What they didn't realize was that the Huaxia Empire's Imperial Army and Beast Army had not yet unleashed their full power.
In the previous game, generals and beast commanders could fully unleash the army's combat strength only after leading them in battle. Another way to boost power was for the player to personally lead the troops.
Lin Qian's talent for imperial dominance included a skill tree with the "Imperial Command" skill, which exponentially increased the strength of the Imperial Army and Beast Army.
In the earlier battles, Lin Qian hadn't used Imperial Command for either the Imperial Army or the Beast Army. It was only when facing the Qin Imperial Guard that he decided to activate this skill.
Lin Qian wanted the Huaxia Army, composed of the Imperial Army and Beast Army, to demonstrate their invincible might to the world.
Since the Qin Dynasty had boasted of their strength, Lin Qian would show them the power of the Huaxia Empire. If they viewed the Qin Imperial Guard as their trump card, Lin Qian would ensure that this so-called sharp blade was shattered.
The combat prowess of the Huaxia Empire had already exceeded everyone's expectations. No one could have imagined that this empire, which originated from the remote Linhai Province in the far south of the Southern Region, would possess such terrifying strength.
In fact, many people in the Southern Region began to speculate that the Huaxia Empire was the cause of the strange occurrences in the Southern Nine Provinces. But for now, their focus remained on the ongoing war between the Qin Dynasty and the Huaxia Empire.
The Southern Eight Provinces of the Qin Dynasty had completely fallen, and the Huaxia Empire now stood at the gates of the imperial capital, poised for battle.
Throughout the war, Qin Ling Tian, the emperor of the Qin Dynasty, had remained in the capital. The reason was unclear to most, but it was well-known that the emperor could only exert his full power within the vicinity of the imperial capital. As the ruler of the Qin Dynasty, his place was in the heart of the empire.
However, a rumor had spread that Qin Ling Tian had once engaged in battle with the three elders—Fang Shuiwen, Zhou Yi'an, and Yang Guixiang—but was ultimately defeated. To ensure his safety, he chose to retreat to the imperial capital, intending to fight to the death within its protective aura.
The imperial capital, being the center of the Qin Dynasty's fortunes, could indeed multiply Qin Ling Tian's power.
Although this was just a rumor, Lin Qian knew it to be true.
The terrifying conquest of the Huaxia Empire had shaken Qin Ling Tian to his core. Three months earlier, he had secretly left the capital, only to be discovered by the three elders, who quickly engaged him in battle.
The fight ended swiftly, with the three elders far exceeding Lin Qian's expectations. Within a short span of time, Qin Ling Tian was defeated and forced to flee.
While Qin Ling Tian was indeed powerful and had greatly improved since his return from the Central Region, his escape was swift enough that even the three elders couldn't capture him immediately.
Thus, Lin Qian knew that Qin Ling Tian had been thoroughly frightened by the elders and now planned to use the capital's aura to bolster his strength for one final showdown.
Even though Qin Ling Tian had deployed the Qin Imperial Guard, Lin Qian saw it as nothing more than a desperate last stand.
Hovering above the Qin Dynasty's imperial capital, Lin Qian's massive warship loomed menacingly. The Huaxia Army, composed of the Imperial Army and Beast Army, had surrounded the capital, their eyes fixed on the trembling Qin Imperial Guard.
In truth, fear filled the eyes of the Qin Imperial Guard as they gazed upon the Huaxia Army.
The current Qin Imperial Guard stationed in the capital was only half of its original size. The other half had been completely annihilated by the Huaxia Army, with no survivors returning.
As the guards looked upon the finely crafted soul armor of the Huaxia Army and compared it to their own once-prized armor, they felt a mixture of jealousy and envy.
The Qin Dynasty's artificers, too, were in a frenzy, their hair disheveled as they howled in despair at the sight of the Huaxia Army's superior armor. Even the armor worn by the beasts surpassed anything they had crafted, leaving them utterly devastated.
Observers from other forces in the Southern Region watched the Qin Imperial Guard with keen interest. Seeing the fear etched on their faces, they knew that the guard's morale had all but vanished. There was no longer any courage left to face the Huaxia Army in battle.
They believed that once the Huaxia Empire launched its full assault, the once-formidable Qin Imperial Guard would crumble in record time.
In their eyes, the Qin Imperial Guard's fighting power had been reduced to a mere shadow of its former self.
Another puzzling matter was that the imperial capital's defensive formation had been deactivated.
The capital's formation was crucial, yet the Qin Dynasty had inexplicably chosen to shut it down, leaving everyone baffled. Had Qin Ling Tian been so rattled by the Huaxia Empire's relentless advance that he had made such a foolish decision?
In reality, Qin Ling Tian wasn't at fault. The Huaxia Empire's formation virus had rendered the Qin Dynasty's formation experts powerless, forcing them to shut down the capital's defenses to prevent further corruption.
The only remaining defense was the capital's lingering aura, which still provided some strength to Qin Ling Tian.
"Emperor Qin, are you still hiding inside, refusing to come out?" Lin Qian's stern voice rang out from the front of the warship as he frowned.
Yet, no response came from within the imperial capital. Only the fearful gazes of the Qin Imperial Guard remained fixed on the Huaxia Army.
"Qin Ling Tian, Qin Ba Tian!" Lin Qian called out the names of the old and new emperors of the Qin Dynasty, his voice reverberating through the air. "Come out and face me in battle!"
But once again, no response came from the capital.
Sensing that something was amiss, Lin Qian frowned deeply. After a moment of contemplation, he raised his hand and pointed toward the Qin Dynasty's capital.
"Attack!"
At Lin Qian's command, the Huaxia Army surged forward, and the soul cannons aboard the warship roared to life.
The Qin Imperial Guard, tasked with defending the capital, had no ability to resist the Huaxia Empire's forces. Their confidence shattered, they offered little resistance as the Huaxia Army pressed their assault.
The conquest of the Qin Dynasty's capital proceeded more smoothly than Lin Qian had anticipated. It wasn't until the capital was fully captured that he realized what had happened.
As news spread, observers from other Southern Region forces were left dumbfounded, unable to believe what they were hearing.
The climactic battle they had expected within the Qin Dynasty's capital had ended in a completely unforeseen manner, far beyond their imagination.