Yun Zhi, one of the mighty Yun family elders, now lay defeated, his battered body crashing toward the ground. The terrifying force from Zhao Long's Tai Dragon Spear had finally overwhelmed him. His meridians and dantian were completely destroyed, and his heart had been shattered to pieces. Yun Zhi's soul was rapidly fading, drifting toward the inevitability of death.
Despite the intensity of the battle, the entire fight had taken place over a very short span of time. By the time Yun Xiang and Yun Gao arrived, they were only met with the sight of Yun Zhi's lifeless body falling from the sky.
"Big Brother... he's..." Yun Xiang and Yun Gao, who had just rushed over, were stunned by what they saw. They could not accept the reality before them. Their elder brother, who had always been so powerful, had died at the hands of a group of Awakening Realm soul cultivators!
"Let's up the difficulty a bit now—two enemies at once," Lin Qian muttered, a grin spreading across his face as he watched Yun Xiang and Yun Gao approach, drawn by the commotion.
Meanwhile, the thousands of warriors Lin Qian had summoned from the Hua Xia Empire were swiftly downing recovery potions, their states rapidly improving. Their eyes burned with fighting spirit as they set their sights on Yun Xiang and Yun Gao.
For reasons they could not understand, Yun Gao and Yun Xiang felt a chill in their hearts as they locked eyes with the group before them. Normally, any soul cultivator at the Awakening Realm would cower before Transcendence Realm experts like themselves, showing only fear and despair.
But this group of Awakening Realm cultivators was different. Their gazes were full of fierce fighting spirit and deadly intent. There was no trace of fear in their eyes—instead, they seemed excited, eager for the battle.
"Who are these strange people, and where did they come from?" Yun Gao thought, a sense of unease growing within him as he observed the enemy.
Yun Xiang gulped nervously. He and his brother had clearly witnessed their elder brother Yun Zhi fall from the sky just moments earlier.
In other words, the ones who had killed their elder brother were standing right in front of them.
"Even with tens of thousands of Awakening Realm cultivators, they shouldn't have been able to kill Big Brother," Yun Xiang murmured, his voice trembling. "But... they did. Which means..."
"Already beaten by their own fear before the fight has even begun," Emperor Lin remarked with a sigh as he watched the scene play out. After witnessing the terrifying coordination of the Hua Xia Soul Formation, he realized that the two Yun family elders were likely doomed.
No.
More accurately, they were destined to die at the hands of his son.
After all, Lin Qian had been directing every move of the battle from the start. Emperor Lin and Yun Yunyan were both shocked to discover that Lin Qian had been able to anticipate nearly all of Yun Zhi's moves, issuing precise orders to counter him at every turn.
They found it hard to believe. Yun Zhi had been a Transcendence Realm soul cultivator for over a thousand years, a veteran whose vast experience should have made him an unstoppable force. Yet he had been outplayed by Lin Qian.
"Qian'er, your experience in battle is far richer than I ever imagined," Yun Yunyan remarked softly, pride and admiration clear in her voice.
"That's because I had the guidance of two remarkable teachers," Lin Qian explained, not taking his eyes off the battle as he continued issuing commands. "One was Wei Wushuang, who saved my life. The other was Zhang Juncheng, the Sword Array Emperor of the Southern Domain. He taught me many things."
Lin Qian spoke calmly, but his eyes remained fixed on the virtual display before him, fully engrossed in the battle. His orders echoed through the small wooden house:
"Zhao Long, when you're engaging one of them, can the Shield and Phalanx warriors please coordinate with the Berserkers and Blood Warriors?"
"What are you doing? When the enemy starts gathering soul energy, all of you with control-type abilities—why are you just standing there? Are you trying to be mascots or something?"
Emperor Lin and Yun Yunyan exchanged glances, both showing a mixture of amusement and helplessness. Their son, despite all the time that had passed, still had the same gentle demeanor they remembered. But his temper... This was the first time they had seen him this worked up.
What they didn't know was that in Lin Qian's previous life, video games had the ability to turn even the calmest person into a fiery and demanding leader during a battle. The scene before Lin Qian was too reminiscent of those intense gaming moments.
As the battle dragged on, the challenge of simultaneously dealing with two powerful Transcendence Realm enemies became apparent. The ranks of the Hua Xia warriors began to dwindle as some of the generals and beast commanders fell.
At the same time, however, Yun Xiang and Yun Gao were also weakening, their injuries piling up with each passing moment.
"Qian'er, why don't we join in?" Emperor Lin and Yun Yunyan, unable to bear watching their son's forces suffer further losses, offered to intervene.
"No, Father, Mother, this is our battle. Don't interfere," Lin Qian replied firmly, his focus never leaving the battlefield.
For the warriors of the Hua Xia Empire, dying in battle for their emperor was the highest honor. If Emperor Lin and Yun Yunyan intervened, it would taint the purity of the fight.
This was Lin Qian's battle and the battle of his Hua Xia Empire, and he wanted to see it through to the end.
He also wanted to push his forces to their limit, to see just how far the coordination and teamwork of the Hua Xia warriors could take them against such powerful foes.
Yun Xiang—slain. Yun Gao—slain.
By the time the battle ended, only seven thousand of the original ten thousand Hua Xia warriors remained. Yet the two Yun family elders had been vanquished.
In the aftermath, as the surviving warriors floated in the air, wounded but victorious, they all turned to face the direction of Lin Qian's wooden house. Led by Zhao Long, they dropped to one knee in unison, saluting their emperor.
The display within the wooden house showed the warriors kneeling before Lin Qian.
"Your Majesty, we have succeeded!"
The golden glow that had surrounded the Hua Xia warriors began to fade as Lin Qian relinquished his control, but the setting sun cast its light upon their armor, causing it to shine like gold.
"The casualties weren't too severe. Replenishing the resources for these warriors and beast commanders won't take too much," Lin Qian said with pride as he gazed at the scene before him.
After all, the Hua Xia Empire was his creation, nurtured and developed to this point. It was as if they were his own children.
Emperor Lin and Yun Yunyan, standing beside him, couldn't understand why their son seemed so unconcerned about the loss of his warriors. His strange, detached remarks left them bewildered.