The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

Above the Qin Dynasty's imperial capital, a streak of light flew rapidly from the distant horizon, landing directly in front of a grand palace at the center of the city. The palace radiated intense light from the protective arrays that surrounded it, guarded by well-equipped soldiers and numerous powerful individuals, exuding the aura of the Awakening Realm.

The streak of light revealed itself as none other than the current Qin Emperor, Qin Lingtian. After returning from Shunshui Province, his expression was filled with urgency as he rushed towards the palace. Seeing that it was their emperor, the guards immediately bowed in respect and made way for him to pass unimpeded.

Upon entering the palace, Qin Lingtian was met with the sight of countless formation patterns swirling through the air, their heavy energy filling the hall. Nearly a thousand formation masters were bustling about, sweat dripping from their brows as they observed the operation of the formations and discussed how to repair them.

Despite their heated discussions, the formation masters hadn't found a solution. The problem before them seemed nearly impossible to resolve.

"Your Majesty!" The moment they saw Qin Lingtian enter, the formation masters quickly bowed low, terrified of showing any disrespect.

Qin Lingtian's face was dark with rage as he stormed up to a white-haired elder. "Liu Wu! The Qin Dynasty doesn't keep you around to just eat and wait to die! What the hell is going on here?"

His furious shout echoed throughout the palace, plunging the hall into silence. The formation masters could only nervously breathe, fearing for their lives. Qin Lingtian's anger filled them with dread; their lives were entirely in his hands, and with such a grave situation, they feared for their futures.

"Please calm your anger, Your Majesty. The opponent's methods are far too strange, and we are unable to defend against them." Liu Wu, the Qin Dynasty's chief formation master, the very white-haired elder standing before Qin Lingtian, spoke with a troubled expression.

The hall they were in was the core space of the imperial capital's grand formation, controlling not just the capital's defensive arrays but also the connections between the formations across the Qin Dynasty's 32 provinces.

Qin Lingtian was furious and anxious upon his return because the capital's formation had encountered an issue. On his way back, he had witnessed strange yellow dragon pillars rising from various cities across the Qin Dynasty, pushing his mood to rock bottom.

Qin Lingtian had only been in power for 40 years, but during that time, the Qin Dynasty had reached unprecedented strength, making neighboring forces submit without question. Now, not only had the three major factions dared to challenge them, but this unknown Huaxia Empire, emerging from some remote corner, had also dared to provoke the Qin Dynasty.

However, the power displayed by the Huaxia Empire earlier had made Qin Lingtian feel an unprecedented sense of gravity. The bizarre situation in the Qin Dynasty's territories was undoubtedly related to Lin Qian. The way his voice echoed across every city in the dynasty unnerved Qin Lingtian. It was as if, in an instant, the 32 provinces of the Qin Dynasty were slipping from his grasp.

When he learned that the imperial capital's formation had also been compromised, Qin Lingtian had rushed back in a panic to see what had gone wrong.

Breathing heavily, Qin Lingtian surveyed the core space, noticing that an unfamiliar formation energy was now flowing through the capital's formation. Though it didn't seem particularly destructive, its invasive nature was alarming.

"This formation energy appears to be slowly eroding and transforming the imperial capital's formation, doesn't it?" Qin Lingtian asked after taking a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the strange energy.

Liu Wu stroked his white beard and nodded with a pained expression. "If the formation was simply damaged, it wouldn't be difficult to repair. But this situation is beyond our control. The only way to stop it is to shut down the capital's formation entirely, rebuild it, and sever its connections with the other cities' formations. This foreign energy is coming from those very cities."

Qin Lingtian clenched his teeth in silence, his gaze fixed on the invasive energy coursing through the formation. The proud defensive array of the imperial capital, reduced to this state by a small strand of foreign energy, had to be shut down and rebuilt—this was a humiliation beyond measure.

Liu Wu continued to explain his suspicions about the current situation across the 32 provinces of the Qin Dynasty. "I believe this foreign formation energy has been eroding all the cities in the dynasty for some time. The imperial capital was likely spared until now because your Majesty's soul energy is integrated into the formation. Now that the enemy feels confident that there's nothing we can do, they are openly attacking the capital's formation as well."

"If we had detected this earlier and strengthened the cities' defenses, we might have avoided this situation," Liu Wu lamented, shaking his head.

"What's done is done. There's no use talking about it now," Qin Lingtian growled angrily, turning to leave the core space of the formation hall. "Do your best. If it becomes necessary, follow your plan—shut down the capital's formation and rebuild it."

As he stepped outside, Qin Lingtian's fists clenched tightly. "The Huaxia Empire and Lin Qian... I truly underestimated you."

Meanwhile, in Yushui City, the townsfolk had gathered along the central Yushui Avenue, curiously peering towards the city gates. After the total defeat of the city guards, they noticed that the heavily armored soldiers had formed two orderly columns along the avenue, as if they were awaiting someone.

But soon, their attention was drawn to a massive object slowly descending from the sky—a colossal warship, hovering above the city gate, casting an overwhelming shadow over their hearts.

The warship halted outside the city, hovering motionlessly in the air. Then, a figure leaped from the ship, landing gracefully on the ground.

The citizens of Yushui City, standing on either side of Yushui Avenue, watched in awe as the invincible soldiers knelt on one knee before the young man, bowing their heads.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" they chorused.