The intentions of the six Awakening Realm experts were clear to Lin Qian—they intended to engage him in close combat. At that moment, only one thought crossed Lin Qian's mind: "Are these six idiots? They actually want to fight me up close?"
As Lin Qian pondered this, the six Awakening Realm experts had already closed in on him, raising their soul-forged weapons, their soul energy flickering along the weapon surfaces as they prepared to strike.
As their weapons came crashing down, Lin Qian's pupils contracted, and the immense power of his body erupted. He swung the Thunder Night Sword in a sweeping arc, slashing at the six Awakening Realm experts in a circular motion.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Six thunderous collisions echoed as cracks appeared on the six experts' soul-forged weapons. Metal fragments even chipped off from the weapons.
The faces of the six Awakening Realm experts from the Qin Dynasty changed drastically. They felt an overwhelming force transmitted from their weapons, surging up their arms and flooding their entire bodies.
Splurt...
Deep gashes appeared on the right arms of the six experts, their muscles twisted, and blood spurted from the wounds. They could no longer hold onto their weapons securely and had to quickly switch to their left hands.
Their expensive soul armor was torn apart by the powerful force, with the right sleeves shredded and the soul energy aura dimmed, showing clear signs of damage.
The six experts were sent flying backward like cannonballs, crashing into the Qin Dynasty's army formations.
As they barreled through the ranks, many soldiers were struck and sent flying, coughing up blood. Six clear paths were created through the army as the experts collided with hundreds of soldiers before finally stabilizing themselves. Blood trickled from their mouths as they stared in horror at Lin Qian, who continued to charge toward them.
"What... What just happened?" The general who had earlier suggested the plan spat out blood, his body trembling.
They were Awakening Realm experts, even if only at the first stage, they had still endured the four great tribulations of the soul!
But who was this Lin Qian? A mere Life and Death Realm cultivator had just sent all six of them flying with a single sword strike, leaving them utterly powerless. The humiliation was palpable.
Yet, in Lin Qian's eyes, these six Awakening Realm experts were nothing. If not for the abundant resources and spiritual energy of the vast Qin Dynasty, they would never have reached the Awakening Realm.
Such Awakening Realm cultivators were not worth Lin Qian's concern.
As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot. After sending the six experts flying, Lin Qian accelerated his charge, pursuing them in the direction they had been thrown.
Once again, Lin Qian swung his sword in a powerful arc as he entered the heart of the enemy formation. Lightning roared as it blasted outward, clearing a vast space around him and scattering the Qin Dynasty soldiers.
"I'm truly curious why you thought it was a good idea to engage me in close combat," Lin Qian said with a smirk as he quickly closed the distance to the general who had spoken earlier. He raised the Thunder Night Sword and continued, "Back in Linhai Province, they called me the 'Young Emperor.' Everyone knew that fighting me in close combat was suicide."
His tone was laced with mockery, and as the aura of imperial majesty burst forth from him, the surrounding Qin Dynasty soldiers were overwhelmed with fear, cold sweat running down their backs as they struggled to breathe.
Referring to himself as "Zhen" (the imperial "I"), Lin Qian fully embraced his emperor's aura.
Even Lin Qian hadn't realized it yet, but the discomfort he had once felt when calling himself "Zhen" had vanished. Now, it rolled off his tongue naturally, with no hesitation.
The general in front of Lin Qian stared in terror at the descending Thunder Night Sword. Desperately, he raised his weapon to block.
Boom! A massive impact followed. Blood splattered in the air, mingling with the fragments of the general's shattered weapon. The general looked down and realized that his left arm had been obliterated by Lin Qian's overwhelming force.
Splurt! The black blade of the Thunder Night Sword, crackling with crimson-gold lightning, pierced through the general's dantian. Blood gushed from his mouth as his eyes widened in disbelief.
The black blade had entered through his abdomen and exited through his back. He could feel his soul energy rapidly dissipating, along with his life force.
The lightning surged from his dantian, spreading throughout his body. Without soul energy to protect him, his body was no match for the ravaging lightning.
His blood dried up, and his body disintegrated into golden ashes, scattering in the wind along with the fragments of his weapon.
Another Awakening Realm expert from the Qin Dynasty had fallen, his life snuffed out by Lin Qian.
"General Shi Hao!" Nearby, several soldiers from the Eight Divisions Regular Army cried out in disbelief as they saw their general reduced to ash. Their eyes turned bloodshot with rage as they charged at Lin Qian, driven by fury.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! At that moment, massive arrows streaked through the sky, piercing the soldiers who had rushed at Lin Qian, impaling them in a line like skewered meat.
The arrows, fired from the rear ranks of the Imperial Army, carried immense power, striking down the soldiers before they could even reach Lin Qian. The force of the arrows sent the soldiers hurtling back into the Qin Dynasty's formations.
The arrows led the charge before the soldiers.
As Lin Qian burst into the enemy ranks, the gap between him and the rest of the Imperial Army widened. Even though the Imperial Army was still far from the Qin Dynasty's formation, the sharpshooters at the back had already begun picking off enemy soldiers from a distance.
Like meteors, the massive arrows shot past Lin Qian, carving a path through the Qin Dynasty's ranks, leading directly to the heart of the enemy formation.
Lin Qian floated in the air, his Thunder Night Sword ablaze with golden flames and crackling with crimson lightning. The sound of dragons echoed from the sword as the aura of imperial majesty weighed down on the battlefield.
No Qin Dynasty soldier dared approach Lin Qian. Their eyes were filled with fear as they looked up at him.
Lin Qian stood tall like an emperor, gazing down upon the battlefield as if the Qin soldiers were nothing more than traitors, and he was there to punish them.
Meanwhile, the Huaxia Formation surrounding the three border cities had been completed, and the golden light representing the Huaxia Empire was now spreading deeper into the Qin Dynasty's territory.
Raising his Thunder Night Sword, Lin Qian pointed its tip toward the Qin Dynasty's capital. His aura erupted fully as he declared:
"From this day forth, I, leading the Huaxia Empire, formally declare war on the Qin Dynasty. Those who dare to stand with them, do not expect mercy!"