The self-destruction of the Assault Warship was like a fire demon, instantly devouring everything around it, engulfing the entire Zhenyuan Mountain range.
Many disciples of the Zhenyuan Sect didn't even have time to scream before they were incinerated into ashes by the roaring flames, as if they had never existed.
The Zhenyuan Sect's Sect Master stared at the fiery red glow of the flames illuminating his face, stunned. "That... that was worth two billion high-grade soul crystals... and it just..."
Even now, the Sect Master of the Zhenyuan Sect couldn't comprehend it. Such a valuable Assault Warship had been detonated, all for the sake of a fleeting moment of pride. Was it really worth it?
From within the sea of fire, a few Awakening Realm cultivators managed to escape, and some of the more powerful peak Life and Death Realm disciples, who were on the outskirts of the explosion, also survived unharmed.
In fact, the Zhenyuan Sect was not a weak force. It had a considerable number of exceptionally talented disciples. While cultivation level is a measure of strength, true combat power depends on many factors. So far, the only person Lin Qian had seen who could rival the split souls of those from the Four Directions World was Bade of the Redhorn Clan.
Aside from him, Lin Qian believed that once Ye Xin advanced to the Awakening Realm, she would also reach that level.
Although Lin Qian had ultimately won the battle against the Four Directions World and overwhelmed his opponents with sheer numbers, the enemy had been formidable—one of the best among Awakening Realm cultivators, with extraordinary talent.
Now, Lin Qian's summoned Imperial Army, though still at the peak of the Life and Death Realm, could easily surround and kill a typical Awakening Realm cultivator with just a thousand-man unit.
However, this was limited to ordinary Awakening Realm cultivators.
The beings Lin Qian encountered from the Four Directions World had only been avatars, suggesting that their true forms were far more powerful.
Fortunately, the Empire's generals had emerged, their presence making future conquests much easier.
As for the surviving disciples of the Zhenyuan Sect, the moment they appeared, they were ruthlessly slaughtered by the surrounding Imperial Army, without any mercy.
War is brutally unforgiving—there is no room for pity.
Since these Southern Region forces had provoked the Huaxia Empire and initiated conflict, they had to face its harsh consequences.
The current Imperial Army was vastly different from the one that had fought the Qin Dynasty. Now composed entirely of mid-tier elite units, their combat power had undergone a massive transformation, even if their cultivation levels remained the same.
The Zhenyuan Sect's Sect Master believed the Huaxia Empire's challenge to the entire Southern Region was reckless arrogance.
In reality, the Huaxia Empire was more than capable of doing so.
"Did you know that after the Huaxia Empire's assault on the Qin Dynasty, other Southern Region forces witnessed the Empire's strength? Yet they still thought they could take us down," Lin Qian said, shaking his head slightly as he looked at the dazed Sect Master of the Zhenyuan Sect.
"But you're wrong. Once that Assault Warship breached your mountain gate's formation, the soul cannons on the Skyborne Warships could have easily leveled your entire sect."
"That would have been much more efficient, but do you know why I chose to detonate the Assault Warship instead?"
The Zhenyuan Sect's Sect Master, still in shock from the sight of his annihilated sect, slowly shook his head.
"Convenience, speed—I like it!" Lin Qian's words left the Sect Master of the Zhenyuan Sect stunned, speechless.
For Lin Qian, a lower-tier Assault Warship was nothing; the Huaxia Empire on the Mystical Star was teeming with them.
Moreover, the stronger Lin Qian became, the more powerful the Huaxia Empire could become.
The Huaxia Empire, which had once stagnated in the game world of Lin Qian's previous life, was now evolving through its collision with the cultivation world of this one, growing ever stronger.
The Empire's soul power, enhanced by the people's will, with Ye Xin seated as the Empress, were just some of the changes that promised an even brighter future for the Empire.
After all, the Huaxia Empire's territory now housed real, living people.
In the next moment, the Sect Master of the Zhenyuan Sect erupted with soul power, unleashing his formidable Awakening Realm energy, breaking free of Lin Qian's grip.
Just as the Sect Master attempted to retreat, Lin Qian's soul power-infused right hand grabbed him by the throat once more.
The Sect Master's protective soul power was instantly torn apart, and Lin Qian's right hand, suffused with Imperial soul power, seized him, immobilizing the Sect Master, rendering him completely powerless to resist.
"Sect Master, you are truly a weakling," Lin Qian remarked with a smile as he tightened his grip on the Sect Master's throat. "Even three of my Awakening Realm six-star generals could probably take you down."
"But when I fought an alien prince from the Four Directions World, who was also a seven-star Awakening Realm cultivator, it would have taken two or three hundred of my men to bring him down."
Lin Qian's grip tightened, Imperial soul power surging into the Sect Master's body, shattering his meridians and vital organs.
"The one who doesn't understand their limits is you, Sect Master of the Zhenyuan Sect." Lin Qian's eyes flashed as he exerted more force, and with a crack, the Sect Master's eyes widened as his life force was extinguished.
In the next instant, a surge of lightning erupted from Lin Qian's Imperial soul power, reducing the Sect Master's corpse to ashes, which scattered into the wind.
The destruction of the Zhenyuan Sect was merely a footnote—a minor event compared to the fall of the Qin Dynasty. It was nothing significant.
Lin Qian's gaze shifted toward the distant horizon, in the direction of the Yuheng Dominion.
This was where everything began—the Yuheng Dominion was the instigator.
With the fall of the Zhenyuan Sect, the advance of the Huaxia Army would not stop.
With the Zhenyuan Sect no longer standing in their way, the Huaxia Army could now march directly towards the Yuheng Dominion, though their pace would slow down.
In the sky ahead, the pace of the Huaxia Army's advance was quickening. The coordinated efforts of the Imperial Army and the Warbeast Army ensured that the Huaxia Empire's powerful war machine continued to grind forward, crushing any who dared to stand in its way.
When it came to the Yuheng Dominion, Lin Qian planned to encircle it from all sides, overwhelming them with such force that they would be utterly unable to retaliate.
This would serve as a stern warning to the other forces in the Southern Region, showing them the consequences of provoking the Huaxia Empire.
As news of the Zhenyuan Sect's destruction spread, the remaining Southern Region forces grew increasingly uneasy.
Three months had passed since the Huaxia Empire declared war on the entire Southern Region. During that time, reports of other forces being obliterated by the Huaxia Empire had continued to surface.
Fear now gripped the entire Southern Region.
When the Huaxia Empire first declared war, many leaders of these forces believed that Lin Qian had lost his mind, making such a foolish decision.
But in just three months, the Huaxia Empire's actions had delivered a resounding slap in the face to each of them.
The Southern Region had finally come to understand the truth behind Lin Qian's words—they had begun to fear the Huaxia Empire.