Chapter 299: The Hostile Hu!
"But even so, we should still proceed warily," Dusong Mangpoje said.
This wasn't the first time he had been in the Central Plains. It had been around a decade since he was last here.
Back then, soldiers could be seen deployed all around Great Tang. It was just like a war machine, everyone who came here could see the functioning of this gigantic mechanism.
But the successive victories and a long period of peace had brought complacency to the citizens here. Make no mistake, Great Tang was still powerful, but Dusong Mangpoje could already see signs of decline.
This formed a stark contrast to Ü-Tsang, which was still growing by the day.
Without a doubt, the era for Ü-Tsang was swiftly approaching.
"What are you fearful of?" The First Prince's tone was hiked up a notch. "Dusong Mangpoje, it can't be that you have even lost the courage of the Dusong Clan? The reason why Ü-Tsang is able to stand its ground before Great Tang is due to our courageous warriors and the swords and arrows we wield, not because we have bowed down to them. Furthermore, we are here to see the true colors of Great Tang. If we don't make a bit of a ruckus, how could we possibly see through their facade? More importantly, we are envoys. Doesn't Great Tang take pride in its etiquette to foreign guests? Let's see if they dare to do anything to us!"
Dusong Mangpoje was rendered speechless by those words.
Even though he felt unnerved by the First Prince's order to maintain a high profile, he had to admit that there were some truth to the latter's words.
All that came to Ü-Tsang, and this was including envoys as well, had to proceed carefully and maintain a low profile. This was the same for the East and West Turkic Khaganates, Abbasid Caliphate, and Charax Spasinu as well.
Great Tang was the only exception.
Here, envoys held unparalleled standing. In fact, Great Tang even established an organization known as the “Chamberlain of Dependencies” to punish those who dared to offend foreign envoys.
And this time, they were invited here by the Chamberlain of Dependencies!
"Alright, we'll only be in Great Tang for two to three months anyway. I'll follow the First Prince's orders," Dusong Mangpoje replied.
"That's more like it! This time, I would like to see what kind of figures are hidden within Great Tang!" The First Prince burst into laughter as his steed galloped forth.
Everyone hurriedly followed along.
------
Kunwu Training Camp, White Tiger Peak...
Weng!
Origin Energy surged in from the surroundings. Seated on the ground, a layer of white mist forged of Origin Energy shrouded Wang Chong's figure.
Even though this wasn't the main hall of Kunwu Training Camp or a Spirit Gathering Formation, the concentration of Origin Energy around Wang Chong was astonishing, surpassing that even of a Spirit Gathering Formation.
This was the effect of the Gold Organs.
Wang Chong's intimacy with Origin Energy far surpassed anyone in Kunwu Training Camp, and this gave him the ability to draw Origin Energy from the surroundings freely.
In just a few short moments, the Origin Energy within a radius of several zhang was sapped dry.
However, more Origin Energy automatically collapsed into the void.
Origin Energy obeyed the laws of diffusion, and it was constantly moving from a heavily concentrated region to a less concentrated one.
In other words, the area around Wang Chong was like a black hole, pulling in Origin Energy from the surroundings to him constantly.
This effect of the Gold Organs allowed him to continuously absorb Origin Energy from his surroundings without worry.
Even though it hadn't been long since he had redeemed the Gold Organs, he had already benefited greatly from it.
Weng!
Within the dense white mist, a white glowing ripple around Wang Chong's body was continuously expanding and contracting in a cycle...
Every cycle was accompanied with a metallic call, and Wang Chong would also grow stronger by a little.
The white ripples were the strongest ability an Origin Energy cultivator could wield, as well as the fundamental form of a halo.
Once one's cultivation reached the pinnacle of the Origin Energy realm, every single blow that one executed could be imbued with this destructive ripple, significantly enhancing one’s might.
During this period of time, Wang Chong focused all of his attention on the True Martial Little Dipper to forge Stellar Energy and nourish his white ripples, forcefully strengthening them.
Wang Chong's Might of Barbaric God had also reached 9-dan, allowing him to display a might over three times greater than an average Origin Energy realm 9-dan cultivator. He was already nearing the strength of a True Martial realm 1-dan cultivator!
Weng!
After a period of time, Wang Chong's aura had reached its peak, and a bright glow suddenly flashed. In the next instant, Wang Chong had disappeared from his spot.
Peng peng peng peng!
Eight consecutive explosions sounded in the surroundings. Eight clear fist imprints appeared at the east, west, south, north, northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest of the room.
And at the same moment as the appearance of these eight fist imprints, there was another flash of light, and Wang Chong's body reappeared in the center of the room.
"One, two, three, four, five, six... There are a total of eight fists. To be able to strike eight fists in a single movement, I can finally cultivate the Eight Steps of the Furious Flood Dragon!"
Dressed in a green robe, Wang Chong stood upright in the middle of the room as he glanced at the clear imprints around him with a relieved expression.
In this period of time, he hadn't just been aimlessly forging his Stellar Energy using the Gold Organs and True Martial Small Dipper.
With his Phantom Steps reaching its peak, and the massive improvement in his cultivation, Wang Chong could finally cultivate another powerful secret art, the Eight Steps of the Furious Flood Dragon.
This was a one-time use secret art.
It allowed him to expend the entirety of his Origin Energy to display a fighting prowess far beyond him in a single strike to destroy his opponent.
This was a technique designed to defeat opponents far beyond one's class.
If even the activation of the Eight Steps of the Furious Flood Dragon couldn't allow one to defeat one's opponent, then it could be said that one didn't stand a chance against one's opponent in the first place.
Da da da!
Just as Wang Chong was recuperating, the sound of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside.
"Hm?"
Frowning, Wang Chong glanced at the door, and through the small gap in between, he could see a familiar figure rushing up the mountain, toward his room.
"Gongzi, something bad has happened!..." Before Xu Qi even reached his room, he began shouting in panic. Wang Chong's face immediately darkened.
In the time he had known Xu Qi, this was the first time he had seen the latter getting so anxious.
"What's wrong?" Wang Chong immediately asked after opening the door.
"Gongzi, something happened! Someone severely injured Chen Burang, and when Gao Feng and Nie Yan sent someone to help him, they ended up being surrounded as well. Even Zhuang Zhengping and Chi Weisi weren't spared!" Xu Qi immediately spoke of the matter anxiously.
"What?!" Wang Chong's face twisted in astonishment.
"How did this happen? How did you get into conflict with them?"
This was the first time something like this had happened in Kunwu Training Camp.
"We weren't the ones who provoked them, they were the ones who came charging at us. Chen Burang was in the midst of cultivating when a group of people suddenly barged in to chase him out. Indignant, Chen Burang tried to reason with them, but the other party got violent instead. Gao Feng and Nie Yan were in the area, so they rushed forward to help. However, the other party seemed to be prepared, and a larger group of people suddenly came swarming over, and they injured them. I think that someone is trying to deal with us..."
Before Xu Qi could finish his words, Wang Chong had already interrupted him.
"Bring me over!"
------
On the main peak of Kunwu Training Camp, a large group of people was gathered.
When Wang Chong arrived under Xu Qi's lead, he saw two groups of men facing off with one another. One group was clearly larger than the other, and they were currently surrounding the other group with a playful look on their faces.
"Hu!"
When Wang Chong took a closer look at the two groups, he was immediately stunned. The group with more people had high-bridged noses and deep eyes, distinctive traits of the Hu.
Xu Qi only mentioned that Chen Burang was injured, but he didn't say that the ones whom he got into a fight with were Hu.
"Right, gongzi. I forgot to tell you, but those who beat up Chen Burang were Hu." Xu Qi also only recalled this matter now, and he hurriedly added it in.
Are they doing this because of me?
A sliver of doubt rose in Wang Chong's mind. He recalled Xu Qi saying that the other party seemed to have come prepared.
Chen Burang came from a humble background, so there was no reason for anyone to kick up such a huge fuss just to deal with him. The only plausible target was Wang Chong!
After the regional commanders incident, Wang Chong had become the enemy of all Hu.
Just the incident itself was sufficient reason for the Hu in the training camp to deal with him.
But when Wang Chong saw Chen Burang amidst the crowd, his face turned livid. Fury surged through his body, and a blaze raged in his heart.
Chen Burang was currently lying on the floor, his face disfigured with swelling. His clothes and the ground were crimson with his blood.
Zhaung Zhengping, Chi Wei, Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and a few others were standing around him, glaring at the Hu. But even so, every single one of them was wounded.
"Bastards!" Upon seeing this sight, Wang Chong immediately burst into anger.
Chen Burang had come from a family of hunters, making him adept in the bow. But as he had focused most of his attention on refining his archery, his close combat skills were average.
Xu Qi was right. Those people had started from the easiest target of them all, it was clear that they had come prepared!
With a livid face, Wang Chong began walking over.
"Hm? Who allowed you to come here-"
Upon seeing Wang Chong and Xu Qi, a Hu immediately stepped in front of him, blocking his passage.
"Scram!" Killing intent burst from Wang Chong's cold eyes, and in an instant, the rowdy group fell silent.
Many eyes fell upon Wang Chong and Xu Qi. When they saw Wang Chong's frosty eyes, they couldn't help but feel a shiver deep in their souls.
"Hmph, and I thought who would it be. So the leader of our show is here! Asiluo, don't you recognize even Wang gongzi? Let him in!"
Suddenly, a derisive voice sounded, and in the middle of the group of Hu, a Hu young man sneered coldly. He turned to meet Wang Chong's eyes with a gaze as sharp as a sword.