The Huaxia Empire's massive army had gathered on the outskirts of Yuheng Dominion's twenty-seven provinces. The imposing Lin Kong-class warships, loaded with imperial troops, moved forward, employing the same battle tactics as before.
However, as they approached the towering city ahead, the relentless advance of the Huaxia Empire's formidable forces was finally halted. The city, with its imposing walls and formidable defenses, loomed large, preventing any further progress.
Lin Qian, standing at the forefront of the Renhuang Wudi warship, gazed intently at the city before him.
He had to admit, Yuheng Dominion was indeed far wealthier than ordinary forces. The sheer scale of the city ahead was proof of that. It was as vast as a small country, with mountains and lakes within its borders, stretching far beyond the horizon.
Suspended in mid-air above the city was the Yuheng Dominion's Round Jade Army, their expressions tense as they kept a wary eye on the approaching enemy.
They had heard of the terrifying power of the Huaxia Empire's forces. But witnessing it firsthand, they finally understood why there had been no reports of the Huaxia Empire losing a single battle. One by one, the forces of the Southern Region had fallen to their unstoppable advance.
The colossal warships, gleaming with an ominous metallic sheen, slowly emerged from the clouds like gigantic metal beasts, hunting for their next prey.
Though these hulking war machines were just lifeless constructs, the soldiers of Yuheng Dominion felt an overwhelming sense of dread.
As the ships drew closer, they could clearly see the neatly arrayed Imperial troops, fully armored, practically bristling with weapons.
Even from a distance, the soul armor of the Huaxia Empire's soldiers appeared more impressive and imposing than their own.
Despite this, the morale of Yuheng Dominion's soldiers remained steady, as they had their own trump card.
The Warbeast Army lay hidden at the rear, awaiting orders, while ten Lin Kong-class warships lined up in a row just below the Renhuang Wudi. The Imperial troops aboard the warships stood ready, with the generals positioned at the front, prepared for battle.
Further back, two assault ships awaited Lin Qian's command. At his order, they would accelerate and crash into anything that stood in the Empire's way, smashing all obstacles to pieces.
In the distance, on another warship, heavy siege soul cannons were being assembled from numerous components by the male craftsmen of the Fire Engineering Department. Once ready, these cannons would be aimed squarely at the city of Yuheng Dominion.
However, as the sight of these siege cannons, along with the soul cannons mounted on the Lin Kong-class warships, became clear, the Yuheng Dominion's Round Jade Army officers displayed a look of satisfaction.
Despite the fact that many Southern Region forces had developed methods to counter the soul cannons, it was Yuheng Dominion that had initially devised the strategy.
While they had generously shared this method with other Southern Region forces—albeit in exchange for soul crystals—what they hadn't revealed was that the method they shared was only a half-completed version, lacking full effectiveness.
In short, Yuheng Dominion had deliberately misled the other forces, providing them with an incomplete array that couldn't fully counter the soul cannons.
Upon seeing the multitude of cannons being set up, the Round Jade Army officers appeared relieved, as if they were eagerly awaiting the Huaxia Empire to deploy its cannons.
Lin Qian, fully aware of what Yuheng Dominion's forces were thinking, raised the Imperial Sword in his hand and pointed it forward. "Fire!"
At his command, the swift scouts of the Huaxia Empire quickly moved into position, launching metal discs containing the formation virus towards the enemy's formation. As the metal discs made contact, the virus rapidly infiltrated and began to corrupt the internal structure.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Simultaneously, all the soul cannons fired in unison, unleashing a deafening barrage of soul power beams.
"Hahaha! Huaxia Empire, prepare to witness the might of Yuheng Dominion!" The Round Jade Army's generals laughed arrogantly as the soul cannons fired.
At the same time, formation masters from Yuheng Dominion stepped forward, activating their soul tools—arrays that instantly projected intricate formation patterns into the sky. These patterns formed the formidable Jade Return Array, a barrier that would reflect the incoming soul power back at its source.
The Jade Return Array was the proud creation of Yuheng Dominion's chief formation master, Master Qianyu, specifically designed to counter the Huaxia Empire's soul cannons. Though he didn't fully understand how the Huaxia Empire's cannons channeled soul power so effectively, he knew they were purely energy-based attacks devoid of any martial artist's will.
This pure soul power could be easily reflected back with the right formation.
The Huaxia Empire's soul cannon assault was overwhelming, exactly what Yuheng Dominion had hoped for. The stronger the attack, the more devastating the counterstrike when it was reflected back.
As for why other forces had failed, it was likely due to the fact that Yuheng Dominion had withheld the complete Jade Return Array, giving them only a half-baked version that lacked the power of their own fully realized formation.
"A most impressive formation, indeed. It can certainly reflect the Empire's soul cannon attacks," Lin Qian's voice suddenly echoed, loud enough for everyone in Yuheng Dominion to hear.
Standing at the forefront of the Renhuang Wudi, Lin Qian gazed at the Jade Return Array with a look of admiration. "But this formation has a fatal flaw. It can only block attacks from one direction."
"In other words, it can only defend against attacks from the front. And you know this well, which is why you only deploy the array when the cannons fire. However..."
As Lin Qian spoke, the once-straight beams of soul power suddenly bent at a ninety-degree angle, shooting upwards into the sky.
With the connection between the cannons and the beams severed, there was now nothing standing between Lin Qian and the Round Jade Army. Both sides could see each other clearly.
The redirected beams of soul power now rained down like a meteor shower from above.
Looking at the dumbfounded faces of the Yuheng Dominion's forces, Lin Qian sighed. "It must be disappointing for you to realize that my soul cannons can change direction."