Chapter 454: Zhang Shougui's Absolute Power!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
"Brat, you're acting too impudent!"
Zhang Shougui's originally calm eyes suddenly exploded with cold light.
The Youzhou soldiers around him were all transfixed, dumbfounded by Wang Chong's actions. In the northeast, there was no one left who would dare to speak to their commander like this.
Wang Chong was speaking about farmers, but he was actually talking about their commander.
He started by criticizing the commander as obstinate and headstrong, and now he was saying 'Commander can also make mistakes'. There was probably no one in the world besides this boy that would dare to say such things to their commander.
They could bring themselves to understand this conduct if he didn't know who their commander was. But since he clearly knew who he was talking to, he was being audacious to the extreme.
"This boy… he really did say it!"
At this moment, even Cui Qianyou and Tian Qianzhen were staring with eyes wide, like they were seeing this boy for the first time.
"…At the start, I hadn't intended to do anything to you for the sake of your father and grandfather. But it appears to me that if I don't give you a small lesson, you truly won't know how high the heavens are!"
Zhang Shougui's face gave off an intimidating aura. Wang Chong's actions had already touched his taboos.
His sleeve began to flap as Zhang Shougui extended a powerful veiny palm out. His fingers lightly came together, like he was snatching at the distant Wang Chong. Rumble! Golden light shot forward, stirring massive gales. A massive attractive force seemed to envelop Wang Chong and began to lift him up like a kite from the ground toward Zhang Shougui's hand.
"Not good!"
Wang Chong was astonished. He knew that his foundation was deep and far surpassed the ordinary person, and his cultivation was also rock-solid. Yet it was all naught before Zhang Shougui. He was as powerless as an ant.
When those five fingers pulled, Wang Chong felt like the air around him had become a mighty wave, pushing him forward like he was duckweed.
"Quickly, save Young Master!"
"Not good!"
……
Elder Ye and Elder Zhao both paled with fright. From Zhang Shougui's face, they could tell that he had been enraged. And the pair had heard rumors about how this Imperial Andong Protector-General did things.
If the young master fell into his hands, he would definitely not have a good end!
In the furious gale, Elder Ye and Elder Zhao stretched out their wide palms, one on the left and one on the right. With their close distance to Wang Chong, they were just barely able to catch onto his ankles as he flew forward, pulling him to a stop in the air.
"Release him!"
At almost the same time, the sky roared with dragons. Li Siye gripped the giant Wootz Steel saber on his back and sent a majestic white saber energy into the sky.
This saber cut through the void, cut through the dark clouds, and cut through the infinite starry sky.
Rumble! Li Siye's attack stretched several dozen zhang high before transforming into a furious storm of energy that caused the heavens to change color as it slashed down at Zhang Shougui.
"A good saber move!"
A sharp light flashed in Zhang Shougui's eyes. Even he couldn't help but be surprised at the beauty of Li Siye's saber technique.
"…But your cultivation is too low. It's still not enough!"
Zhang Shougui continued to stand at his spot as he pushed forward with his right hand. Ten zhang away from Zhang Shougui, a golden palm as large as a mountain towered into the air, spanning across space.
Boom! Li Siye's saber energy descended from the sky and crashed into the giant palm. It was like crashing into a mountain. His attack had been completely stopped.
Not only that, the golden palm's counterstrike shook Li Siye's invincible storm of saber energy into pieces.
"This—"
Li Siye felt stifled, his eyes opening wide. This saber attack had consisted of all his energy. It was his strongest attack. On his lone excursion to the northwest, this attack had even managed to kill Black Dragon Zhao.
But Zhang Shougui had given a casual push and dashed it to pieces.
Before Li Siye could think about much more, that golden palm suddenly transformed into a storm of Stellar Energy that crashed against Li Siye.
"Aaahh!"
With a yell, Li Siye was sent flying.
Li Siye was far from his peak. It was not surprising that the future Invincible Great General was no match for a current authority of the empire.
"Now it's your turn!"
A callous voice rang out over the crowd. No one knew when that Imperial Protector-General had vanished. The crowd only knew that when he next appeared, he was only a few zhang from Elder Ye and Elder Zhao.
Boom!
A most gentle and warm flow of air suddenly transformed into the most intense storm. One a half step into the Imperial Martial realm and one at the peak of the Profound Martial realm, Elder Ye and Elder Zhao were both generals subordinate to Wang Chong's grandfather on the northern expedition, but against Zhang Shougui at his zenith, they instantly gave wretched screams. The powerful streams of energy exploding out of Zhang Shougui's body sent them flying together with Wang Chong.
During this entire process, Zhang Shougui had held his hands behind him, making no obvious moves!
Every generation would have its own mark!
In the generation of Wang Chong's grandfather, Zhang Shougui was just some obscure soldier, but Duke Jiu had now retired. This was the generation of 'Wang Zhongsi' and 'Zhang Shougui'!
And while Wang Zhongsi was modest and stood apart from worldly affairs, Zhang Shougui, who was beneath him in status, had become the most influential Han general in the Great Tang Empire, and also the most powerful of all the Imperial Great Generals!
The authority Zhang Shougui wielded in the empire was unparalleled!
All he lacked was probably the merit of enthroning an Emperor and the most senior of statuses.
This was also why he always had to lower his head to Wang Chong's grandfather and the Yao Clan Old Master in the Imperial Court.
Zhang Shougui's face was cold and emotionless. He had easily sent Elder Ye and Elder Zhao flying, and now raised a palm to snatch Wang Chong out of the air.
"Brat, it's your turn!"
With an icy expression, Zhang Shougui once more closed his five fingers to capture Wang Chong.
Stellar Energy pathways and Yinyang pathways, a body that could be both hard and soft—an Imperial Great General like Zhang Shougui had already cultivated his body to perfection.
Sending Li Siye, and elders Ye and Zhao, flying was just a warm-up for him. He had not even used any actual skills.
Bang!
To his surprise, Zhang Shougui's five fingers caught nothing. The figure before him blurred as Wang Chong vanished from sight.
"This is… Wave-drifting Carp!"
As Zhang Shougui watched that figure escape the bounds of his attractive energy, his expression flickered. For the first time, his eyes betrayed a hint of surprise.
'Wave-drifting Carp' was not a martial art, but a type of skill.
When a warrior with lower cultivation ran into one with higher cultivation, they would find it very difficult to escape, but the Wave-drifting Carp changed things. A carp swam along with the waves, swimming up and down. It followed the current, so it could swim freely, regardless of how large the waves were.
More importantly, the carp was not affected by the waves as it drifted along them. It had complete control, was unrestrained. It could even make a leap, breaking through the surface of the water and over the waves, completely escaping the torrent.
'Wave-drifting Carp' was this sort of skill.
If one could not resist the attractive pull of one's opponent, then one should flow along the stream of Stellar Energy and ultimately jump out. And at a higher level, this skill wasn't only restricted to escape.
When high-tier experts were fighting, one could use this skill to follow the flow of an opponent's Stellar Energy, find the laws within them and then exploit them to deal the opponent a crippling blow.
In the world of martial arts, a weaker opponent using this skill to defend against a stronger opponent existed only in theory. It actually saw more use amongst warriors at the same level.
But for both the former and the latter, this skill had extremely high requirements. One not only needed to have a grasp of the flow, attributes, and changes in an opponent's Stellar Energy, they also needed to find the openings in the opponent's Stellar Energy and have a very high cultivation.
If the opponent was on the same level, there was a tiny possibility, but Wang Chong was just an insignificant True Martial realm expert. He hadn't even reached the Profound Martial realm.
It was basically impossible for him to use the Wave-drifting Carp.
And to use it when the gap between opponents was as vast as heaven and earth, that was inconceivable!
"Brat, get down here!"
Zhang Shougui's expression chilled as his anger boiled up.
But before he could move, a shout tore through the sky.
"Everyone, ignore me! Kill An Yaluoshan!"
Zhang Shougui was stubborn in his ways and wouldn't listen to reason. The only thing Wang Chong care about now was An Yaluoshan!
Zhang Shougui thought that catching him would end this operation, but he was wrong. As long as he could kill An Yaluoshan, Wang Chong didn't care what price he had to pay, even if the price was himself!
Wang Chong would not easily let this chance go, no matter who showed up.
"Elder Zhang, Uncle Huang, don't worry about me. Kill him!"
Wang Chong's voice resounded through the heavens!
His sharp voice was like a message that set the people around him into motion. None of them had any intention of dealing with the Protector-General.
But there was also no doubt that none of them hoped to see Wang Chong die here or be taken away by Zhang Shougui.
The Andong Protector-General did not exactly have a sterling reputation.