Chapter 382: Chapter 251: The Tianqi King’s Army Advances Eastward_2

Qin Yushan continued, “The Prince guessed correctly; these are the Piercing Cloud Bow and Piercing Cloud Arrows.”

“Commander Liang sent a message back, saying that half a month ago, the Imperial Army and the rebels used the Piercing Cloud Bow and Piercing Cloud Arrows for the first time during battle. The Brocade Guard took this opportunity to acquire a set.”

Hearing Qin Yushan’s words, Lu Chen immediately went to the desk, picked up the Piercing Cloud Bow, and examined it closely. He pulled the bowstring and found that it was very elastic.

However, the power of a bow and arrow is not determined solely by the quality of the bow, but also by the arrows. Lu Chen then picked up the Piercing Cloud Arrow from the desk and scraped its tip with his finger.

With just that scrape, Lu Chen’s fingertip was cut, skinning a layer off.

Seeing this, Lu Chen frowned slightly.

What material was used to make the tip of these Piercing Cloud Arrows? How could they be so sharp? He was a Grandmaster, after all. Although he had not used his Spiritual Energy, a weapon would need to be quite sharp to cut the skin of someone at the Grandmaster level so easily.

Lu Chen then asked the system in his mind, “System, can you identify the materials used to make the Piercing Cloud Bow and Piercing Cloud Arrows?”

[Detected: The materials used in constructing the Piercing Cloud Bow and Piercing Cloud Arrows are extraterrestrial and do not belong to this world.]

Lu Chen was left feeling speechless; this was basically the same as not saying anything at all. In his heart, he had already guessed that the materials for making the Piercing Cloud Bow and Piercing Cloud Arrows were unlikely to be from this world.

At this time, Lu Chen said to Qin Yushan, “Have you tried the power of the Piercing Cloud Bow?”

Qin Yushan replied, “After receiving these two items, I came straight to the North Prince Mansion and haven’t had the chance to test the power of the Piercing Cloud Bow yet.”

Lu Chen then took the Piercing Cloud Bow and Piercing Cloud Arrows and said, “Come, let’s go to the backyard and test it.”

They then proceeded to the Training Ground in the backyard of the Prince’s Mansion, where Lu Chen had the servants prepare several sets of armor worn by the Black Cavalry and lined those sets up in a row.

Next, Lu Chen drew the bow and released an arrow. With the strength of a Grandmaster like Lu Chen, he easily drew the Piercing Cloud Bow. The moment he released his hold, the Piercing Cloud Arrow shot out with a boom.

The next moment, the line of armor was completely perforated by the Piercing Cloud Arrow. Fortunately, Lu Chen had anticipated the arrow’s power might be substantial and had placed steel plates behind the armor; otherwise, the Piercing Cloud Arrow would have pierced through the courtyard wall and could have injured people outside.

At this time, Lu Chen’s face became serious. There was a sonic boom the moment he released the arrow. Could the rebound force of the Piercing Cloud Bow’s string actually be greater than the kinetic energy produced by gunpowder explosion?

Could it be that exaggerated?

Considering himself a Grandmaster and knowing that even using a regular bow and arrow, the force would be huge. He then handed the Piercing Cloud Bow to Qin Yushan beside him, “Commander Qin, you try to see how powerful this Piercing Cloud Bow is.”

Qin Yushan immediately understood Lu Chen’s intention, took the bow and arrow, picked up a Piercing Cloud Arrow, and shot towards the distant armor.

Lu Chen found that Qin Yushan did not draw the bowstring to its fullest, indicating that even a Grandmaster could not fully draw it, which meant that the bow was obviously not for ordinary people’s use.

It seemed that a minimum strength equivalent to a Fifth Grade Martial Artist was needed to use the Piercing Cloud Bow.

At this moment, Qin Yushan released the string, and the Piercing Cloud Arrow flew out with a whistle, but this time, the power of the Piercing Cloud Arrow was not as great—it only pierced through six sets of armor.

After seeing this, Lu Chen thought for a moment, then said to a nearby Seventh Grade Prince’s Mansion guard, “You try it.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The guard immediately took the Piercing Cloud Bow from Qin Yushan’s hand, picked the last arrow, and aimed at the sets of armor.

By this time, Lu Chen noticed that the Seventh Grade guard was clearly struggling to draw the bow. It matched his expectations: the Piercing Cloud Bow was a weapon crafted for Martial Artists, and ordinary people or low-tier Martial Artists couldn’t handle it.

As the Prince’s Mansion guard released the string, the Piercing Cloud Arrow flew out again with a whistle but this time pierced through only three sets of armor.

In his mind, Lu Chen thought that if that force had these powerful bows and arrows, they would no longer need to fear even the Heavy Cavalry.

The armor of the Heavy Cavalry was perforated in an instant. Before the Heavy Cavalry could engage at close range, they would turn into hedgehogs.

Lu Chen felt somewhat relieved that the North Country had entered the Age of Firearms, meaning they wouldn’t need to fear facing such Piercing Cloud Bows. In battle, if they encountered an insurmountable foe, they could simply cover the area with heavy firepower.

The dynamics of future warfare were bound to change, even in a world with Grandmasters. No matter how formidable a Grandmaster, they could only deal with so many enemies, and the skill within a Grandmaster’s body could be depleted.

Against the continuous bombardment of cannons, even the most formidable Grandmasters couldn’t withstand it, unless they were of the Heavenly Human Realm. However, currently, the major dynasties hardly made public appearances, let alone Celestial-level fighters.

At this time, Lu Chen asked, “Commander Qin, what is the current situation of the battle in the South?”

Qin Yushan replied, “Currently, the Imperial Army has the upper hand, and the Southern rebels are retreating steadily. This is also why the Southern rebels resorted to using the Piercing Cloud Bow.”

Lu Chen said, “I didn’t expect that after the battle with Great Wu, the combat effectiveness of the Imperial Army is still so formidable.”

Qin Yushan added, “Perhaps it’s not that the Imperial Army is too strong but rather the Southern rebels are too weak. Now, the Southern rebels are fighting as individual families, each with its own territory, and they are unhappy with other family forces entering their lands. Under such circumstances, it’s difficult for them to be a formidable force.”