Chapter 419: The Power of the Grandmaster

Although countless Red-Robed soldiers surrounded them, there was almost no other sound besides their synchronized footsteps. All the soldiers looked at Prince Liang and his entourage with resolute and indifferent expressions.

Prince Liang's expression subtly changed. With his discerning eye, he could easily tell that this was a formidable, battle-hardened army tempered by blood and fire. The Great Zhou Dynasty had enjoyed many years of peace, with no wars for a long time, and he wondered how Duke Bright Moon had managed to train them to such a degree.

Admiration aside, he quickly regained his composure and said coldly, "What? Are you planning to assassinate an imperial envoy? Are you openly rebelling?"

"Don't try to scare us with those titles," Qin Wanru retorted angrily. "A thousand years ago, when our Chu family was first established, we set the principle of never abandoning anyone. Ah Zu is our Chu family's son-in-law. How can we let you arrest him for such a ridiculous reason?"

Prince Liang looked at Chu Zhongtian, who had remained silent. "Duke Bright Moon, is this also your intention?"

Chu Zhongtian replied calmly, "Indeed. While our Chu family has never sought trouble, we will not allow ourselves to be bullied."

Qin Wanru cast an astonished glance at her husband. Her husband was usually kind and gentle, and she had been worried he might hesitate at such a critical moment. She hadn't expected him to be so resolute in standing by her side.

Chu Zhongtian's face was as dark as a stormy sky. It was clear he also found the current justification utterly absurd. Coupled with his previous imprisonment, even a clay figure has a temper, let alone a dignified Duke like himself.

If he didn't seize this opportunity to deliver a painful blow to those attempting to interfere with the Chu family, there was no telling what other messy schemes might follow.

"Good, very good!" Prince Liang chuckled, then his face turned cold. "If it were a dozen years ago, perhaps this prince would have feared you somewhat. But you were gravely wounded back then and your cultivation dropped; now you're merely an eighth-rank master. What right do you have to speak like this in front of me!"

Chu Zhongtian said coldly, "The Chu family has never relied on individual strength; we believe in unity and collective effort. As for whether we have the right, Your Highness will know if you try."

"Self-deception! Such words are merely a joke!" Prince Liang sneered.

At this moment, General Wei Liu Yao quickly approached Prince Liang and whispered, "Your Highness, be careful. These Red-Robed soldiers are not to be trifled with."

Clearly, his previous defeat had left him with lingering fear.

"Then I'll truly give it a try!" Although Prince Liang said this, he still directly lunged towards Chu Zhongtian, evidently unwilling to let his imperial guards engage the Red-Robed army in direct combat.

Firstly, he hadn't brought many soldiers. Even with Liu Yao's imperial guards, their numbers were far fewer than the Red-Robed army.

Secondly, if a large-scale battle broke out between the two armies, the situation would be beyond his complete control. No matter how much they tried to conceal it, the news would inevitably spread.

Although the Chu family would certainly be finished, other local magnates would undoubtedly feel a sense of shared vulnerability. If the Censorate impeached him afterward, he would have no recourse.

Therefore, it was better for him to act personally. He could fight or stop as he pleased, fully in control.

Of course, the best approach was to "catch the ringleader first"—he could simply capture Chu Zhongtian and end everything.

Seeing Chu Zhongtian meet his attack with a direct palm strike, he secretly sneered. The opponent's current cultivation was similar to Sang Hong's. Sang Hong had just been gravely injured by one of his palm strikes, and Chu Zhongtian would be no exception.

However, as their palms met, his heart sank. He realized the opponent was using soft force, not meeting him head-on.

Chu Zhongtian, using the counter-shock from the palm strike, rapidly retreated backward. In the blink of an eye, he was back among the Red-Robed army formation.

Clearly, his many years of military life had taught him to anticipate a surprise attack from the outset. Thus, he had been fully prepared.

Seeing himself outwitted by the opponent, Prince Liang grew furious. He continued to pursue him, hoping to snatch him from the Red-Robed army's formation before he could stabilize himself.

However, the Red-Robed army was well-trained and already prepared. Countless arrows, imbued with blue light, shot towards him.

Sensing the terrifying impact force contained within the whistling arrows, he dared not charge forward anymore. He quickly rotated his hands slowly downwards from above his head, and a transparent sphere enveloped him.

The arrows struck the transparent sphere, causing layers of water-like ripples, but they never managed to pierce the seemingly thin membrane.

Seeing more and more arrows embedded in the sphere, Prince Liang let out a loud shout. The sphere's membrane, encasing the arrows, abruptly reflected them back.

Chu Zhongtian, within the Red-Robed army formation, subtly changed his expression. He quickly commanded, "Raise shields!"

The Red-Robed soldiers all raised their shields. Soon, illusory blue shields appeared in mid-air, merging to form what looked like a massive turtle shell suspended in the sky.

All the rapidly incoming arrows were blocked.

Liu Yao, standing by, secretly sneered. Previously, this very move had left him utterly helpless. What did it matter how high one's cultivation was if the enemy's army formation could disperse and distribute the force among every soldier, easily blocking the attack?

Human psychology is truly strange. If he hadn't failed earlier, he would have wished for Prince Liang to achieve a complete victory. But since he had already failed, he now preferred that the other side also lose, and preferably suffer a more miserable defeat.

Moreover, Prince Liang had never been on good terms with the Liu family. He naturally delighted in seeing the Prince suffer a setback.

Prince Liang's face, however, remained as still as an ancient well. He floated in mid-air, his arms outstretched, his palms slowly rising, as if holding something heavy.

From the center of his palms, a rotating transparent sphere vaguely appeared. At first, its rotation was slow, but as soon as it fully formed, its speed suddenly increased, quickly growing to the size of a lead shot put.

He then directly hurled both spheres towards the Red-Robed army formation.

The transparent spheres struck the light blue turtle shell in mid-air. With a colossal boom, a wave of air spread out. The blue turtle shell trembled, the blue light flowing over it flickering erratically. Many soldiers below vomited blood, clearly having suffered significant internal injuries from the shockwave.

Liu Yao, watching from the side, subtly changed his expression. Previously, when he had struck with full force, the Red-Robed army had taken it as if nothing had happened. Could the gap between himself and Prince Liang truly be so vast?

At this moment, other soldiers in the Red-Robed army formation quickly took over the shields of their injured comrades, replacing them for rest. The blue turtle shell in mid-air stabilized once more.

A flicker of surprise appeared in Prince Liang's eyes. He once again conjured two transparent spheres and hurled them down.

With another colossal boom, the blue turtle shell trembled again, but it still stood firm.

"Let's see how many times you can block this!" Prince Liang's temper flared. He once again conjured transparent spheres.

However, he was, after all, a grandmaster. He didn't recklessly hurl them all at once as before. Instead, he continuously flew through the air, both bombarding the army formation below and searching for any potential openings they might expose.

While an army could achieve victory through formation and numbers, it was not without weaknesses. The enhancement from formations was ultimately less convenient than a single individual's direct power. The more people involved, the higher the requirement for coordination, and the more easily weaknesses would appear.

An army as perfectly synchronized as the Red-Robed soldiers could already be considered one of the strongest forces of their era. However, when faced with continuous attacks from various angles, they would eventually expose a weakness.

Such a weakness didn't need to be significant, just a single instance, and it would be enough for a true master to seize.

He moved through the air, leaving afterimages in his wake, continuously bombarding the Red-Robed army's formation from every angle, attempting to create an opportunity to disrupt their formation.

Because his speed was so immense, when he reached a new position, the afterimage from his previous one hadn't even vanished. To observers, it seemed as if his figures filled the sky, bombarding the Red-Robed army's formation from all directions.

The Red-Robed army was exhausted, desperately trying to defend themselves, like a small boat in a raging sea. Although they evaded the danger of capsizing again and again, everyone knew it was only a matter of time before they were swallowed by the waves.

"Is this the power of a Grandmaster?" The commotion on the Chu family's side had attracted many onlookers curious to find out what was happening. Seeing this scene, their faces turned pale.

At this moment, Chu Zhongtian's voice slowly rang out from within the Red-Robed army formation: "Raise the battle flag! Beat the war drums!"