The war progressed smoothly, with victory after victory.
The terrifying strength of the Huaxia Empire instilled fear in the hearts of all the forces in the Southern Region. The Empire's unbroken record of victories shattered their confidence, leaving them too afraid to continue resisting.
As the campaign progressed, the forces in the Southern Region grew increasingly reluctant to even entertain the idea of standing against the Huaxia Empire. Any thoughts of forming alliances to challenge the Empire were quickly dismissed.
The relentless strength of the Huaxia Empire's military and the devastating effectiveness of their soul cannons had worn down their enemies' courage to the point of exhaustion.
Gradually, they began to realize that rather than throwing their lives away in a futile struggle, it was better to disband their forces, offer up their territories, and submit to the Huaxia Empire as the Emperor had demanded. This way, they could at least preserve their lives.
This realization was reinforced by the fact that those who had disbanded their forces and sworn allegiance to the Huaxia Empire through heart demon oaths were not mistreated.
In fact, they were allowed to continue managing their territories, albeit under the authority of a new emperor. Aside from having to answer to someone else, their day-to-day lives remained largely unchanged.
In the past, such an arrangement would have been unthinkable. But now, they had no choice. The Huaxia Empire was simply too powerful, offering no hope of successful resistance.
All they knew was that if they fought against the Huaxia Empire, there was only one possible outcome—defeat and death.
Given this reality, what was the point of resisting?
Because of this, the Huaxia Empire's conquest of the Southern Region accelerated. In many cases, territories were already being annexed into the Empire before the Imperial Army even arrived.
A gentle breeze blew as Zhang Junchen's figure appeared beside Lin Qian. His appearance had grown increasingly youthful.
Since joining the Huaxia Empire and contributing to the improvement of the soul cannons alongside the Heavenly Works Division, Zhang Junchen had rekindled the passion of his younger days, and his appearance had naturally returned to that of his younger, more spirited self.
At this moment, Zhang Junchen's cultivation had already returned to the peak of the Awakening Realm, granting him the power of a hegemon. In the recent battles against the Kuanglang Sect and Guiyuan Valley, two hegemon-level experts had revealed themselves.
Both had met their end at Zhang Junchen's hands.
Despite possessing hegemon-level strength, these two Awakening Realm cultivators were no match for Zhang Junchen. Even Emperor Yuheng could have defeated them single-handedly.
This was why the Yuheng Dominion had always managed to keep the Kuanglang Sect and Guiyuan Valley in check.
The Huaxia Empire's ability to defeat both the Kuanglang Sect and Guiyuan Valley with minimal losses was largely due to Zhang Junchen's contributions.
"Your Majesty, two extremely powerful auras are approaching us from a distance," Zhang Junchen said calmly as he arrived beside Lin Qian. "I estimate that one is Emperor Yuheng, while the other is someone of no small stature. Both should possess hegemon-level strength at the ninth level of the Awakening Realm."
The battle ahead was nearing its end. The Yuan Yu Army, tasked with defending this location, had been slaughtered, and Lin Qian shifted his gaze from the battlefield to the horizon.
"Two hegemon-level experts in the Yuheng Dominion?" Lin Qian asked, slightly surprised as he looked at Zhang Junchen. "Master Zhang, are you certain?"
Zhang Junchen nodded confidently, looking forward. "Not only that, but this person, despite also being at the ninth level of the Awakening Realm, is far stronger than Emperor Yuheng. Even I would struggle to defeat him in a short time."
"But within half an hour, I will have slain him."
Lin Qian nodded, fully trusting Zhang Junchen.
The name of the Sword Array Emperor was not earned in vain. Although Zhang Junchen might not possess a single overwhelming killing move, his sword arrays were formidable in both offense and defense.
His formations, while appearing defensive, always concealed a deadly strike.
As his sword qi continued its relentless assault, the defensive capabilities of his sword array remained impenetrable, leaving no openings for his enemies to exploit.
Often, before his opponents even realized it, Zhang Junchen's sword array had drawn them into a deadly stalemate, where retreat was impossible, and death was inevitable.
This was the terror of the Sword Array Emperor Zhang Junchen—his ability to unknowingly draw opponents into his rhythm, leading them to their deaths without them even realizing it.
Zhang Junchen's immense battle experience, gained from countless duels and near-death encounters, was what had made him such a formidable teacher to Lin Qian.
Wei Wushuang might have saved Lin Qian's life and introduced him to the world of cultivation, but Zhang Junchen had taught him how to fight.
As the powerful auras continued to approach, the figures of Emperor Yuheng and Yun Meng appeared in the distance, soaring through the sky towards Lin Qian.
Boom!
The air exploded as Emperor Yuheng and Yun Meng arrived in front of Lin Qian, looking down at him from the sky.
"Seeing is believing," Emperor Yuheng murmured, his face dark with anger as he surveyed the one-sided battle below.
Next to him, Yun Meng stared intently at Lin Qian. "The resemblance is uncanny. You look just like your mother."
At these words, Lin Qian's expression grew serious as he looked back at Yun Meng. "Who are you? Are you from the Yun family in the Central Domain?"
"Yes, I am Yun Meng. Though I am from a side branch of the Yun family, your mother would have had to greet me respectfully as 'brother.'" Yun Meng's tone was arrogant as he looked down at Lin Qian. "Your grandfather is an adopted son of the Old Ancestor, but your grandmother was merely a woman from a side branch of the Yun family, a woman of low status. So your mother isn't that noble."
"Moreover, she disgraced our family by eloping and giving birth to you," Yun Meng continued, his voice filled with scorn as he saw the unease on Lin Qian's face. "In the eyes of the Yun family, you're nothing more than a bastard, an abomination that should not exist in this world."
"Therefore, today I will cleanse our family by eliminating you."
Zhang Junchen's face darkened upon hearing Yun Meng's words. Lin Qian was not only his emperor but also his disciple, having inherited all the battle experience Zhang Junchen had passed on to him.
Though he didn't know the exact nature of the grudge between Lin Qian and Yun Meng, hearing his disciple being called a bastard and an abomination was intolerable.
"You filthy trash!" A furious, guttural roar suddenly echoed from afar. Though the figure had not yet arrived, the sheer anger in the voice was unmistakable.
Though the person had yet to reveal themselves, the volcanic rage in their words was palpable to all who heard them.
"His Majesty is of the highest nobility, and you, vile creature, dare to speak so recklessly? It's utterly unforgivable! Even being cut into a thousand pieces wouldn't be enough to atone for your sins."
"Scum, filth, lowly garbage!!!"
Recognizing the familiar tirade, Lin Qian looked at Yun Meng with a mix of pity and sympathy. "You've angered my crazy fan. You're done for, do you know that?"