Chapter 216: Start of the Battle
AGM 216 - Start of the Battle
Today was a bright and beautiful day. The clouds above Chu drifted about, partially obscuring the sun, diffusing the harsh rays of sunlight.
This kind of weather felt extremely delightful. Occasionally, there would be light gusts of gentle wind breezing about, giving people a refreshing feeling.
On the balcony of the luxurious mansion, other than Qin Wentian and Chu Wuwei, a few other silhouettes appeared. Immortal Drunken Wine, Chu Mang, as well as an unfamiliar young man. This was Qin Wentian’s first time seeing this man, and upon Chu Wuwei’s intro, he learnt that he was also from a power that could be considered at the apex of Chu – the Jiang Clan.
The Jiang Clan, similar to the Mo Clan, had tremendous influence and power, yet they were independent, stand-alone entities on neutral grounds that did not interfere in matters of the Royal Clan. Back then, when Chu Tianjiao wanted to enlist the support of the Jiang Clan, he was rejected. But to think that today, a descendant of the Jiang Clan would appear here in this mansion at the invitation of Chu Wuwei.
“Jiang Huai, if your old man knew that you are here at my request, he would certainly hate me to death.” Chu Wuwei laughed.
“Who asked the members of my clan to be so obstinate, refusing to send men to support you.” Jiang Huai laughed, yet that casual sentence allowed Qin Wentian to sense the charisma of Chu Wuwei. This young man was definitely here because he supported Chu Wuwei; his actions inevitably forced the Jiang Clan out from their position of neutrality, whether they liked it or not.
At this moment, several servants carried out colossal-sized drums and propped them up, forming two rows at both sides of the vast field before they retreated. An expression of bewilderment appeared on Qin Wentian’s countenance. These drums glimmered with Astral Energy, could they be a complete set of divine weapons?
Powerful divine weapons need not necessarily be a single piece of equipment. An example could be sword-type divine weapons. Sometimes, a complete set of divine artifacts might consist of nine sword-type divine weapons. Only with the complete set could the divine weapons truly unleash their power. These thirty-six drums in front of him gave Qin Wentian a strong feeling that they should be a complete set. With so many drum-type divine weapons collected together, the power it was capable of unleashing should be extremely terrifying.
Gradually, Qin Wentian felt waves of killing intent permeating the air. Gazing towards the horizon, in the far distance ahead, several formations of troops marched over as they roared in unison. The armored troops numbered over a thousand and were all equipped with long spears, emitting a baleful aura as their murderous intentions could be clearly felt gushing outwards.
These troops stood in the centre of the vast field, gazing upwards at the balcony where Chu Wuwei was located. At the sharp bark of a command, the soldiers moved as one, drawing the bows upon their backs while aiming upwards. The sharpness in their eyes pierced towards Chu Wuwei, Qin Wentian and the rest standing on the balcony.
While at the same time, over ten experts of the Yuanfu Realm could be seen flying through the air, as they came to a halt at the air space above the thousand troops.
Among the Yuanfu experts, one of them coldly stated, “Chu Wuwei, as the eldest son of our previous Emperor, you actually planned to aid the rebels, committing treason against our Great Chu. Follow me to see his Majesty.”
“You wanted to subdue me with just this number of people? My third brother might have underestimated me a little too much.” Chu Wuwei laughed as he continued sitting there, appearing as unperturbed as before. Abruptly, a wheezing sound could be heard as all of a sudden, silhouettes wearing white could be seen standing behind each of the thirty-six colossal drums that were lined out in two rows at the side of the field. The facial features of the men clad in white were extremely ordinary, as all of them exuded a similar aura. Cool, calm and ordinary, if one were not looking out for them or paying close attention, no one would have even sensed their presence.
“Thunder Dragon Drums.” The leader of the Yuanfu experts drew in a cold breath. His countenance sank as he realised what the drums were. These drums were the legendary third-grade top-tier divine weapon. If there were thirty-six Yuanfu cultivators channelling the power of the thirty-six drums, no matter how many soldiers they faced, as long as their opponents were below the 6th level of Yuanfu, they would be completely annihilated.
The leader had an incredibly ugly expression on his face as he swept a glance to Chu Wuwei. Chu Wuwei looked as calm as before, slowly sipping his wine as though nothing in the world could ruffle his heart.
“Chu Wuwei, take a look around you, you better give up. On account of your brotherly ties, His Majesty might still pardon you for what you have done,” persuaded the leader. Although Qin Wentian hadn’t stood up, he could still hear the galloping of warhorses with his senses. The entire pavilion should have already been surrounded by enemy soldiers.
“Why is there a need to cause unnecessary bloodshed? Give up and come with me.”
Chu Wuwei continued ignoring the enemy leader. Instead, he smiled at Qin Wentian, “Wait and see, my third brother should soon appear.”
After which, Chu Wuwei rose from his seat as he walked towards the edge of the balcony, staring at the enemy leader. “Uncle Heng, please stop. Don’t join in the madness created by third brother.”
Chu Heng stared into the eyes of Chu Wuwei. There was only peace and sincerity in them. Although Chu Heng lamented in his heart, he had no other choice. Raising his hand, he signalled for his troops to begin the carnage.
“KILL!” A heaven-shaking killing intent shook the world, thunderous rumbling sounds echoed as the troops rushed the pavilion. Countless arrows covered the heavens and earth, firing towards Chu Wuwei.
“BOOM!” The void shook, as an arc of lightning flashed past.
“BOOM! BOOM!” Lightning thundered down from the skies, forming an all-encompassing web of electrical currents, causing the countless arrows to dissipate into nothingness.
Below the pavilion, a group of figures cloaked in black moved like phantoms towards the archers firing the arrows, as they dashed forward with various divine weapons equipped in their hands.
“Mmm?” Chu Heng and the other Yuanfu cultivators had a look of astonishment on their faces. They had wanted to descend to aid their troops but at that moment, they only sensed terrifying electrical currents binding their movements. Alongside with the booming of the colossal drums, the web of lightning from earlier actually metamorphosed into the form of a thunder dragon, incomparably tyrannical.
Rumble! A deafening sound echoed, the thunder dragon howled in rage as it barrelled forwards, glowing with a resplendent violet light.
The countenances of Chu Heng and the rest of the Yuanfu cultivators underwent a drastic change. The thunder dragon manifested by the thirty-six drums was truly as terrifying as what the rumors described.
Xiu, xiu! A ear-splitting slashing sound reverberated as nine streaks of golden lightning erupted forth, smashing into the thunder dragon. An instant later, the might of the explosion was so great that even space was torn apart, the blinding light from its aftermath so piercing that no one could even open their eyes.
From afar, several cultivators could be seen soaring through the skies, the might of their combined attack shaking the hearts of those witnessing it.
The person in the lead was clad in a golden dragon robe; he was none other than the current Emperor of Chu, Chu Tianjiao.
Behind Chu Tianjiao and the cultivators he brought, countless numbers of soldiers could be seen running over, as the earth trembled at their approach. Surely, other than the troops used to defend the city gates from the Qin Rebels, Chu Tianjiao had also mobilised the remainder of the troops that were under his control.
Chu Tianjiao knew that Qin Wentian was together with Chu Wuwei. Since that was the case, as long as both of them fell into his hands, this war was as good as over.
At the side of Chu Tianjiao, a figure nocked an arrow on the bowstrings of a resplendent golden-colored bow. This bow, should also be an extremely powerful divine weapon.
“Elder brother, even if you had stood on the fence without aiding me, I would have closed an eye. But why must you side with the rebels?” Chu Tianjiao stared at Chu Wuwei, as he calmly inquired.
“From the very start, you of all people should have already known my intentions. I had no wish to vie with you for power. Yet the path you took deviated further and further. If you continued onwards this path of doom, our Chu Clan bloodline would surely be obliterated in your hands,” Chu Wuwei replied.
“Is that so? So you are saying the internal unrest that you caused was all for the sake of our Royal Clan? Utterly ridiculous, your actions are what’s pushing our Royal Clan to the edge of disaster. Don’t blame me for being heartless,” Chu Tianjiao icily stated, killing intent could be seen flickering in his eyes.
“Are these the group of pitiful people you have groomed? Now, they have all become your death-warriors. Don’t you feel ashamed asking them to give their lives for you?” Chu Wuwei remarked with a hint of sarcasm. To which, Chu Tianjiao’s only reply was, “KILL!”
The cultivators around Chu Tianjiao surged forth, yet Chu Wuwei was as calm as before. Seeing the faces of the death-warriors before him, he sighed, “There’s still time if all of you choose to turn back. I, Chu Wuwei, guarantee that no harm will come to any of you. However if you all still persist, then I have no way of saving any of you, even if I wanted to.”
The death-warriors hesitated slightly, but they were already charging ahead on the tiger’s back, making it impossible for them to stop halfway.
From the distance, clouds of dust covered the skies, giving testament to the numerous number of galloping horses heading their way, as an army of unknown origin encircled the entire region. However, the spears in their hands, were all actually pointing towards Chu Tianjiao’s men.
Apparently, in this dispute between the two brothers, each of them had their own supporters.
“People from the Jiang Clan,” exclaimed someone at that moment. From afar, the experts from the Jiang Clan arrived in an imposing manner, the person in the lead swept a glance at Jiang Huai. The actions of this buffoon forcibly caused their Jiang Clan to enter into the dispute.
“Those from the Mu Clan have also chosen to stand behind Chu Wuwei.” Back then, because of Qin Wentian, Gongyang Hong granted a promise to Mu Rou. This incident had already caused Chu Tianjiao to have misgivings about them. Now in the face of the final decisive battle, those from the Mu Clan decided to support Chu Wuwei instead, making their position clear.
There were also many masked figures clad in black appearing from the eastern direction. Naturally, these were all the Yuanfu cultivators which Qin Wentian had hired.
As more and more experts appeared, Chu Tianjiao’s countenance grew uglier and uglier. He could only remark in a voice filled with cold anger, “Good, very good.”
“We will settle everything today. KILL, KILL THEM ALL!” Chu Tianjiao roared in rage as his towering killing intent overflowed to the heavens.
The frenzied sounds of battle reverberated through the air, as the forces of both sides began their confrontation.
A cold wind gusted, as Chu Tianjiao stood in the air, surveying his elder brother Chu Wuwei as well as Qin Wentian. He had thought that his elder brother would have prepared an even stronger form of backup to deal with him. However, it seems like he had overestimated Chu Wuwei. Did Chu Wuwei really think that with this amount of support, he could topple him?
For this battle, he had even summoned the unblooded troops still in training at the Military Training Palace. He intended to gather an overwhelming amount of military might, as much as he could muster, all to suppress Chu Wuwei. From the number of mobilised troops seen today, one could even say that Chu Tianjiao had gathered together every single force under his control. His plan was simple; slay Chu Wuwei first, then deal with the Qin Rebels!