Chapter 384 - 205: Trample Luoyun! Pacify the Jianghu

Chapter 384: Chapter 205: Trample Luoyun! Pacify the Jianghu

The Daqian Empire. The Eighth Year of the Mingjing Era, ninth month, sixth day.

At noon, the sky was overcast. Lead-gray clouds hung low, so oppressive it was difficult to breathe.

Outside Yunze City, a grim, murderous aura hung over the wide-open plains.

Figures clad in uniform black martial robes converged from all directions.

The occasional clang of scabbards against armor plates rang out, crisp and cold.

In the blink of an eye, a dense, dark mass of over a thousand people had assembled.

This was nearly every mobile elite the Jingwu Bureau could muster, now gathered in one place.

Within the ranks, some whispered among themselves, speculating about the reason for this large-scale mobilization, their faces etched with confusion and unease.

A few tried to probe the Captains they knew for information, but were met only with cold glares or a harshly whispered reprimand:

"Silence! Await your orders!"

At the very front of the formation, dozens of the Jingwu Bureau’s Captains and Deputy Captains from various battalions already stood in solemn, perfect formation.

They were a stark contrast to the slightly looser formation of the troops behind them.

The air seemed to freeze, the only sound the snapping of banners in the wind.

"Wan, when will Chen Zhenfu... arrive?"

A Captain familiar with Wan Chong Peak couldn’t resist asking via sound transmission.

Wan Chong Peak stared straight ahead, his lips barely moving. "Just wait. We’ve come this far; the Governor is sure to arrive."

"Are we really going to... make a move on Luoyun Manor?" another transmitted voice asked, laced with disbelief.

"Quiet! They’re here!"

Everyone’s spirits roused, and they all looked up in unison.

Two streaks of light suddenly shot out from the towering gate of Yunze City. They tore through the somber sky, arriving above the army in an instant and slowly coming to a stop.

The one in the lead was none other than Chen Sheng.

His brand-new, black Bear Official Robe billowed in the wind, its hems fluttering. Embroidered upon it in dark gold thread was the fierce image of a bear, which seemed to shimmer with an intimidating light under the gloomy sky.

Chen Sheng’s expression was calm, but his gaze was as cold as ice in a deep abyss. As his eyes slowly swept over the dark sea of troops below, an invisible aura of majesty and killing intent spread through the air.

Half a step behind him, Sun Yuzhi stood with her hands clasped behind her back. Her red official robe contrasted with her cold, beautiful face. Her sharp eyes held a deadly glint, and her presence was as solid as a mountain.

The instant Chen Sheng appeared, the slight murmur from the thousand-plus Jingwu Guards below ceased. As if smoothed over by an invisible hand, they fell deathly silent.

Every man subconsciously straightened his back and tightened his reins in a single, synchronized movement.

Countless gazes—a mixture of reverence, excitement, fanaticism, and a hint of trepidation—all focused on the young figure in the sky, a man whose reputation already shook Ning’an to its core.

Chen Sheng finally pulled his gaze back from the army. He began to speak, his voice not loud, yet it carried clearly to the ears of every person present:

"Luoyun Manor has colluded with the Cyan Flood Dragon Pirates, assassinated an imperial official, incited civil unrest, and defied the court. Their crimes are heinous, and the evidence is irrefutable!"

"Today is the day of reckoning! We do this for our comrades who died unjustly at Fulong Creek, for the oppressed people of Ning’an, and for... the inviolable honor of our Jingwu Bureau!"

Here, Chen Sheng’s voice rose in pitch and volume:

"The glory of this battle, the spoils of this war, are right before us! This is an honor I do not intend to keep for myself. I wish to share it with all of you!"

Then, Chen Sheng’s gaze, sharp as lightning, swept over the troops below.

"All of you—are you willing to follow me, to crush Luoyun Manor and bring peace to the Jianghu?!"

「After a brief, dead silence.」

「The next moment.」

"We will follow the Governor! Crush Luoyun Manor! Bring peace to the Jianghu!!!"

Over a thousand men roared as one, the sound wave rocketing skyward, so powerful it seemed to shatter the drifting clouds!

An intense will to fight, a palpable aura of slaughter, coalesced into an invisible torrent that surged toward the heavens.

A cold glint flashed in Chen Sheng’s eyes. Without another word, his right hand shot out and gripped the hilt of the blade at his waist.

CLANG—!

A cry like a dragon’s roar rang from the blade, echoing across the plains.

The Dragon Roar Blade was free of its scabbard. Its gleaming edge cut a cold arc through the hazy light, its tip pointing northeast—toward Luoyun Manor.

"March!"

The command was simple, yet it resounded with authority.

"Yes, sir!!!"

Amid the thunderous reply, the thousand-plus Jingwu Guards transformed into a black torrent of steel. The pounding of hooves, the tramp of boots, and the clash of armor merged into a dull, heart-stopping thunder as they surged toward their target.

At almost the same moment, on the other side of Yunze City, over a thousand elites of the Military Preparation Army, who had been lying in wait, also mobilized upon receiving the signal.

The two armies moved like the black iron jaws of a pincer, swiftly converging at a designated point outside the city. They merged into a single legion of over two thousand soldiers.

Their formation was immaculate, their killing intent palpable. Dust clouds kicked up in their wake blotted out the sun, and birds and beasts fled in terror.

The very earth seemed to tremble beneath the feet of this legion, an army filled with grim purpose.

This time, Chen Sheng had no intention of being subtle.

He wanted to make a grand, righteous display—to announce to the entire Ning’an Prefecture with the force of a thunderbolt.

That the fragile balance between the Government Office and the Jianghu was, as of today, broken. And he was the one who would break it.

He would use the destruction of Luoyun Manor as the cornerstone for his new order in Ning’an, a foundation built on absolute authority.

The moment the Jingwu Bureau’s forces marched out of the city, countless eyes throughout Yunze City were watching, startled into action.

Coded messages began to radiate outward in all directions at top speed.

The sight of that mighty legion—a gathering of the Government Office’s finest, their killing intent soaring to the heavens—marching out in full force instantly ignited the hidden undercurrents throughout Yunze City and the entire Ning’an Prefecture, bringing them violently to the surface.

...

"What?! The Jingwu Bureau has massed its army and is marching on Luoyun Manor?!"

At Qingfeng Temple, a place normally dedicated to quiet cultivation, this sudden news stirred up a storm.