The representatives from the Southern Region forces fled desperately back to their territories, racing to relay the news.
"He's insane, truly insane!"
The Benevolent Martial Emperor of the Huaxia Empire had indeed gone mad—he was actually planning to wage war against the entire Southern Region.
The legendary Sword Formation Emperor Zhang Juncheng and ten thousand high-level soul martial generals had thoroughly shaken their spirits.
Even without the support of the Three Elders from the Twin Extremes Hall, Carefree Sect, and Blood Spirit Valley, the presence of just the Sword Formation Emperor was enough to intimidate the entire Southern Region.
Lin Qian dared to challenge the entire Southern Region because he had the Sword Formation Emperor Zhang Juncheng on his side.
Zhang Juncheng, with the help of the Huaxia Empire's medicinal concoctions, had successfully restored his strength to the level of a hegemon in the Awakening Realm.
Moreover, Zhang Juncheng's true power far surpassed that, making him far more formidable than an ordinary hegemon in the Awakening Realm.
With Zhang Juncheng as a high-end combat force holding the line, Lin Qian felt no fear. Coupled with the immense power of the Huaxia Empire, what did it matter if they went to war with the entire Southern Region?
After leaving the Huaxia Empire, the envoys from the Southern Region quickly found cities to land in, using transmission formations to relay the news back to their respective forces.
Not only did they spread the news, but the Huaxia Empire also used their own transmission formations to explain the causes and consequences of the situation.
In no time, the entire Southern Region was abuzz with the developments. The observers sent to the Huaxia Empire had argued with Lin Qian, daring him to wage war against the entire Southern Region.
And Lin Qian had accepted the challenge.
When the Sect Master of the True Origin Sect heard the news, his face was filled with astonishment. "Has this Lin Qian gone mad, daring to declare war against the entire Southern Region?"
In fact, the Huaxia Empire was not going to war with every force in the Southern Region. For instance, the Twin Extremes Hall, Carefree Sect, and Blood Spirit Valley were not among the targets of the Huaxia Empire's attacks.
At this moment, the skies over the Huaxia Empire were filled with countless colossal ships heading toward the horizon.
The rumbling sound of the flying warships and assault ships as they passed through the sky was so loud that it was impossible to ignore.
These massive war beasts, glinting with metallic sheen under the sunlight and bearing terrifying faces, were flying toward all directions, tearing through the clouds, showing the other forces of the Southern Region the consequences of provoking the Huaxia Empire.
As soon as the warships entered the territories of the True Origin Sect that bordered the Huaxia Empire, half of the Imperial Army aboard quickly disembarked.
The twelve advanced combat units divided into small squads, just as they had during the national war in the Ancient Forest Province, and flew off in all directions.
During Lin Qian's year-long absence in the Ancient Forest Province, a comprehensive tactical map of the entire Southern Region had been completed, clearly detailing the strength and positions of all forces.
The scout beasts that had spread across the Southern Region acted as the preliminary reconnaissance soldiers, relaying every bit of movement back to the Huaxia Empire.
Moreover, a massive wave of Silvermoon Giant Wolves surged out from the Huaxia Empire's territory, flooding into the territories of surrounding forces like a silver torrent.
In the sky, iron-armored Swift Eagle battle beasts hovered, their sharp eyes locked onto the ground below.
When they dove, they became slicing machines, cutting enemies into pieces.
Anyone who looked into the rivers and lakes would be horrified to see fully armed Megalodon Sharks, expanding through the Huaxia Empire's water network.
For enemies hoping to fight in the water, facing these creatures was nothing short of a nightmare.
In a small town within the True Origin Sect's territory, aside from ordinary citizens, there were also some aged soul martial artists. Their auras were not particularly strong, with the highest being at the Nirvana Realm.
In comparison, the Shape Transformation Realm fighters were more numerous, with over a thousand, though their levels varied widely.
They were no longer young, and they were merely menial disciples of the True Origin Sect, low-ranking members despite their numbers. Yet, in this small town, they were the undisputed rulers.
"Hey, when do you think we'll get another chance to raid the Huaxia Empire?"
"Let's wait for the Yu Heng Dominion to make a move. Only when such a great power acts can we follow behind and reap the benefits."
"Speaking of which, those commoners in the Huaxia Empire are surprisingly wealthy, rich beyond belief compared to the ones here."
"And those girls from Clear Water Prefecture are really something. Last time I had one, and she was so—"
Before he could finish, a soul energy arrow shot from outside, piercing straight through his mouth.
"Enemies! Charge out!" Seeing what had happened, the men who had been chatting immediately rushed outside.
But the moment they stepped out of the courtyard, they froze.
Outside, a thousand warriors were surrounding them, their auras far surpassing anything they could match.
"Ahhhh!"
Screams echoed as tens of thousands of soul martial artists in the town were slaughtered. Despite their numbers, the strongest among them were only in the Nirvana Realm, no match for the teams of Life and Death Realm soldiers.
They died swiftly, without even a chance to resist.
This was in accordance with Lin Qian's orders: even for dealing with small towns, Life and Death Realm soldiers should be dispatched to ensure the fastest and least costly eradication of the enemy.
After all, taking over a devastated Southern Region held no meaning.
And to meet that requirement, if the Imperial Army had to suffer heavy losses, then there was no need to hold back—they would wipe out every enemy.
As for the villages in the forests, the Silvermoon Giant Wolves were the perfect choice. These jungle assassins could eliminate the enemy before they even realized what had happened.
In the border cities of the True Origin Sect, the Life and Death Realm disciples of the sect were dumbfounded as they watched their formations crumble after the enemy threw a metal disc at them.
When the sounds of battle rang out, they realized what was happening, but it was too late. The soldiers of the Huaxia Empire were far stronger than them—there was no way they could win.
"Wasn't it said that the Huaxia Empire relied only on those soul cannons, and that their strength was greatly diminished after defeating the Qin Imperial Dynasty?" Even as his head was severed, the disciple of the True Origin Sect couldn't comprehend what was happening. He stared blankly at the massive metal behemoth in the sky, unable to figure it out.
At this moment, the Huaxia Empire had officially launched simultaneous attacks on all surrounding forces.