these suits of armor was as easy as flipping over a hand.
He had also waited until Wang Chong’s men were inside the palace to make his move, leaving them no avenue of escape.
“Hmph, Wang Chong, you’re finished!”
King Qi sneered at Wang Chong like he was a dead man.
The victor was king and the loser scorned, and the strong ate the weak! Today, he would come out the true victor!
Wang Chong had always underestimated him, but he had planned long and meticulously for this operation. From the moment Wang Chong had stepped into the palace, he had doomed himself and the entire Wang Clan!
“Come!”
King Qi raised an arm, preparing to again order the arrest of Wang Chong. At that moment, a youthful voice rang in his ears.
“King Qi, you have no evidence to support your allegations. You say that this king is plotting rebellion, but when have you ever seen someone attempting rebellion with ten-some people?”
Wang Chong finally began to speak.
“Moreover, weren’t you the first to charge in through the palace gates? Since you can come in through the gates to seize rebels, this king can naturally come on the Fifth Prince’s invitation to assist with this matter, and these soldiers are naturally my assistants.”
Wang Chong was very cool and collected. King Qi didn’t have the skill to construct this kind of trap, so there was no question that this was once more the handiwork of Hou Junji.
But if Hou Junji thought that this was enough to arrest him, he was just a little too naive!
“There’s nothing but words. You can say I’m attempting rebellion, and this king can naturally say the same about you. King Qi, regardless of what Hou Junji told you, this alone is a little lacking if you want to deal with me. After all, your reputation in society isn’t that good!”
Wang Chong’s last words were oozing with derision. It was quite a beautiful game Hou Junji and King Qi were trying to play, and they had even managed to have the soldiers change their armor very quickly, but Wang Chong was no King Qi. This alone was not enough to ruin him.
“Heh!”
King Qi softly chuckled as his horse trotted forward, his face clearly showing that he had expected this response.
“Wang Chong, did you really think bringing only ten-some men would work? This king knew that you would try this!”
King Qi looked at Wang Chong with eerie amusement in his eyes.
Suddenly, as everyone’s hearts thumped in ill foreboding, King Qi sat up straight and loudly spoke.
“Wang Chong, His Divine Majesty treated you kindly, but you harbored ill intentions, plotting rebellion, charging into the Imperial Palace at night, and even killing soldiers of the Imperial Army! Even if the First Prince could forgive you for this conduct, this king never will!”
King Qi pointed at Wang Chong, his face brimming with anger.
“What’s going on?”
No one knew what was happening. King Qi’s attitude had undergone a complete reversal. As everyone was still trying to parse what was going on…
Crack!
At this time, several hundred Imperial Army soldiers were part of the encirclement, taking up the southeast corner. But a moment later, sharp blades plunged through the chinks in their armor, stabbing them through the back and out the chest. Blood gushed out, dying their clothes red.
“How could it be like this?”
“Just what in the world happened?”
The several hundred Imperial Army soldiers couldn’t even speak, their eyes wide open in shock. They had come to help King Qi deal with Wang Chong, never imagining that the fatal blow would come from such an unexpected angle.
Thud! Thud! Thud! The sabers were extracted, and the stiffening bodies of the Imperial Army soldiers fell to the ground in pools of blood.
Even at the moment of their deaths, they still didn’t understand why King Qi had them killed.
Whoooah!
Even Wang Chong was taken aback by this sight, let alone others. He had never imagined that King Qi would be so vicious as to attack his own men.
“Wang Chong, do you dare say that there’s no evidence now? His Divine Majesty has treated your Wang Chong with such favor, but to think that your Wang Clan would harbor such ambitions and commit such acts! If this king had not come promptly, who knows what could have happened and how many soldiers of the Imperial Army would have been lost!”
King Qi shook his head and clicked his tongue, looking at Wang Chong with a disappointed look.
All was quiet. Several hundred Imperial Army soldiers had died in a flash, but King Qi’s men remained unperturbed and indifferent.
“Right, I forgot to tell you that these are all actual Imperial Army soldiers. You’ll be able to find their names on the Imperial Army registers if you investigate this later. Wang Chong, your death will not be an unjust one!”
As King Qi spoke, he rubbed his hands as if trying to wipe away nonexistent blood.
“What are you standing around for!? Arrest him!”
Rumble!
The cavalry delayed no more and began to charge at Wang Chong.
“Wang Chong, don’t try to resist. The First Prince’s men are already heading toward the Wang Clan and the Four Quarters Embassy. If you don’t want them to die, I suggest you submit!”
King Qi’s thunderous bellow resounded above the skies of the Imperial Palace.
Although King Qi already had control over the situation, he still greatly feared Wang Chong. In the border incident, Wang Chong had been able to fight evenly with Confucian Sect Leader Li Junxian, and even the Three Elders of the Northern Sea had been no match for him. Those events had left a deep impression on King Qi, and he wasn’t certain that Wang Chong couldn’t escape if he really wanted to.
“Is that so?”
As King Qi’s men were charging over, a clear and bright voice exploded in their ears.
Wang Chong stood tall and straight, aiming an eerie smile at King Qi.
A moment later, the inconceivable happened. Wang Chong’s body vanished like a bubble popping out of existence. The armor he was wearing, with nothing to support it, clattered to the ground.
“Not good!”
King Qi’s heart thumped and his face paled.
He had been watching Wang Chong this entire time, but he had never imagined this.
This could be considered a rather fast reaction, but he was still too slow.
Boom!
With a metallic boom, the heavy gates that had just been locked were pushed inward by a dreadful strength. As the gates flew open, a shockwave of energy scattered the cavalry near the gate.
Standing at the palace gates was a young figure wearing golden armor and seething with terrifying energy. He slowly walked in, followed behind by thousands of cavalry clad in bright armor.
Wang Chong?!
Everyone trembled in disbelief upon seeing that youth in golden armor slowly walk forward.
“What’s going on here?”
The development just now was simply beyond their ability to comprehend. The Wang Chong in front of them had vanished in the blink of an eye and then reappeared outside the palace.
“This is impossible?!”
King Qi felt like he had been struck by a hammer. Wang Chong had been so close, yet someone of his level of cultivation had failed to see that it had been an illusion!
“King Qi, you privately raised an army and intruded upon the Imperial Palace, even killing soldiers of the Imperial Army! How should you be punished?!”
Wang Chong’s every step seemed to weigh ten thousand jun, great waves of energy bursting from his body with every stomp.
Neeigh! Wang Chong’s aura caused numerous horses to whinny in fright and back away.
“Hmph!”
After taking a few steps, Wang Chong coldly snorted and snatched at the air with his palm. A crimson pearl the size of a thumb flew out of Wang Chong’s fallen suit of armor and into his hand.
The Energy Condensation Pearl!
When evil grew one foot, the righteous would grow ten. Hou Junji and King Qi had still underestimated Wang Chong. Their plan was to have King Qi bait Wang Chong into the palace, but unfortunately for them, Wang Chong had been ready with his Energy Condensation Pearl.
King Qi, Hou Junji, and the Three Elders of the Northern Sea were all peerless experts of powerful cultivation, and fooling them was no easy task. The Energy Condensation Pearl, however, was a powerful treasure that Wang Chong had obtained from the Origin Immortal Formation. Wang Chong had poured vast amounts of energy into this pearl, enough so that it was just as powerful as he was. When it was used in conjunction with his cloning art, the clone became indistinguishable from the real deal.