The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

Seeing the young man before him, dressed in rags and covered in grime, who somehow recognized him, Lin Qian was slightly surprised.

He looked closer and vaguely remembered, "You were once a disciple of the Jin Hai Sect, following Hai Xiaoyun at the ancient ruins."

Yang Guang'en couldn't help but feel a bit emotional that Lin Qian still remembered him. He slowly rose from the ground and cupped his hands in respect, "I am Yang Guang'en, a former disciple of the Jin Hai Sect."

"A disciple of the Jin Hai Sect, hmm," Lin Qian nodded thoughtfully. He then spoke to Yang Guang'en, "In that case, I need you to help me with something."

"Help?" Yang Guang'en was confused and uncertain about what Lin Qian was asking of him. "What could I possibly help with?"

As he spoke, Yang Guang'en instinctively glanced at the soldiers surrounding Lin Qian. He noticed that the aura emanating from each of the hundred soldiers was at the peak of the Ninth Stage of the Void Realm.

A hundred Ninth Stage Void Realm guards? Who exactly was this Lin Qian? Wasn't he supposed to be a disciple of the Wanxiang Sect?

"Yes. Soon, I will capture the Jin Hai Sect's former stronghold and claim it as my territory. Since I'm unfamiliar with the Jin Hai Sect, when I leave to conquer other areas, I need you to stay behind and help stabilize the situation," Lin Qian explained what he needed from Yang Guang'en.

"Capture... the Jin Hai Sect's stronghold?" Yang Guang'en was stunned, suspecting that Lin Qian might be joking.

After all, the Jin Hai Sect's former stronghold was now the headquarters of the Bone Blade Fish Tribe, which housed four Soul Reformation Realm experts.

Even if all of Lin Qian's hundred Ninth Stage Void Realm soldiers fought, they wouldn't be enough to challenge the four Bone Blade Fish Tribe Soul Reformation Realm experts, let alone capture the stronghold.

As he thought about this, Yang Guang'en couldn't help but glance toward the direction of the Jin Hai Sect's stronghold.

But when he saw what was happening, he was utterly dumbfounded.

Two massive ships floated in mid-air. Although they weren't as large as the Jin Hai Sect's stronghold, they were still about one-fifth its size. Compared to some of the larger cities, their area was nearly equal.

From the black openings on the ships, beams of soul energy were fired, striking the defensive barriers of the stronghold, causing ripples of energy to spread across the barrier.

Crack...

Then, Yang Guang'en heard the crisp sound of breaking glass as the defensive barrier shattered into countless pieces like a mirror.

At the same time, a vast number of heavily armored soldiers poured out from the warships, charging toward the stronghold.

An overwhelming aura filled the air as four figures emerged from the stronghold.

Yang Guang'en's pupils constricted. The four figures were none other than the four Soul Reformation Realm experts of the Bone Blade Fish Tribe.

When the Bone Blade Fish Tribe first invaded the Jin Hai Sect's territory, the remaining elders of the sect had tried to resist, only to be effortlessly slain by these foreign Soul Reformation Realm experts.

In normal circumstances, the gap between the Soul Reformation Realm and the Void Realm was an insurmountable chasm.

Of course, that didn't apply to monsters like Lin Qian, for whom crossing such a chasm was child's play.

The soldiers of the Huaxia Empire were far stronger than ordinary soul cultivators due to their advanced technology and superior training. However, they still paled in comparison to Soul Reformation Realm experts. But...

"Fools! Courting death!" A voice roared as a general clad in black dragon-patterned silver armor, wielding a long spear, charged from the ranks of the airborne soldiers to meet the four Soul Reformation Realm Bone Blade Fish experts.

Who else could it be but Zhao Long?

Facing four opponents at once, Zhao Long seemed at a disadvantage—at least, that was the impression from a distance.

However, the scene in the sky unfolded differently than Yang Guang'en had anticipated.

With a single sweep of his spear, Zhao Long sent the four Bone Blade Fish experts flying, smashing them away with overwhelming force.

One strike!

The astonishment wasn't limited to Yang Guang'en and the other humans watching from afar. Even the Bone Blade Fish experts themselves were shocked. They hadn't expected this black dragon-patterned silver-armored general to possess such terrifying strength.

One sweep of his spear unleashed a force so immense that they couldn't withstand it and were sent flying.

They even noticed that the bone blades on their forearms, their proudest weapons, had developed cracks, causing them great distress.

Such cracks would take a year to fully heal.

But more than their distress, they were gripped by fear.

Their bone blades were exceptionally tough, nearly impervious to attacks from soul cultivators of the same level, even when wielding soul-forged weapons.

Not even Zhang Dingyun, the gifted sect master of the Sheng Tian Sect, who had reached the Soul Reformation Realm, could crack their bone blades with a single strike.

Yet, this black dragon-patterned silver-armored general had achieved just that!

The Bone Blade Fish Tribe, notorious for their laziness and cowardice, were terrified by Zhao Long's overwhelming strength. They turned and fled without hesitation.

Seeing them retreat, Zhao Long sneered, "Fools, do you think you can escape?"

With that, Zhao Long held his spear in his right hand and raised his left arm, gesturing toward the fleeing Bone Blade Fish experts.

"Fire!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of arrows slicing through the air echoed as beams of soul energy-infused arrows shot out from the warships, numbering at least a hundred.

Feeling the immense pressure from behind, the four fleeing Bone Blade Fish experts turned back, their faces filled with horror.

Hundreds of soul-infused arrows, each containing the power of the Soul Reformation Realm, were aimed at them. They could see that the archers, clad in light armor and standing coldly on the warships, were all Soul Reformation Realm experts.

"One hundred Soul Reformation Realm experts?" Fear surged through the Bone Blade Fish Tribe experts' hearts, but it was too late. The soul-infused arrows pierced their bodies, reducing them to shredded flesh that rained down from the sky.

Within the Jin Hai Sect's stronghold, the remaining Bone Blade Fish warriors were still engaged in battle with the Huaxia Empire's soldiers. But when they saw what had happened above, they were stunned.

Meanwhile, outside the stronghold, Yang Guang'en was equally dumbfounded.

"Get ready to help me with this task," Lin Qian said as he handed Yang Guang'en a set of clothes. "It looks like this stronghold will soon be ours."

As Yang Guang'en took the clothes, a scout approached and knelt before Lin Qian, reporting, "Your Majesty, the Empress has successfully captured the Yu Shou Sect's mountain gate, and Lord Lei has reclaimed the Wanxiang Sect's territory, including Wanxiang City."

Upon hearing the scout's report, Yang Guang'en nearly dropped the clothes in his hands. "Lin Qian, are you declaring war on the Sheng Tian Sect?"

"You misunderstand. I'm not declaring war on the Sheng Tian Sect," Lin Qian replied with a faint smile. "I'm simply going to destroy the Sheng Tian Sect."