Chapter 2010 - Turn the Fake into Real, and Make a False Accusation!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
With only one ritual tool left, An Yaluoshan was in dire straits. It was only a matter of time until the third ritual tool shattered and he would have nothing left to defend himself.
“Cui Qianyou, what’s the situation?” Gao Shang suddenly said, his expression grave and his mind in turmoil.
Although his cultivation level was too low for him to make out the situation with the dust and debris obscuring everything, Gao Shang could still use his divination arts to see the situation of An Yaluoshan’s star.
Before this, An Yaluoshan’s star had been getting stronger and stronger, growing thicker and thicker with Dragon Qi. But just a moment ago, An Yaluoshan’s star had suddenly begun to dim. And most strangely, its Dragon Qi also began to weaken. Gao Shang couldn’t help but be extremely concerned.
“Not good! His Excellency is being completely suppressed!” Cui Qianyou solemnly said as he stared ahead.
Even though the two were engulfed by dust and debris, a Great General like Cui Qianyou could still sense many things.
“Have His Excellency end the battle at once. Even if he loses, it doesn’t matter!” Gao Shang said, his heart heavy.
“Ah?!”
Cui Qianyou was stunned. A second ago, Gao Shang had still wanted An Yaluoshan to persist, but now, he was urging him to end the battle, even concede. The contrast was just too great.
“Okay!”
Though he was confused, Cui Qianyou immediately adopted Gao Shang’s proposal.
“Your Excellency, withdraw!”
Cui Qianyou sent out a stream of Psychic Energy, condensed to the maximum, that carried a message into An Yaluoshan’s mind.
Boom!
Cui Qianyou’s Psychic Energy was far inferior to Wang Chong’s, but the ripples from his Psychic Energy still drew An Yaluoshan’s attention.
An Yaluoshan briefly glanced in Gao Shang and Cui Qianyou’s direction. Stellar Energy was howling around him, basically deafening his ears to their words, but An Yaluoshan could understand what they were saying by watching their mouths.
A moment ago, An Yaluoshan had been drowned in fury over the loss of his ritual tools, but he now immediately calmed down, a cunning and savage light in his eyes.
“Ah!”
An Yaluoshan suddenly howled, frightening all the officials and foreign dignitaries in the Pavilion of Petal and Sepal.
“King of Foreign Lands, what are you doing?!”
It was a harsh and bitter cry, brimming with indignation.
Bang!
Without the slightest hesitation, An Yaluoshan detonated the last black ring, instantly causing a fierce explosion of energy.
The Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art had made An Yaluoshan incapable of escaping Wang Chong’s grip, but with the power of the explosion, he was finally able to escape.
Not only that, before Wang Chong could attack, An Yaluoshan flew backward like a ragdoll, like someone had given him a vicious slap.
Fwoosh!
An Yaluoshan’s dantian ‘exploded’, and he immediately vomited blood, putting himself into a miserable condition.
As Wang Chong saw this all, his eyes coldly gleamed.
“Hmph, trying some scheme?! This king will fulfill your wish!”
He was well aware that An Yaluoshan was trying to frame him, but rather than retreating to avoid suspicion, he pursued, harnessing all his Stellar Energy as he thrust a palm at An Yaluoshan’s chest.
“Ah!!”
A terrible scream tore through the air, and An Yaluoshan no longer needed to pretend. He received the full force of Wang Chong’s palm and slammed into the ground. The white jade tiles were blasted apart, leaving a deep, human-shaped impression on the ground.
“Lord Protector-General!”
On the left side of the pavilion’s ‘U’, Cui Qianyou, Tian Chengsi, Gao Shang, and Yan Zhuang were both shocked and enraged, their eyes turning red.
Cui Qianyou and Tian Chengsi, the strongest of the group, were so angry that they turned their tables over in haste to rush to An Yaluoshan.
Their plan was to have An Yaluoshan fake an injury in front of the Sage Emperor at the final moment and then assign all the blame to Wang Chong.
They had not expected Wang Chong to be so audacious as to go with the flow and heavily injure An Yaluoshan without the slightest fear.
“King of Foreign Lands!!!”
As the gale died down and the dust settled, all the officials and foreign dignitaries bolted to their feet, expressions of shock on their faces.
Dances and performances were all well and good.
But if one suddenly struck too heavily, or even used the opportunity to heavily injure the other party, everything changed!
“King of Foreign Lands, what is this about?”
The officials turned to Wang Chong.
The Sage Emperor was present, and An Yaluoshan was a meritorious official of the Great Tang who had defeated Yeon Gaesomun and the Goguryeo Empire. Wang Chong had heavily injured him in full view of the crowd, and though Wang Chong was from a renowned clan and was himself a meritorious official, not even he might be able to endure the fury of the Sage Emperor.
Moreover, Wang Chong was currently the number one man in the military. If this matter were handled poorly, he would be accused of being jealous and suppressing other talents of the empire.
Wang Chong’s career would be over!
“Your Majesty, save me…”
An Yaluoshan seized this chance and bitterly screamed.
But inwardly, he was enraged!
Wang Chong, this bastard! An Yaluoshan had detonated his ritual tool and exploded his dantian to fake heavy injuries, but after taking Wang Chong’s palm, his fake injuries had turned into real ones.
What vexed him the most was that Wang Chong dared to commit murder in essentially broad daylight without the slightest fear.
Bastard! I won’t spare you!
An Yaluoshan gnashed his teeth. Whether it was a real injury or fake injury, since Wang Chong dared to attack him, he was done for!
He would never forgive him!
But before he could finish speaking, a thunderous bellow erupted through the Pavilion of Petal and Sepal.
“An Yaluoshan, such audacity! While performing for the Sage Emperor, you dared to secretly bring powerful ritual tools! Are you plotting rebellion, conspiring to harm His Divine Majesty?!”
The roar was so infused with wrath that the very ground trembled.
The tattered An Yaluoshan had just been preparing to accuse Wang Chong, but when he heard this roar, his heart shivered and he was rendered speechless.
An Yaluoshan turned to the voice and saw Wang Chong standing several dozen feet away, his eyes cold and his robes flapping in the wind. He appeared like a wrathful god, one hand held behind his back, his other hand thrust forward, holding up a pile of black shards. This was clearly the black ring he had detonated.
Whoosh!
The uproar in the hall instantly died down.
An Yaluoshan felt stifled and could barely manage a word in his defense.
“An Yaluoshan, in today’s feast at the Pavilion of Petal and Sepal, the officials have gathered together with the foreign dignitaries from all countries, a meeting of peace. You performed the Hu whirling dance for His Divine Majesty, so the waist drum and knife should have been enough. For what reason did you bring three powerful ritual tools? This king is the Nine Provinces Protector-General and saw your ill intentions and intent to harm His Majesty, and so came forward to stop you!
“Such a conniving and treacherous person cannot be allowed to remain! Someone, arrest him at once!”
Wang Chong’s face radiated rage and majesty.
“Bastard!”
An Yaluoshan was still vomiting blood on the floor in anger and shock. He was so angry that his injuries actually worsened, causing him to vomit blood again.
Before he could even accuse Wang Chong, Wang Chong had turned around and made his own sham accusation. He felt like exploding from rage.
“Your Majesty, I wasn’t! Truly!”
An Yaluoshan waved his hands.
With so many people watching, how could he possibly attempt to assassinate the Sage Emperor?
The three black rings were meant to defend himself against Wang Chong. But how could he explain this to the Sage Emperor and the officials?
Would he have to claim that he had been wary of Wang Chong from the very beginning, so had been wearing the three rings from the start?
But who would believe him?!
“King of Foreign Lands, you’re committing slander!”
“Your Majesty, there was nothing of the sort!”
Cui Qianyou and Tian Chengsi angrily glared at Wang Chong as they shouted.
“And who are you two? Do you have the right to speak in front of His Majesty?” Wang Chong coldly said.
On the right side of the ‘U’, Xu Qiqin was barely managing to suppress her laughter.
An Yaluoshan was far too naive, trying to frame Wang Chong!
Did he really think that the mighty War God of the Great Tang had gotten where he was purely through brute force?
Trying to frame Wang Chong was simply self-punishment!
Several Golden Guards who did not understand the situation instinctively followed Wang Chong’s order and walked over, but at this moment, a majestic voice spoke.
“Withdraw!
“An Yaluoshan is a meritorious official of the Great Tang. How could he harbor ill intentions against Us? Wang Chong, you are getting far too agitated over such a minor matter!” the ‘Sage Emperor’ finally said.
“Your Majesty!”
Everyone lowered their heads upon hearing the Sage Emperor speak.
Wang Chong glanced over, his heart turning cold.
With these words, the Sage Emperor was clearly favoring An Yaluoshan, even covering for him.
Crucially, a sovereign did not speak lightly. Since the Sage Emperor had spoken, any evidence he had was pointless.
“An Yaluoshan, thank you for your trouble!”
The ‘Sage Emperor’ slowly rose, his voice devoid of emotion.
“Although the King of Foreign Lands had good intentions, it is clear that he has treated you unjustly. Li Jinchao!”
“The old slave is here!”
The silver-haired old eunuch at his side respectfully lowered his head.
“Bestow a Nine Revolutions Jade Marrow Pill!” the ‘Sage Emperor’ declared.
“This old slave will obey!” the old eunuch hastily replied.
On the floor, An Yaluoshan was delighted to hear these words.
