The Records of the Human Emperor

Chapter 1146: The Death of Qutaybah (IV)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

"Illusion!"

Qutaybah instantly understood what had happened, his face twisting into a grimace. At his level of cultivation, ordinary illusions were just tricks that were incapable of fooling his eyes, let alone deceiving him. But Wang Chong's illusions were a mixture of truth and fiction, and even his perception had been fooled. These were clearly not ordinary illusions.

Boom!

With no time to think, Qutaybah unleashed a destructive explosion of golden light from his back, which transformed into an enormous shard of armor to protect him.

Boom! Wang Chong's Wootz Steel sword was capable of slicing through finely-tempered steel like mud, but it wasn't able to advance a single inch through this armor formed from Subtle energy.

Boom! Boom! Boom! In a set of consecutive explosions, not only did Wang Chong fail to injure Qutaybah, but he was also pushed back several dozen steps by explosive shockwaves.

"Chong-er, be careful! He's getting a better understanding of the Subtle realm's energy. If he's given more time, he'll be impossible to fight against. Think about the origin of energy that your master spoke with you about. He's only just comprehended the Subtle realm's energy and can't comprehend the world of energy. Think of a way to cut off his connection to the source."

The Demonic Emperor Old Man's came out of the distance. His eyes were cold, his expression grim.

Although his severe injuries prevented him from interfering in Wang Chong's battle with Qutaybah, the Demonic Emperor Old Man had remained in reserve, staring at the pair and taking in every detail. With his astonishing insight, knowledge, and rich experience, he was very quickly able to understand the key to dealing with Qutaybah.

Buzz!

An idea suddenly occurred to Wang Chong, the Demonic Emperor Old Man's words setting off countless ripples in his mind. His master was correct. Qutaybah had a major weakness in that he had yet to enter the world of energy.

The world of energy was not something that everyone could see, but a unique skill of his master. Through the unique and legendary Myriad Spirit Sea Art, his master had comprehended the origin of energy on his own and then passed his teachings to the Wushang Village Chief and Wang Chong. This was the only way the two of them had been able to enter that world.

But Qutaybah had never cultivated the Myriad Spirit Sea Art, so he naturally had no way of entering the world of energy. This also meant…

There was an explosion of sparks in Wang Chong's mind, and he immediately had an idea. Boom! He entered the world of energy.

His eyes were greeted by a world of endless energy, but it was a different world from the one he had seen before. All of the energy in this world was in a frenzied state. This battle had completely altered the distribution of Origin Energy in this region. With a rough glance, Wang Chong could see countless whirlpools of energy scattered across the battlefield, of varying size, color, and intensity.

The generals of the various armies!

Wang Chong immediately understood what they were. Everyone was extremely exhausted, and none of them had the strength to participate in this battle between him and Qutaybah, so they were all taking this time to absorb Origin Energy and recover their strength. This was so that when the battle between him and Qutaybah was over, they could immediately launch into a fierce assault.

"And this should be Qutaybah."

Wang Chong's gaze quickly moved away from these generals to the largest vortex of energy.

This vortex of energy was unimaginably large, its size and ferocity enough to make all the other generals appear insignificant.

And if one looked carefully, it was like a black hole, a massive whirlpool devouring all the energy around it. It appeared to be extremely chaotic and disordered, absorbing energy with no rhyme or reason, with some balls of energy crashing into and extinguishing each other as they were pulled in. Even an ordinary martial artist would be able to tell that this massive energy vortex was extremely unstable and liable to collapse at any moment.

His injuries were far more serious than he let on.

Wang Chong now understood everything. Qutaybah might have been able to conceal this fact from them, but he could not hide his energy.

And from the disorder of this energy, Qutaybah was in a far more calamitous state than his actions had indicated.

But even so, Qutaybah was still far from a state of collapse. In the center of the massive black hole, Wang Chong spotted a stream of golden energy, tough and tenacious as it poured down from the highest point of the world of energy into the vortex.

This stream of energy had only the thickness of a single chopstick, but its power was only increasing. Wang Chong followed the stream of golden energy up to the deepest depths of the world of energy. Several balls of light larger than the sun and dozens of times more dazzling floated high above. This was where Qutaybah was drawing his energy from.

The energy of the Subtle realm!

Wang Chong could see what was happening. Qutaybah's source of energy was the higher plane above his head.

Although it didn't seem too far away at a glance, requiring only the merest effort to touch it, Wang Chong was well aware that the gap between the peak of the Saint Martial realm and the Subtle realm was not a matter of distance, but of countless dimensions.

If one did not comprehend the mysteries of the Subtle realm, then it didn't matter how much effort one put in—they would never be able to absorb the energy of that plane.

Even more troublesome was that even though the stream of energy Qutaybah was absorbing from the Subtle realm was just the thickness of a single chopstick, this stream of energy was thickening. Moreover, this energy from a higher plane of existence was suppressing and stabilizing those chaotic waves of energy.

In other words, as long as Qutaybah was constantly absorbing the powerful energy of the Subtle realm, the injuries on his body and his disorderly energy would not easily explode or collapse.

Master was right. If I want to defeat Qutaybah, I have to think of a way to cut off his channel of energy. Otherwise, no one will be a match for him. Not even the Heavenly Mandate Battle Armor would be able to stop him! Wang Chong anxiously said to himself.

Wang Chong had never in his life seen someone as talented, strong, or capable as Qutaybah. In the lands beyond the Central Plains, Qutaybah was undoubtedly a true hero amongst men. But despite the enormous pressure Wang Chong felt, he still remained calm.

Panic and unease would be of no help to his situation. As the army's commander, Wang Chong knew more than anyone else that only calm and meticulous thought could resolve this crisis.

As these thoughts flitted through his mind, Wang Chong quickly regained his composure.

The key to the Subtle realm lies in cultivation, and cultivation depends on one's comprehension. Anyone who wants to comprehend the higher realms of cultivation must possess incredible Psychic Energy. This also means that Qutaybah is able to absorb the energy of this higher plane not because of the energy in his body, but because of his Psychic Energy!

Countless thoughts zoomed through Wang Chong's mind. Time was short, and tens of thousands of lives and even the outcome of this war depended on him. These things exerted a pressure on Wang Chong heavier than a mountain range.

Not even Wang Chong was aware of just how quickly his mind was whirring. If someone were able to image Wang Chong's brain and see how fast it was working, they would certainly be stunned.

So in order to defeat Qutaybah, it's not about pressuring his strength or Stellar Energy. It doesn't even have much to do with the energy of the Subtle realm!

Wang Chong's eyes were getting brighter and more energetic.

I know what to do!

With this last thought, Wang Chong's eyes became resolved.

In terms of cultivation, Wang Chong was forced to admit that even after he had ascended to the Great General level, he was still no match for the Arab War God. But purely in terms of Psychic Energy, Wang Chong could confidently proclaim that few in the world could match him. Not even Qutaybah after breaking into the Subtle realm was his equal.

Wang Chong opened his eyes and looked ahead. There, Qutaybah had just unleashed a new wave of dazzling golden Subtle energy from his hand. That dazzling golden sword, a weapon that seemed to have descended from the heavens themselves, was held high in the air, prepared to unleash a thunderous strike.

Even though Wang Chong felt like he had spent a long time in the world of energy, only a second had passed by in reality.

Boom!

Right before Qutaybah could let loose his destructive attack, a tsunami of Psychic Energy howled through the air to crash into his mind.

Boom! It was like a meteor crashing into the earth. Qutaybah's body began to shudder while a look of extreme shock appeared on his face. God's Might trembled in his hand, and the attack that had been aimed at the Demonic Emperor Old Man paused.

In the world of energy that the fleshly eyes could not see, Wang Chong clearly saw that the thread of golden energy from a higher plane seemed to be 'plucked' by an invisible hand, upon which it fiercely vibrated.

This immediately set off a chain reaction, and the whirlpool of energy that represented Qutaybah became more disorderly and chaotic.

"Bastard!

Qutaybah's face flushed with rage as he turned his eyes to Wang Chong. Though he had originally been towering like an immovable mountain, he suddenly stomped forward, instantly appearing in front of Wang Chong. His giant greatsword slashed out as quickly as a lightning bolt toward Wang Chong.

Kaboom! The sword cleaved apart the world, parting the air for tens of thousands of feet like water and creating a massive vacuum dozens of meters wide. But Qutaybah's determined strike had missed. Wang Chong vanished in a flash of light, and before Qutaybah appeared three 'Wang Chongs' of identical expression, attire, and posture.