Chapter 28: Attacking Five Countries_1

The eyes of every general in the room were fixed on Qin Wudao with strong anticipation. Their ability to independently lead an army and achieve the monumental feat of conquering a nation depended entirely on his command. As generals, they yearned to expand the Empire's territory through battle and realize their own life's purpose.

Qin Wudao gave the order in a deep voice, appointing experienced generals to ensure the smooth progress of the campaigns. "Issue the order! Wang Jian is to lead one hundred thousand troops to garrison Hangu Pass. The remaining armies will be divided into five routes!

"Meng Tian will command one army to attack the Great Zhao Empire. Sima Cuo will command another to attack the Great Yan Empire. Ren Xiao will lead an army to attack the Great Qi Empire. Jia Xu will lead an army to attack the Great Jin Empire!

"This battle demands victory; failure is not an option!

"Those who fail will be severely punished!"

Originally, he had also planned to assign Wang Jian a field command, but considering Wang Jian's injuries were too severe for a long campaign, he had to be left to guard the rear.

"This general understands the order!" Meng Tian, Sima Cuo, Ren Xiao, and Jia Xu stepped forward, their faces alight with joy, each one exuding a potent battle spirit. As for the possibility of failure, they had never considered it.

After the battle of the Imperial Capital, how many experts were even left in the five great empires? If they still failed after all this, they wouldn't deserve to be called generals and might as well just fall on their swords.

The rest of the generals, upon hearing the assignments, were filled with disappointment. This was no minor skirmish; this was the monumental feat of annihilating an entire nation! And with so little difficulty—it was practically effortless glory, war honors free for the taking!

"Your Highness, then who will attack the Great Chu Empire?" a general asked curiously, drawing the attention of the others. A sliver of hope flickered in their hearts. What if the last chance fell to one of us? Though the odds were minuscule!

"Naturally, I will personally lead the attack on the Great Chu Empire!" Qin Wudao said with a smile. The spatial nodes of the six major sects were located in Primitive Ancient City. After conquering the Great Chu Empire, he would lead the army to attack the six major sects.

Hearing this, the generals finally relinquished their hopes.

The next morning, five armies departed from Hangu Pass, disappearing over the horizon.

This war was for profit! This war was for conquest! This war, even more so, was for revenge!

After their defeat, the monarchs of the five nations gathered their remaining forces and immediately returned to their respective capitals. They summoned their court officials to discuss how to weather the impending crisis.

The unanimous conclusion was to fight to the death.

The enmity between them and the Qin Empire was a blood feud, irreconcilable. Even if they surrendered, everyone from the imperial families down to the ordinary nobility would undoubtedly face execution. Since death was inevitable either way, they might as well fight to the bitter end for that slim chance of victory.

The Great Jin Empire, which bordered the Great Wei Empire, was the first to face an attack.

On the battlefield, Jia Xu personally took action. He unleashed the peak combat power of the Transcendent Realm, shattering the border defenses. Leading the army, he advanced deep into enemy territory, capturing over seventy cities in just two days. The smoke of battle billowed across a thousand li.

Urgent requests for reinforcements from local garrisons drifted like snowflakes towards the Imperial Court, piling up on the Emperor of Jin's desk.

However, the Jin court was helpless. They could barely protect themselves, let alone dispatch troops to reinforce the outlying regions. They could only watch as the Qin army inexorably approached the capital.

Five days later, Jia Xu led his army to the outskirts of the capital of the Great Jin.

Billowing clouds of Evil Qi hovered over the army, coalescing into the form of a ferocious beast that exuded a powerful, oppressive aura.

Under this immense pressure, the Jin soldiers on the city walls felt a suffocating tightness in their chests, their faces turning deathly pale.

"Ancestors, do we still have any chance of winning?" atop the city tower, the Emperor of Jin, clad in golden armor, asked nervously.

Behind him stood three elderly figures with snow-white hair, looking as if they already had one foot in the grave—two men and one woman. They stared intently at the enemy forces arrayed below the city.

After a moment, one of the elderly men slowly shook his head and said solemnly, "The enemy has seven Transcendent Realm experts!"

Hearing this, the Emperor of Jin's face grew even paler. Seven Transcendent Realm Martial Artists! Including himself, the Great Jin Empire only had four Transcendent Realm Martial Artists in total. The disparity was nearly double!

The elderly female ancestor sighed, gazing at the magnificent landscape with a heavy heart. "Activate the Spark Plan," she said mournfully. "Preserve the Jin bloodline!"

The Spark Plan was a protocol that the Great Jin Empire, and indeed all major powers, prepared for. It was to be activated when facing the imminent destruction of their sect or the annihilation of their clan. The plan involved sending talented younger generations to a safe, secret location to preserve their bloodline.

Once this plan was initiated, it signified that the situation was desperate, a fight to the bitter end.

"Understood!" The Emperor of Jin nodded. He took a jade talisman from his robes and, after a moment of silence, crushed it forcefully.

A mystical light shot out from the shattered jade, disappearing into the sky above the capital.

In the ancestral grounds of the Imperial Palace, a prince bowed to his ancestors. Imperial Brother, leave them to me. You can rest assured! He then walked to a stone wall on the side and opened a hidden stone door, revealing a dark passage that led to an unknown destination.

"Imperial Uncle, are we really leaving?" the Crown Prince of Jin asked, his voice somewhat subdued. He knew clearly that once they departed, they would be leaving the Great Jin Empire entirely, leaving the place where they had lived for over a decade.

The others, too, wore expressions of profound sorrow.

"The tyrannical Qin Dynasty is brutal and ruthless. We can only leave to preserve our bloodline!" The prince turned to face the group of young people, his expression a mixture of sorrow and a faint glimmer of pride. He spoke with grave solemnity, "You are all the prodigies of Great Jin. Remember this day, and in the future, you must seek bloody revenge!"

The many youths nodded heavily, their eyes red and filled with hatred.

All except for one youth at the very edge, whose eyes flashed with a keen light.

"Let's go!" The prince nodded in satisfaction and was the first to enter the passage.

The young prodigies followed him in succession. About five minutes after they had departed, the ancestral hall was rocked by an explosion and collapsed with a deafening ROAR.

Outside the imperial city, Jia Xu waved his right hand. The Qin army, wreathed in the Evil Qi of a million soldiers, launched a ferocious attack.

Six Transcendent Realm Martial Artists soared into the sky. In the Void, they conjured six terrifying attacks, aiming them at the city wall. The supposedly solid wall, like tofu, was instantly blasted with several gaping holes.

Many Jin soldiers died, their blood gushing from the shattered ramparts, staining it crimson.

"Old friends, it's our turn!" the three elderly Jin ancestors said in deep voices as they drew their war swords. Their withered bodies suddenly burst forth with powerful blood qi. Their killing intent shook the Nine Heavens, and Sword Qi soared skyward, emitting a blinding white light as they attacked the powerhouses in the sky.

This stream of Sword Qi formed a river in the Void.

Each droplet in that river contained countless strands of Sword Qi, capable of easily slaying Transcendent Realm Martial Artists.

In their youth, they had used this very technique to slay numerous experts of the same realm, turning peril into safety on many occasions.

But today, they faced an enemy that outnumbered them many times over.

Victory or defeat! It was as if their fate had long been sealed.

While Jia Xu attacked the capital of the Great Jin, Meng Tian, Sima Cuo, Ren Xiao, and Qin Wudao each led their armies to assault their respective targets.

Outside the capital of Zhao Country, Meng Tian raised his war blade, its edge gleaming like the moon, a chilling aura spreading for a thousand li...

Outside the capital of Yan Country, Sima Cuo stood with his hands clasped behind his back, commanding his troops with godlike skill, slaughtering three million enemy soldiers...

Outside the capital of Qi Country, Ren Xiao took the lead, twin hammers in hand, smashing open the ancient bronze city gates...

For a time, the entire East Ancient Domain was engulfed in the flames of war.

This ancient land, amidst destruction, was being forged anew.