Chapter 423: Chu Family Heritage

The center of the Red-Robed Army suddenly parted, and a group of soldiers pushed out a carriage, behind which stood a large drum.

Qin Wanru lightly tapped her toes and leaped onto the carriage. She then raised a drumstick as thick as an arm and struck the drum heavily.

Boom! Boom! Boom! A series of drum beats, penetrating deep into the heart, rang out, instantly stirring an uncontrollable surge of passion within all who heard them.

Liu Yao and others watching from the side noticed visible ripples spreading out from around the great drum and dispersing among the surrounding Red-Robed Army soldiers. The Red-Robed soldiers roared, their aura suddenly doubling in intensity.

Liu Yao secretly clicked his tongue in amazement. Although his position as Guard General was largely due to being the Empress's uncle, having served for so long, he had still gained some knowledge of military affairs.

Back when humans and orcs were at war, the orcs' battle songs left a deep impression on the humans. This led humans to develop methods using war drums, military music, and similar means to boost army morale and enhance soldiers' abilities.

However, such war drums and musical instruments were meticulously crafted by rune masters and required special techniques to activate.

Currently, throughout the entire empire, only the most elite troops typically possessed similar equipment. How could ordinary families have such items?

This revealed the Chu family's nearly thousand-year-old foundation. No wonder so many factions were vying to win them over.

At this moment, another change occurred within the formation. Chu Zhongtian swept his hands in front of him, and a circle of red triangular command flags appeared, hovering around him in mid-air.

He then pointed repeatedly with his index finger, commanding, "Go!" Each flag darted towards different positions within the Red-Robed Army, and the Red-Robed Army's formation shifted accordingly. At the same time, bright blue light emanated from where the flags landed, covering the surrounding soldiers.

The "turtle shell" formation, which had been somewhat dim in mid-air, instantly brightened. Waves of blue light continuously flowed in extremely intricate patterns.

Simultaneously, phantom images of flags suddenly appeared in mid-air. King Liang's expression subtly changed, and he quickly tried to leap out of the flags' range. But no matter how fast he was, there was always a flag blocking his path.

"This is..." Seeing King Liang roaring inside but still unable to break through the formation created by the flags, everyone around was shocked.

It could actually trap a Grandmaster! Did the Chu family possess such a lethal move?

At this moment, various factions in Bright Moon City suddenly recalled some terrifying legends about the Chu family from centuries ago. For many years, the Chu family had kept a low profile, prioritizing harmony and prosperity, which made everyone forget how formidable they once were.

Liu Yao, standing by, felt a sense of schadenfreude, thinking, "Fortunately, I knew when to retreat early. Otherwise, I might have been crushed to death by these mysterious flags."

Just then, a rumbling sound approached. The Red-Robed Army slowly split into two sections, revealing an empty space in the middle. Dozens of Red-Robed soldiers slowly pushed out an enormous siege crossbow.

Though called a crossbow, it resembled a cannon more closely. Its massive bolt, once fired, was powerful enough to shatter a city gate.

The siege crossbow slowly ascended. A chilling glint flickered on its bolt tip, while intricate runes flowed across its entire body, clearly indicating it was crafted by a highly skilled rune master.

Seeing the siege crossbow aimed at him, King Liang's hair stood on end. An unprecedented sense of crisis enveloped him, and he knew that if he were hit, he would be severely wounded, if not killed.

He tried to break out and escape, but the strange flags blocked his surroundings. He was truly trapped with no way out.

In desperation, he brought his hands together in front of his chest, and an unprecedentedly massive transparent orb of light continuously condensed, clearly intending to meet the attack head-on.

Just then, a voice rang out: "Both of you, halt for now!"

A group of people rushed over, led by none other than City Lord Xie Yi.

Beside him was Xie Daoyun. Her usually beautiful and serene face was now filled with tension as she searched around for someone's figure, but unfortunately, after scanning the area, she didn't see the person she wanted to see.

Having just left the Sang family, she hurried to find her father for help. Unexpectedly, she met her father rushing towards this direction halfway.

It turned out that whether from the perspective of Bright Moon City's stability or the interests of King Qi's faction, Xie Yi did not wish to see anything happen to the Chu family.

Unfortunately, at this point, both sides in the battle had already drawn their bows and were ready to fire. They were in no mood to heed his words.

Xie Yi hastily said to Liu Yao: "General Liu, please persuade them! Otherwise, something terrible will happen."

Liu Yao smiled slightly: "Don't worry, King Liang is a Grandmaster. He can surely handle this situation with ease. Let's not make things worse."

Xie Yi was speechless.

He thought, "I'm worried not just about King Liang, but also the Chu family!"

At this moment, King Liang, still in mid-air, heard Liu Yao's words and cursed inwardly. "Handle it with ease? You try it, damn it! There won't even be a speck left of you."

He secretly regretted having been overconfident. He usually led a privileged life, and aside from one instance where he entered a battlefield when the overall situation was already decided, he had no other experience dealing with armies. He had truly underestimated the Chu family's strength.

But he couldn't entirely be blamed. For any other three-thousand-strong army, his power would have been more than enough to suppress them.

He also understood that neither he nor Chu Zhongtian dared to blindly withdraw their attacks at this point. If one side withdrew and the other didn't, the withdrawing side would face certain death.

Just then, another cold voice rang out: "Are you trying to destroy the people of Bright Moon City by fighting so fiercely within its bounds?"

"Principal Jiang is here!"

Everyone looked towards the sound. A tall figure stood atop a large tree nearby. The branches at the treetop were slender, yet she stood there with effortless grace, her entire body gently swaying up and down with the movement of the branches.

This level of skill truly impressed everyone around. Even Liu Yao felt ashamed of his inferiority; he could fly for short periods, but standing so lightly on thin branches required extremely precise control over one's power.

For this woman to achieve such a feat at such a young age, her future accomplishments would surely be immeasurable.

He couldn't help but take another look. Initially, he was marveling at her cultivation, but immediately his eyes went wide, deeply attracted by her beautiful legs in black stockings, unable to tear his gaze away even slightly.

He was not the only one in the field staring in a daze. Xie Yi, standing nearby, also couldn't help but touch his nose, fearing a nosebleed would tarnish his illustrious image of many years.

Seeing the sordid gazes of these men, Xie Daoyun felt both annoyed and amused. She couldn't help but discreetly nudge her father and chided, "Father!"

Xie Yi then snapped back to reality and chuckled awkwardly.

Jiang Luofu, being watched by everyone, paid no mind. Instead, she frowned, intently observing the situation on the field.

She quickly understood that both sides were in a difficult, irreversible situation, and that a simple word from an outsider wouldn't make them stop.

So she took a jade hairpin from her hair and flicked it directly towards the formation made of flags.

The moment the jade hairpin struck the flag formation, a vortex instantly appeared around it, revealing a gap.

Jiang Luofu's figure flickered, and she darted inside. The moment she entered, the gap vanished instantly. A small piece of her sleeve remained outside, as if cut by an invisible sharp weapon, and fell directly to the ground outside.

She merely glanced back briefly, then went directly to the center of the battlefield: "I am Jiang Luofu, Principal of Bright Moon Academy. Both of you, please cease your fight for now. If this continues, regardless of who wins or loses, the nearby citizens will suffer."

The Chu family and Bright Moon Academy had always maintained good relations. Seeing her stand in the middle, Chu Zhongtian frowned and ultimately waved his command flag, pausing the siege crossbow's firing sequence.

King Liang, on the other side, sighed in relief at the sight and slowly shrunk the orb in his hand.

The Academy belonged to the Ministry of Ceremonies (Taichang), and its students were everywhere. No one would easily offend the Academy.

King Liang pondered inwardly. Logically, the principal of Bright Moon Academy should only be around Eighth-Grade cultivation, but the combat power this woman displayed was somewhat erratic.

Especially how she managed to break into the formation just now. He knew he had used all his strength yet couldn't break through the flags' barrier. Could the jade hairpin in her hand be some powerful magic artifact?