Chapter 953 - Danger, Behemoths Strike!
Chapter 953: Danger, Behemoths Strike!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The Behemoths were extremely strong, and anyone without outstanding agility and reaction time could not even think about approaching them. Those who carelessly approached would end up dead or horribly maimed. The only soldiers in the entire army capable of doing battle with these beings were the Wushang Cavalry, trained by their life in the mountains to be as flexible and nimble as apes.
Moreover, Wang Chong could only use the Godking Yama Formation by borrowing the strength of the five thousand Wushang Cavalry, so he needed them to sortie with him.
The moment Wang Chong galloped forth, the five thousand Wushang Cavalry followed close behind, dragging out a massive cloud of dust behind them as they fearlessly rode toward the hippo-shaped Behemoth.
After accompanying Wang Chong on multiple campaigns, the Wushang Cavalry were now an extremely determined and powerful fighting force. Regardless of the danger they faced, they would never retreat.
“Protector-General Wang!”
Cheng Qianli, Gao Xianzhi, and the others were all alarmed by this sight. No one had expected Wang Chong to make this decision, to take on one Behemoth all by himself.
The Arabian Behemoths were dreadful beings. The combined might of four of their strongest generals had not been enough to stop the charge of the rhino-shaped Behemoth, and now Wang Chong was riding off alone to deal with an even stronger Behemoth.
Cheng Qianli worriedly turned to his commander. “Lord Protector-General, we have to call Wang Chong back. This is too dangerous! No one can deal with one of these massive beasts alone. He’ll die!”
“There’s no need!”
Wang Yan suddenly spoke, walking up from the rear.
“The battlefield has always been a dangerous place rife with death. A general must be capable of understanding that every kind of situation is possible, including death. Chong-er is not a rash and impulsive person. I believe in him, and he must have a reason for doing this. We should be more focused on how we should deal with the other beast.”
Wang Yan turned to the boar-shaped Behemoth, which was already close to the city walls.
Gao Xianzhi gave a deep sigh and sternly declared, “That’s all we can do!”
Talas was extremely important, their final stronghold. The defense lines could fall, but not Talas. No matter what, they had to stop the Behemoth.
“Cheng Qianli, Xi Yuanqing, everyone, come with me!”
Gao Xianzhi patted his warhorse and galloped off toward the boar-shaped Behemoth.
“The Great General has given his orders. Follow me!”
At almost the same moment, Wang Yan somberly gave his own order. Rumble! The earth shook as tens of thousands of infantry began to march out from the first defense line, the clanging and clattering of their army resounding through the earth.
The moment Wang Yan’s infantry began to move, the air became saturated with tension. As all the soldiers looked forward, their breathing became extremely rapid and ragged.
“Too terrifying… Other than the Protector-Generals, no one can stop these monsters.”
“I hope that the Protector-Generals can stop them. Otherwise, we’re all dead!”
“They’ll win, they’ll definitely win. Please!”
All of them gripped their weapons in nervous tension, pale with fear. Their strength was insignificant; their fates were truly tied to the four generals.
Bang!
The steel walls arrayed along the first defense line were constantly clattering, the shaking growing only more intense as time went on. Rooooar! A wave of air smashed into the walls, so forceful that one of the steel walls toppled to the ground from the pressure, crashing with a metallic clang.
The two Behemoths were now less than two thousand zhang from the defense lines!
“Look over there!”
The figures on the walls of Talas pointed into the distance, shouting in alarm. As expected, the first to arrive was not the hippo-shaped Behemoth, but the enormous black boar. From the tall walls of Talas, one could see the vast trail of dust, several thousand zhang long, that it had left in its wake.
The vicious form of the Behemoth was faintly visible in the dust, its two scarlet eyes locked onto Talas, brimming with a desire to crush and destroy. A mere glance from its eyes was numbing, causing one to feel a fear that came from the deepest depths of their soul.
Two thousand zhang!
Fifteen hundred zhang!
One thousand zhang!
The black boar was far faster than expected, covering a distance of nearly one thousand zhang in the blink of an eye. The Behemoth was stirring up a massive gale as it snorted and howled, rushing ever closer to the walls of Talas.
“Up!”
A thunderous bellow cut through the plains. Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, and Wang Yan had arrived, each of them wielding the power of an Imperial Great General.
“Six Ultimate Majesties God Technique!”
“Supreme Desolation God Formation!”
“Mighty Miracle God Formation!”
Two enormous gods rose out of the earth, throwing their huge fists at the boar-shaped Behemoth as they worked in conjunction with Gao Xianzhi, who was using the Six Ultimate Majesties God Technique.
“Great Fire Crow Art!”
At almost the same moment, a fierce flame more dazzling than the sun shot out of the earth, transforming into a golden crow with a wingspan of twenty-some zhang. Its body seething with black smoke, it smashed into the Behemoth.
The Brigadier General–level Ferghanan leader Banahan had also arrived from the rear.
Awooooo!
The black boar raised its head and howled in pain. Surprisingly, however, the Behemoth did not stay to fight. It ignored the attacks of the three Great Generals and one Brigadier General, and charged toward Talas.
“What!”
This sight left everyone in consternation. They hoped that they could delay the beast through battle, but the Behemoth’s reaction had caught them completely off guard. Moreover, through their attacks, Gao Xianzhi and the others had realized that this Behemoth was completely different from the rhino-shaped Behemoth.
Its hide was even thicker, denser, tougher, and harder to pierce. Moreover, the black bristles sprouting from its body seemed to possess a unique power, neutralizing a part of their attacks.
“Stop it!”
There was no time to ponder such trivialities. Everyone’s minds were on edge as they chased after the boar Behemoth, but it was too late.
Boom!
Like an asteroid crashing into a planet, the boar plowed into the thick western wall of Talas as if it were a battering ram. Booooom! The earth buzzed, cracks ran through it, and dust gushed out from them, transforming the world into a sea of dust.
The towering walls of Talas trembled, swaying from the base to the top so fiercely that they seemed on the verge of collapse. Countless bits of gravel and debris rained down from the walls.
“Ah!”
Cries of shock could be heard from the walls as fear spread infectiously through the city. Other than mercenaries, Wang Chong had brought along many shepherds and herdsmen. They were the ones who had driven over the cows and sheep vital for supplying the army. The attack of the Behemoth was their worst nightmare.
But before they could react, the black boar had once more smashed against the walls of Talas.
“It’s not right!”
The first to respond was the spectating Duwu Sili, his brow deeply furrowed as he stared at Talas.
“What’s going on? This Arabian Behemoth is so enormous and powerful that not even four Great Generals could stop it. How could the walls of Talas stand firm against a full charge from it?!”
Although the distant walls were trembling and seemed on the verge of collapse, what Duwu Sili wanted to see the most was the walls being obliterated under the charge of the beast. He was quite astonished to see the walls of Talas stand tall against this Behemoth’s charge.
“It’s not that simple!”
Dalun Ruozan’s assured voice came from the side, his scholarly and refined face showing little surprise.
“The city of Talas was established several hundred years ago. At the time, Talas was a wilderness, and the nearby Western Regions was fraught with war. When building the city, the Lord of Talas was already thinking about the problem of being besieged, so he set up an enormous ‘Myriad Rakshasa1 Earthen Stronghold Formation’. The construction took twenty-some years and the work of seven to eight hundred thousand people. The goal was to build a city on the Silk Road that would never fall, that could fend off any disaster.
“Moreover, the Myriad Rakshasa Earthen Stronghold Formation is itself an extremely formidable Earth element formation, and the walls of Talas are constructed from large blocks of stone. The power of the Earth element makes it so that the walls of Talas are like a single piece. Breaking them is no easy task. This is also why the Arabs did not use Earth element warriors to attack the city,” Dalun Ruozan said.
“Why have I never heard of this ‘Myriad Rakshasa Earthen Stronghold Formation’?”
Duwu Sili narrowed his eyes, a look of incredulity on his face.
Dalun Ruozan lightly waved his sleeve and replied, “Haha, this matter was recorded in the ‘Records of the City of Talas’, written more than one hundred years ago. I managed to unintentionally get my hands on a copy. The Emperor of Arabia enjoys collecting books, so he probably has a copy as well. Not many people know about this matter, but there’s no doubting its truth.”
He had always enjoyed reading books, and he collected not merely the histories and philosophical texts of the Great Tang, but those of the Western Regions and other countries as well.
The Battle of Talas was of utmost importance, so how could he possibly neglect his homework and not gather any information on it?
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1.Rakshasas are demons in Buddhist and Hindu mythology who like to dine on human flesh.↩