The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

Despite being labeled as cannon fodder, the 700,000 vanguard troops of the Qin Dynasty were far from weak in strength. As the vanguard, their role was to scout and engage first, often resulting in heavy casualties, which earned them the derogatory title of "cannon fodder." However, the entire 700,000 vanguard army that had surrounded the area was now completely annihilated. The enormous warship, resembling an ancient beast, hovered not far away, while the Huaxia Empire's troops returned to the ship like a receding tide, including those who had been lying in ambush within the river.

Knowing the destination of the Eighth Elder in advance, Lin Qian had preemptively ordered his forces to lie in wait at the riverbed. For added caution, he even set up an illusionary formation to conceal their presence.

"Who... who exactly are you people?" The vanguard general, trembling, struggled and screamed at Lin Qian. The overwhelming sight of the airborne warship had shattered his understanding of warfare. This massive metal construct, unlike any cloud ship he had ever seen, was clearly built solely for war. Moreover, the soldiers who had disembarked from the warship were far better equipped than the Qin Dynasty's troops. A mere force of 200,000 had wiped out his 700,000-strong vanguard.

Especially terrifying were the multicolored soul power beams fired from the warship's cannons. Their power rivaled the full-strength attack of a Soul Realm expert, and the cannons unleashed them continuously, without fatigue.

"I'm Lin Qian, Emperor of the Huaxia Empire. Haven't you heard of me?"

Lin Qian then turned the vanguard general and the Eighth Elder around to face the heart of the Qin Dynasty's territory. "Look closely. The Yellow Dragons rising across your Qin Dynasty's lands are forming an array. In three days, the entire Qin Dynasty will be enveloped by the Huaxia Empire's formation."

Their pupils contracted as they stared at the sight in the distance. What they saw was beyond comprehension. Across the vast expanse of the Qin Dynasty's territory, unfamiliar golden pillars of light pierced the sky. From the tops of these pillars, a soft yellow light spread outwards, enveloping everything below.

The skies above the border cities of Yushui, Yunshui, and Bishui were already completely covered by these lights, and their color was gradually fading as the formation took hold.

"You thought calling ourselves an empire was arrogant? That declaring myself emperor was overreaching?" Lin Qian patted them on the shoulders, shaking his head with a smirk. "In truth, I was simply stating the facts."

With that, Lin Qian turned to the Grand Elder and the others. "I'll leave the cleanup to you. Then, return and report to the three elders. For the upcoming war with the Qin Dynasty, we'll only need the strength of the elders. The rest shouldn't get involved and cause unnecessary complications."

With those parting words, Lin Qian flew towards the massive warship. The metal beast slowly turned and began its journey towards Yushui City.

The elders watched silently as the gigantic warship disappeared into the distance, still grappling with the shock of what they had just witnessed.

When the Grand Elder finally snapped out of his daze, he turned to face the Eighth Elder and the vanguard general, his eyes filled with cold, murderous intent.

High above the two regions, Zhou Yi'an watched as Fang Shuiwen and Yang Guixiang returned to his side. He could see from their expressions that they had been deeply shaken by what they had seen. As seasoned veterans, it took something truly extraordinary to leave them so rattled.

Unable to suppress his curiosity, Zhou Yi'an quickly asked what had happened.

With a strange expression, Fang Shuiwen took a moment to collect his thoughts before responding. "The entire Qin Dynasty—its 32 provinces, excluding the capital—every single city is now encased in those golden dragon pillars."

"And the border cities of Yushui, Yunshui, and Bishui have fallen," Yang Guixiang added, gazing toward the distant cities with a sense of awe. "A force of just 100,000 Huaxia soldiers completely wiped out 300,000 city guards. The Huaxia Empire... it's far from simple."

Yang Guixiang had personally witnessed the sudden appearance of Huaxia soldiers as they stormed Yushui City, utterly annihilating the city guards and taking full control. Similarly, Lin Qian's subordinates Lei Qian and Gao Benliang had led their respective forces to successfully seize control of Yunshui and Bishui.

The border cities of the Qin Dynasty's Shunshui Province, which had been fortified with a substantial garrison, were now fully under Huaxia control. The Qin Dynasty had stationed a million vanguard troops in these cities, but they had all been lured away to lay an ambush, leaving the cities vulnerable.

The Qin Dynasty's planners had assumed that the three factions would focus solely on the ambush and wouldn't attempt to seize the cities. They had believed that after eliminating the ambush force, they could simply return to defend the cities.

But they had underestimated the Huaxia Empire. It was not a small, insignificant nation as they had thought, but a ferocious beast, hidden in plain sight.

"And you wouldn't believe what happened at the Yuanye River," Zhou Yi'an said, still shaken as he recounted what he had observed.

After his two companions had left, Zhou Yi'an had expanded his soul sense to monitor the situation. He was prepared to intervene if Lin Qian's life was in danger, but to his surprise, a powerful presence had locked onto him—none other than the current Qin Emperor, Qin Lingtian.

Zhou Yi'an knew that if he acted, Qin Lingtian would too. Despite the distance between them, at their level of power, intervening from afar was no problem.

However, events had taken an unexpected turn. Lin Qian, who had appeared to be caught in an ambush, had instead orchestrated a counter-ambush. When the massive airborne warship had charged onto the battlefield, even Zhou Yi'an had felt his breath catch, and he had sensed Qin Lingtian's aura waver as well.

In the end, Qin Lingtian's presence had receded, while Zhou Yi'an had remained motionless. There was no need for him to act. Lin Qian's Huaxia Empire had utterly overwhelmed the Qin Dynasty's forces, its strength far beyond Zhou Yi'an's expectations.

As Zhou Yi'an finished his tale, Fang Shuiwen and Yang Guixiang were left speechless, staring out over the Qin Dynasty's territory.

They couldn't help but recall Lin Qian's words—that the Huaxia Empire could handle this war on its own.

It seemed that Lin Qian had been telling the truth. The Huaxia Empire truly could destroy the Qin Dynasty.

The three elders were certain of one thing: the name of the Huaxia Empire would soon echo throughout the Southern Domain, becoming a force that no one could afford to ignore.