These reports began circulating six months after the Huaxia Empire launched its invasion of the Qin Dynasty.
A year into the full-scale war, the terrifying might of the Huaxia Empire had shaken the entire Southern Region to its core.
The Wei Kingdom and Qiu Kingdom had been completely annihilated, and the Huaxia Empire forces had begun their assault on the eight eastern provinces, with two already falling under their control.
In the west, six of the eight provinces had been conquered, and the five rampaging warships had dispatched two to take down two provinces in the previously untouched northern region.
As for the southern eight provinces, they had all been captured, bringing the Huaxia Empire to the doorstep of the Qin Dynasty's capital!
Such a terrifying pace of conquest had left everyone in shock.
The various rulers of the Southern Region, after receiving reports from their scouts, could only sigh in resignation, acknowledging that the Huaxia Empire's swift victories were indeed justified.
The completely unprecedented warships and soul cannons left everyone in awe. These machines seemed tailor-made for warfare, whereas previous artificers had focused all their efforts on enhancing the capabilities of soul cultivators.
Lin Qian had also noticed this trend. While the soul weapons and artifacts for human cultivators had indeed progressed well, other areas were sorely lacking.
The strange phenomena occurring in the cities of the Qin Dynasty had rendered their defensive formations useless against the Huaxia Empire, leaving the Qin Dynasty completely vulnerable.
This aspect struck fear into the hearts of other powers. The inexplicable events that had neutralized the Qin Dynasty's defenses left them baffled, despite lengthy discussions attempting to uncover how the Huaxia Empire had achieved such feats.
Unlike the initial three cities captured, the subsequent conquered cities were not immediately reorganized by scholars sent from the Huaxia Empire.
Lin Qian had no time for such efforts now. He was leading the Imperial Army in an all-out assault on the Qin Dynasty, giving the enemy no time to recover.
The vast network of scouts and Windblades that spanned the entire Qin Dynasty ensured that Lin Qian had complete control over the enemy's movements.
Anytime the Qin Dynasty mobilized its forces, Lin Qian would know, allowing him to dispatch the Imperial Army and Beast Army to ambush and cut off the troops along their routes.
To avoid suspicion, the presence of the Imperial Army and Beast Army was disguised as ambushes hidden in the mountains and rivers, only revealing themselves when necessary.
The fearsome combat power of the Imperial Army astounded the world, while the Beast Army terrified all who encountered it.
Soul beasts that could speak and wield soul artifacts were unheard of, and when combined with the Imperial Army, their combat prowess was nothing short of miraculous. The Central Qin Army and Eight Directions Army of the Qin Dynasty were nothing more than lambs to the slaughter before them.
Moreover, the numbers of the Imperial Army and Beast Army continued to grow. As the Huaxia Empire advanced deeper into the Qin Dynasty's territory, more of these forces would emerge from the forests and rivers to join the battle.
The elders of the three allied forces also felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction. In the past, when the Dual Extremes Hall, Xiaoyao Sect, and Blood Spirit Valley had risen to power, they had fought similar battles against the former rulers of their regions.
But now, compared to the scale of this war, those past conflicts seemed like mere child's play.
As long as they could hold off the Qin Dynasty's awakening-level cultivators, they no longer needed to worry about the battles on the ground. The Imperial Army would handle it.
In fact, after eliminating the awakening-level enemies, the elders would often find themselves simply watching as the Imperial Army decimated the Qin Dynasty's forces, forgetting that they could assist if needed.
The twelve different units of the Imperial Army worked together with such flawless coordination that the elders found themselves admiring the artistry of warfare.
The Shield Bearers, Spearmen, and Halberdiers would slice through the battlefield, while the Blood Warriors and Rage Warriors would handle the brunt of the killing. The Sword Masters and Shocking Swordsmen controlled the flow of battle, quickly reinforcing any areas that became bogged down.
The Light Archers, protected by the Stone Shields, rained down arrows at a speed that restricted the enemy's movements, forcing the Qin Dynasty's forces to stay within the desired range. Meanwhile, the Strong Archers acted as ruthless executioners.
The Windblades cleaned up the battlefield, burning corpses, while the elusive Night Shadows ensured that any surviving Qin Dynasty soldiers were swiftly dealt with.
The armored Silvermoon Direwolves roamed the battlefield's perimeter, hunting down any stragglers.
This was the Huaxia Empire's strategy in every battle: relentless and unchanging. Yet, the Qin Dynasty had no answer to it.
The coordination of the Huaxia Empire was too perfect—an art of war unmatched by any.
As time passed, the elders of the three allied forces began to notice something that left them deeply unsettled.
The Imperial Army and Beast Army seemed to know no fatigue. Over six months, they had been constantly engaged in battle, never stopping to rest. After capturing a city, they would immediately move on to the next, their spirits seemingly unbreakable.
What the elders didn't realize was that the Imperial Army and Beast Army were not truly living beings. They did not tire, and the concept of exhaustion did not apply to them.
Though the elders had initially worried about the Imperial Army's relentless pace and had offered to assist after dealing with the awakening-level enemies, Lin Qian had sent word that their focus should remain solely on the awakening-level opponents. They were not to interfere with the Imperial Army's and Beast Army's battles.
This had left the elders puzzled, unable to understand why Lin Qian would make such a decision. If they helped, wouldn't the battles be resolved even more quickly?
Furthermore, a month ago, Qin Lingtian, the emperor of the Qin Dynasty, had dispatched the Qin Imperial Guard, the dynasty's most elite troops—its sharpest spear—to the battlefield, alarming many other powers.
Observers from other Southern Region forces, upon seeing the deployment of the Qin Imperial Guard, believed that they might finally stand a chance against the Huaxia Empire.
Yet, Lin Qian remained steadfast, deploying only the Imperial Army and Beast Army, instructing the elders to focus solely on the awakening-level enemies. The Qin Imperial Guard would be handled by the Imperial Army and Beast Army.
However, after the Qin Imperial Guard clashed with the Huaxia Empire's forces, everyone was left in shock.
The Qin Imperial Guard, once the feared spear of the Qin Dynasty, was utterly crushed by the Imperial Army and Beast Army, unable to put up any resistance.
The same way the Imperial Army and Beast Army had slaughtered the Central Qin Army and Eight Directions Army was now how they slaughtered the Qin Imperial Guard. No one could comprehend why this was happening.