The Human Emperor
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The Human Emperor - Chapter 2264: Acquaintances at the Ends of the Extreme North!
Youzhou had only been spared from the cold wave due to a giant and nameless formation.
If Wang Chong had this formation removed, the alliance’s people would die, too late to regret.
“Relax!”
Wang Chong patted Zhangchou Jianqiong on the shoulder and gave a comforting smile.
“With me here, there won’t be any troublemakers. We’re just headed off to the extreme north, and it’s not like we’re not coming back. If they betray us, they have to consider what will happen once I get back.
“Moreover, in the future, the countries of the alliance will all be subjects of the Great Tang. Everything has its beginning. You’ll get used to it.”
Wang Chong wasn’t surprised by Zhangchou Jianqiong’s doubts. In truth, Zhangchou Jianqiong was also standing in for Zhang Shougui and Wang Zhongsi as well.
But as they were worried about what Wang Chong might think, they chose to have Zhangchou Jianqiong serve as their representative.
This continental war had dragged on for far too long. This was not a matter of one dynasty or one generation, but something that had been going on for several thousand years.
Such ancient grudges could not be resolved in a day and a night, or in a single war.
While Zhangchou Jianqiong was speaking about the extreme north and Youzhou, in reality, he was expressing the distrust and suspicion that had built up over thousands of years of war.
In fact, it was good that he was bringing it up now.
But Wang Chong would not change his mind. This was for the sake of the greater good, so that all the countries would slowly begin to come together.
In the face of a great crisis, all other grudges needed to be put down.
Moreover, after witnessing for themselves the power of those people and sensing the oncoming crisis, Wang Chong was sure that the countries of the alliance knew what they needed to do.
Besides the Great Tang, no other faction would come to their aid. Just as the Divine Works Elder had said, once that moment came, their civilization would be like froth on the ocean, completely vanishing from human history like those vanished civilizations before them.
After comforting Zhangchou Jianqiong, Wang Chong departed.
……
Several days went by.
Cold winds howled across the northern reaches of Youzhou, a blizzard engulfing the land.
Wang Chong’s original body, his three Divine Embryo clones, Zhangchou Jianqiong, Wang Zhongsi, Zhang Shougui, Bahram, Yeon Gaesomun, Ozmish Khagan, Tiechi Bileli, the Khitan King, the Xi Queen, and the martial arts experts from the various countries had all gathered here.
More than half of the elite experts of the continent had gathered here for this unprecedented operation.
They glanced at each other before ultimately looking toward Wang Chong.
Wang Chong said nothing, glancing back at Youzhou and the numerous buildings and tents that had been set up in its lands before turning away.
“Begin!”
As Wang Chong spoke, his three Divine Embryos swiftly placed their hands on his shoulders.
Buzz!
A moment later, a silvery light flowed out of his body and engulfed everyone present.
Wang Chong began to rapidly proceed toward the far north, bringing everyone within that stream of light.
Outside, the frigid winds wailed. Other than Youzhou, protected by the formation, everywhere else in the world was getting colder and colder.
But none of them noticed this, for the cold and wind were all kept out through Divine Embryo 3’s abilities.
Time was short, and the food in Youzhou was running out.
Wang Chong covered nearly one hundred li in the blink of an eye.
It wasn’t long before they reached the Eastern Turkic steppe. With another several hundred li, they would arrive at the Eastern Turkic pasture grounds of Chita.
As they looked at the frozen lands of Chita from within the barrier, Ozmish Khagan and Tiechi Bileli showed a rare tinge of sorrow.
In the past, these lands had been fertile and well watered, with millions of sheep and cattle freely roaming the pastures. And following the nearby river, one could hear the peaceful songs of the shepherds.
For these Eastern Turkic Khaganate, this place was the land of milk and honey, the origin of their civilization.
One could say that the prosperity of the Eastern Turks was linked to this place.
But now, nothing could be seen except rising hills, piles of snow, and the buried remnants of ancient towers and crushed tents.
That river that had nurtured countless livestock had long ago been buried under the ice and snow. Even Ozmish Khagan found it hard to tell where it had been.
The river had disappeared!
Chita had ceased to exist.
On the other end, Wang Chong could sense the sorrow of the Eastern Turks. Following Ozmish Khagan’s gaze, he also took in the frozen world beyond the barrier.
But in a flash, he drew back his gaze.
If they didn’t find a way to handle this cold wave, it wouldn’t be just the Eastern Turks who would be affected. What had happened to Chita would happen to many other places.
The entire world would become Chita!
“Let’s go!” Wang Chong indifferently said.
Past Chita and farther to the north was Lake Baikal.
The largest freshwater lake in the world had long ago been encased in ice.
With his Psychic Energy, Wang Chong could tell that Lake Baikal was basically a giant ice mountain weighing hundreds of millions of tons.
It was an extremely bizarre feeling.
In some respects, Lake Baikal had ceased to exist.
But this was not the only thing Wang Chong had noticed. In this place, the snowstorm had intensified, and the temperature was clearly much lower.
Wang Chong could see numerous crystalline icicles on the ground.
Wang Chong proceeded, not lingering here for long.
The howling of the wind intensified, like the wailing of countless ghosts, and the world was clothed in white, leaving behind no distinguishable landmarks.
With the snowstorm raging all around them, eyes no longer had any purpose. If not for Wang Chong constantly using Psychic Energy to guide all of them, they wouldn’t even know which way to go.
In the face of the vast powers of nature, even the strongest of martial artists was insignificant.
Tiechi Bileli turned to Ozmish Khagan and whispered, “Your Majesty, the King of Foreign Lands was right. If this cold wave is allowed to persist, the south will also turn out like this, and no one will be left alive. All the empires will collapse.”
The Eastern Turkic steppe and the areas to its south were covered with snow, and the temperature was extremely cold. Without the protection of Youzhou’s formation, everyone, even the elite cavalry, would have frozen to death.
But compared to the circumstances in this region, those conditions were nothing.
They simply weren’t on the same level.
Only when one was here in the thick of it would one feel true despair!
Part of the reason they had joined Wang Chong in this venture was that they had already submitted to the Great Tang and had no other choice.
But after seeing this extreme cold around them, their minds had changed.
If this cold wave were allowed to continue, what they were seeing here would happen to all the countries to the south. All civilizations would be destroyed, and no empire would be spared.
When the nest was overturned, no egg would escape intact!
Even without Wang Chong commanding them, they all felt a hint of urgency. No matter what, they had to stop this disaster.
With heavy hearts, they continued forward.
For the next ten-some days, nothing could be seen except white snow, and they felt infinite solitude and desolation. Zhangchou Jianqiong, Ozmish Khagan, and Yeon Gaesomun all became much quieter.
In this part of the world, they felt as if they had been abandoned. There was no one here except them.
Finally, the group arrived at the arctic forests.
The temperature here was so low that even the air had frozen.
Just when they believed that they would continue marching until they reached the ends of the extreme north, Wang Chong suddenly stopped.
“King of Foreign Lands, this is…?”
Ozmish Khagan and the other sovereigns turned to Wang Chong in surprise.
“We’re waiting for someone!” Wang Chong tersely replied.
“Waiting?”
In this snow-covered and dead world, Wang Chong was waiting for someone?
At the start, they didn’t notice anything, but they soon began to notice something strange. Several storms of energy appeared in their senses, and it seemed like their owners had noticed them and were rapidly approaching.
The atmosphere turned tense.
Basically every expert from the various countries that had the ability to get here was already here.
Moreover, Wang Chong said that he was waiting for someone, but he didn’t say whether this person was an enemy or a friend!
“Is it those men in black?”
Ozmish Khagan and Yeon Gaesomun shivered as their minds instinctively turned to those men in black.
The men in black had a higher chance of appearing in this place. After all, this was their territory.
Perhaps Wang Chong had sensed them, causing him to suddenly stop.
While all of them were worried and disconcerted, Wang Chong’s body rumbled with Stellar Energy, and that silver barrier swiftly moved to enclose those powerful energies approaching them.
Buzz!
In the blink of an eye, Wang Chong’s silver barrier had enclosed the two approaching figures.
“Prepare for battle!”
Tiechi Bileli’s face tightened.
Ozmish Khagan, Yeon Gaesomun, the Khitan King, the Xi Queen, and the various martial artists prepared to strike, their bodies tensing.
The two who had entered had tall and thin bodies, and the one at the front wore a black robe and appeared dignified and majestic, making him appear rather similar to the men in black.
Perhaps he was one!
But then Wang Chong’s voice exploded in their ears. “Master! Village Chief!”
“‘Master’?”
Hearing how Wang Chong referred to these two newcomers, everyone in the silver barrier was struck dumb.