Chapter 423: The Chu Clan’s Might
Translator: Pika
The Red Cloak Army quickly cleared a space within their formation, and a group of soldiers pushed out a cart. A large drum had been erected on the back of the cart.
With a tap of her toes, Qin Wanru appeared on top of the cart. She picked up the thick mallets and pounded on the drum.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Drumbeats rang out one after another, and each reverberation seemed to reach right into the depths of the soul. It made each soldier feel as if his blood was boiling.
Liu Yao and the others observers could see ripples visibly spreading out from the drum, traveling outwards across the surrounding soldiers of the Red Cloak Army. Those same soldiers let out a ferocious roar. Their auras seemed to have doubled in strength!
Liu Yao was dumbstruck. Even though his position as general of the Imperial Guard had been offered to him because of his status as the empress’ uncle, he had still gained a lot of experience from his time serving in this position.
During the war between humans and the beast races, the beastmen’s war songs had made a deep impression on the humans. This led to an explosion of research into war drums and other war instruments that could be used by humans to boost morale and fighting strength.
However, these war instruments could only be made by runemasters, using specialized techniques.
Only the most elite troops in the entire empire would possess something like this. How could an ordinary clan possibly hope to obtain such a war instrument?
The true might of the Chu clan’s thousand years of history was now on full display. It was no wonder why so many factions were fighting to win them over to their side.
At that moment, another change took place within the formation. Chu Zhongtian moved his arms in front of him, and a ring of triangular banners floated into midair.
He pointed straight ahead and said, “Go!”
These flags flew out and inserted themselves in various locations within the formation, and the Red Cloak Army moved in tandem to rearrange itself. A shimmering blue light spread out to cover the bodies of the soldiers clustered around these flags.
The barrier that had grown weak under the constant barrage of attacks brightened immediately, and waves of blue light continuously flowed along the mysterious patterns on its surface.
Meanwhile, several projections of flags appeared in midair as well. King Liang’s expression flickered. He tried to jump away from these flags, but no matter how fast he was, there was always another flag blocking his path.
“What is this...?” All the spectators were horrified at King Liang’s inability to escape. He was trapped within the formation of flags, roaring furiously.
They had successfully trapped a master rank cultivator! How did the Chu clan possess this much power?
The various powers in Brightmoon City were suddenly reminded of the terrifying legends surrounding the Chu clan from hundreds of years ago. The Chu clan had hidden their strength and lived in harmony for all these years, which had made them all forget how formidable they had been in the past.
Liu Yao was delighted by this scene. Thank heavens I was defeated quickly! If not, I might have been screwed over by these strange flags!
A low rumble began to echo around the battlefield. The formation split into two, creating a space in the middle. Several dozen Red Cloak Army soldiers slowly pushed out a massive siege crossbow.
From the looks of this crossbow, it seemed more accurate to call it a cannon. The power of this massive crossbow was surely enough to blast through a city wall.
This siege crossbow slowly tilted upwards. The tip of the bolt flickered with a deep, cold radiance, while the shaft was decorated with swirling runes. This was definitely the work of an excellent runemaster.
King Liang immediately felt his goosebumps rise when he saw the crossbow taking aim at him. A sudden wave of danger came over him, one which he had never experienced before. He knew for certain that he would suffer grievous injury if he was struck by it, and might even lose his life.
He desperately wanted to break out, but the strange flags stopped him at every attempt. There really was nowhere for him to run.
Left with no other option, he raised his arms and brought them in front of his chest. A massive translucent sphere began to condense in front of him. He intended to meet the attack head on.
At that moment, a voice cried out, “Gentlemen, stand down!”
A group of riders were galloping towards them. The one in the lead was City Lord Xie Yi.
Next to him was Xie Daoyun. Anxiety was written all across her usually gentle and refined face. She seemed to be looking for someone, but she didn’t find who she was looking for.
She had immediately sought out her father after leaving the Sang Estate, but never expected that she would bump into her father halfway. He had already been rushing towards the Chu Estate.
Regardless of whether it was out of concern for the safety of Brightmoon City or because he was part of King Qi’s faction, Xie Yi didn’t wish to see anything happen to the Chu clan.
Unfortunately, both sides were already on the verge of tearing each other apart. Why would they listen to his words?
Alarmed, Xie Yi implored Liu Yao, “General Liu, please stop them! This is getting out of hand!”
Liu Yao smiled. “Don’t worry, King Liang is a master rank expert. Surely he has full control over this situation. I don’t think it’s right for us to interfere.”
Xie Yi stared at him in disbelief.
I’m not only worried about King Liang, there’s the Chu clan to think about as well!
King Liang cursed when he heard what Liu Yao said. Control over the situation? Do you want to give this a try yourself? I guarantee that there won’t even be a speck of you left over.
He truly regretted his choice. He had been overconfident, having lived in luxury and extravagance for too long. He had little battle experience, apart from showing up on battlefields where the day had already been won. He had really underestimated the Chu clan’s strength.
Of course, it wasn’t really all his fault. If he had been facing a different three-thousand strong army, his strength would surely be enough to defeat them.
He knew that neither he nor Chu Zhongtian were willing to back away at this point. If one of them chose to back down, but the other did not, the one who backed down would surely perish.
A different, cold voice cut through the tension. “Are you trying to massacre all of Brightmoon City’s citizens?!”
“Principal Jiang has arrived!”
All eyes turned towards the source of that voice. A tall, slender figure stood at the very top of a large tree. The branches at the top of the tree were terribly thin, yet she seemed perfectly balanced. Her figure swayed in rhythm with the tree.
This sight drew countless gasps of admiration. Even Liu Yao felt a little ashamed. He could fly for a short time, but standing gracefully on such a thin branch required precise control over one’s own strength.
Even at such a young age, this woman was already so outstanding. Her prospects were limitless!
He couldn’t help but stare at this woman. He had been drawn by her cultivation at first, but his eyes soon widened even further. Her black stockings had captured all of his attention.
He wasn’t the only one struck dumb. Even Xie Yi rubbed his nose in embarrassment, afraid that a sudden nosebleed would ruin all his many years of accumulated prestige.
Xie Daoyun shoved her dad roughly when she saw it. “Dad!” she said in annoyance.
Xie Yi finally snapped out of his daze and smiled awkwardly.
Jiang Luofu didn’t seem to mind at all. She examined the current situation with a frown on her face.
She quickly realized how tense the current situation was. There was no way a few words from a casual bystander could defuse this.
As such, she removed a jade hairpin from her hair, and she flicked her finger towards the formation of flags.
A huge rift appeared in the air the instant that the jade hairpin made contact with the formation, creating an opening.
Jiang Luofu rushed forward. As soon as she passed through it, that rift disappeared with a flash. A corner of her clothing did not pass though in time, and was sliced off neatly, as if by an invisible blade..
She glanced behind her briefly, then rushed to the center of the battlefield. “I am Jiang Luofu, Principal of Brightmoon Academy. Please cease this battle immediately! Regardless of who wins this battle, it would be the civilians who will ultimately suffer.”
The Chu clan had always maintained a good relationship with Brightmoon Academy. Chu Zhongtian frowned at her interference, but he still pulled back the flags and ordered the siege crossbow to stand down.
King Liang sighed in relief when he saw this. That sphere in his hands slowly shrunk as well.
The academy was under the Ministry of Ceremonies, and their people were everywhere. No one would choose to idly offend the academy.
King Liang slowly fell into deep thought. From what he knew, the principal of Brightmoon Academy was only around the eighth rank. And yet, she had revealed an astonishing level of strength.
She had even broken into the formation! Even he had been powerless against those flags earlier. Is that hairpin of hers some astonishing treasure?