The Qin Dynasty, as one of the top powers in the Southern Region, possessed formidable strength and deep roots due to its thousand-year history. Because of this, many in the Southern Region did not have high hopes for the Four Factions in their confrontation with the Qin Dynasty. Their foundations simply could not compare to that of the Qin Dynasty. If a full-scale war were to break out, the odds were clearly in favor of the Qin Dynasty.
Additionally, the Qin Dynasty's allied Sea Clan would also join the battle, significantly limiting the Eight-Armed Sea Clan. As a result, the Qin Dynasty would primarily face only the Triple Extremes Temple, the Free and Unfettered Sect, and the Blood Spirit Valley. With the odds in their favor, the Qin Dynasty's chances of winning this war seemed high.
Tensions continued to rise at the border between the Qin Dynasty and the Triple Extremes Temple, with daily skirmishes and casualties on both sides. Despite the deaths, neither side had yet to fully escalate the conflict, as both seemed to be biding their time.
The Liújiāng Province, controlled by the Triple Extremes Temple, bordered the Shùnshuǐ Province of the Qin Dynasty. Skirmishes occurred frequently in this region, with casualties mounting every day. Though these losses might seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, they were crucial in determining which side could claim dominance in these early exchanges.
Liújiāng Province was known for its dense forests and vast network of rivers. The land was flat, without any mountains, and the spiritual energy in the region was exceptionally abundant. Meanwhile, the rivers from Liújiāng Province converged into a mighty river in Shùnshuǐ Province, rushing toward the Qin Dynasty's capital.
At the border between the two provinces, dense forests and numerous rivers continued to dominate the landscape, with the vegetation growing even more luxuriant and the rivers becoming deeper and wider.
In this verdant forest, disciples of the Triple Extremes Temple, Free and Unfettered Sect, and Blood Spirit Valley moved stealthily through the underbrush, while soldiers of the Qin Dynasty, clad in light armor, also patrolled the area.
Compared to the soldiers of the Hua Xia Empire, the armor of the Qin Dynasty soldiers appeared crude and unsophisticated. The design left much to be desired, and Lin Qian often heard the craftsmen of the Hua Xia Empire's Engineering Division express their disdain upon returning.
"The joints aren't even protected. What kind of low-quality craftsmanship is this?"
"It's laughable that their armor can't activate its defense automatically. The soldiers have to notice an attack, channel their soul power, and then trigger the defense."
"Their armor is hideous—it looks like they're all wearing tin cans."
If the Qin Dynasty's master craftsmen from the Forging Palace overheard the discussions in the Engineering Division, they would likely be furious enough to vomit blood. What they considered their masterpiece, praised even by the emperor, was dismissed as a "tin can" by others!
Of course, the craftsmen of the Qin Dynasty's Forging Palace had no idea what was being said about them and continued to maintain their haughty attitudes as they forged more "tin cans."
Deep within the forest at the border, a man and a woman, both disciples of the Triple Extremes Temple dressed in black and white robes, fled through the woods, their bodies covered in blood. They glanced nervously over their shoulders as they ran.
The forest provided excellent cover; if they flew through the air, they would become easy targets for the Qin Dynasty soldiers, who would quickly swarm them.
Suddenly, the female disciple groaned, her injuries flaring up, and the soul power surrounding her dimmed. She collapsed to the ground.
"Junior Sister, are you alright?" The male disciple quickly knelt beside her, channeling his soul power into her body without hesitation.
After stabilizing her injuries and reviving her from unconsciousness, the male disciple was left nearly drained of soul power.
"Senior Brother, why are you so foolish?" Tears streamed down the female disciple's blood-streaked face as she saw how weakened her companion had become.
The male disciple shook his head gently and grabbed her shoulders, speaking firmly. "You must survive. Keep running. We'll meet up with the others soon."
"No, Senior Brother," the female disciple shook her head, her gaze resolute as she looked at him. "If we're going to die, we'll die together."
"Junior Sister, you..." The male disciple could hardly believe what he was hearing. He had pursued her affection for so long, enduring her cold jibes that pushed him to train harder.
"Fool, you were so lazy that if I hadn't pushed you, would you have reached your current level?" Seeing his stunned expression, she giggled through her tears, finally revealing her true feelings.
It was only now that the male disciple understood why she had always mocked him but then cared for him when he was injured, only to revert to her usual behavior once he had recovered. It was only recently, after he broke through to the Life and Death Realm, that she had softened a little.
"Can't run anymore, huh?" Just as they shared a tender moment, a scarred soldier appeared before them, sneering as he blocked their path.
The male disciple immediately stood up and positioned himself protectively in front of his Junior Sister, eyeing the scarred man warily.
"Heh, looks like you're almost out of soul power, boy. You're no threat at all." The scarred soldier rubbed his chin as he ogled the female disciple behind him, his eyes narrowing with malice. "Don't worry, I won't kill you just yet. After you've watched me 'enjoy' your Junior Sister, then I'll let you die in peace. Hahaha!"
"Beast!" The male disciple gritted his teeth so hard they nearly cracked. His voice was hoarse as he roared at his sister, "Run, just run!"
"Run? Not a chance!" The scarred man grinned wickedly as he lunged forward, kicking the male disciple in the stomach.
The disciple spat out a mouthful of blood as he was sent flying backward, crashing to the ground and writhing in pain as he clutched his abdomen.
Seeing this, the female disciple gathered the last of her soul power into a blade, preparing to end her own life.
"Thinking of suicide?" The scarred man closed the distance in an instant, slapping her across the face and scattering her soul power. She, too, fell to the ground.
The scarred man grabbed the male disciple by the collar and tossed him beside the female disciple, sneering. "Watch closely, boy, while I have my fun."
"I'll kill you!" The male disciple roared with bloodshot eyes as he lunged at the scarred man, biting down on his ear and tearing it off.
Clutching his bleeding ear, the scarred man flew into a rage. He raised his weapon—a soul-bound, forged blade—and prepared to bring it down on the disciple's head. "Since you want to die so badly, I'll oblige!"
Whoosh!
The sound of the blade slicing through the air reached the male disciple's ears, and he instinctively squeezed his eyes shut. But after a long moment, he realized the blade had not yet fallen.
When he finally opened his eyes, he saw a white-robed young man standing beside him. The young man had caught the scarred soldier's blade in his hand, holding it firmly in place, completely unharmed!