BOOM…

The sound of war drums, booming like thunder, and the blare of horns easily tore through the gloom that enshrouded Qiyun Road.

"What—what is that sound?"

"Could it be? The battle is about to begin?"

As the citizens of Lingjin City were abuzz with discussion…

「The Qin Clan of the Royal Family.」

Qin Lie, sitting upright in a Taishi Chair in the front courtyard, abruptly looked up toward the Lingjin River. He could clearly distinguish that these were not the war drums of the Yang Family's Personal Guards.

Then…

It was clear that Qin Lie's expression had changed drastically.

"Master!"

An old butler ran over, his face flushed. Wiping sweat from his forehead, he shouted, "Master, the Martial Guard unit that has been floating on the Lingjin River for days is beating its drums and has raised its banner!"

"What banner?" Qin Lie shot to his feet. His teacup fell to the ground and shattered, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

The surrounding members of the Qin Family were tense to the breaking point.

Rumors had long circulated that this Martial Guard unit was targeting the Qin Family. If they chose this moment to draw their blades and storm the shore, charging straight for the Qin estate…

The vast Qin Family would be utterly annihilated, not even a speck of dust left behind.

"The Azure Dragon War Banner!"

Qin Lie: "..."

Everyone: "..."

The… the Azure Dragon War Banner.

This…

Throughout the entire empire, who didn't know that the Azure Dragon Banner was the battle flag of the Martial Guard from Hanyun Valley? And the Commander of the Hanyun Valley Martial Guard was a figure known to all—they called him the Zhennan Prince!

This meant the Martial Guard unit, which had been motionless for days, served under the Zhennan Prince.

The Zhennan Prince's presence on Qiyun Road was no longer a secret, but why had he led his troops here?

GULP.

Qin Lie swallowed hard. He racked his brain but could recall no interaction with the Zhennan Prince, much less any reason for animosity. On the contrary, if he were fortunate enough to meet such a powerful figure, he would be scrambling to curry favor. How could he possibly offend him?

Nearby, Qin Yan's face turned a pale, shifting shade of white. He asked worriedly, "Grandfather, could His Highness, the Zhennan Prince, have turned his anger on me, and our entire family, because of Li Sisi?"

His concern was not without reason. After all, he had very nearly married Li Sisi that day.

Qin Lie, mentally exhausted, rubbed his temples and waved a hand dismissively. "Impossible. That Martial Guard unit from Hanyun Valley had already arrived on Qiyun Road before that incident even happened. Besides, if the Zhennan Prince truly wanted to make an issue of it, he wouldn't have waited until today."

Qin Yan breathed a small sigh of relief and fell silent.

"Keep watching," Qin Lie instructed the butler. What else could he do? Whether the Zhennan Prince was after him or not, he was nothing more than a fish on the chopping block.

「On the Lingjin River.」

The war drums boomed like thunder, and battle flags snapped in the wind. Chen Yang stood with his hands behind his back, a faint smile on his lips as he calmly watched Yang Tianli.

But Yang Tianli was dumbfounded. Not just him, but Chu Jiang, Yang Qin, and everyone else on the flagship stared wide-eyed, their gazes locked on the banners raised by the warships on the river ahead.

The battle flags were black, emblazoned with a vivid azure dragon. Its head was raised high, its whiskers flowed elegantly, and its two foreclaws, strong and powerful, each bore five talons. The image was majestic and solemn, radiating the feeling that the dragon was about to take flight and roam the nine heavens.

The Azure Dragon War Banner.

This… this is the Zhennan Prince's Martial Guard!

No wonder. When Yang Qin went to see them with lavish gifts, they responded with a single word: "Scram." The Martial Guard of Hanyun Valley certainly had the power to back up such arrogance.

BUT!

Yang Tianli abruptly tore his gaze away, fixing it intently on the young man before him.

Could it be… he is the Zhennan Prince?

A chill shot through Yang Tianli at the mere thought, feeling as if his very blood was turning to ice.

If that's true, my Golden Summit Yang Family has kicked a steel plate. The entire clan will be plunged into an abyss of no return. Yes, our eighty thousand Personal Guards are powerful, and no one dares to challenge them. But compared to the Zhennan Prince, they're no better than clay chickens and pottery dogs.

"Third Grandfather, he… he is…" Yang Qin stammered, his lips trembling.

But before he could finish, Yang Tianli cut him off. "He's a bastard! He dares to kill members of my Golden Summit Yang Family, so he must die today, no matter what!"

Yang Qin: "..."

He quickly understood the meaning behind his Third Grandfather's words. As the saying goes, one cannot be blamed for what one does not know. Staying alive was the most important thing right now; the consequences could be dealt with later.

At that moment, the thousands of Personal Guards on the flagship surged forward, their immense momentum threatening to crush everything in their path.

"Kill!" Yang Tianli gave the direct order.

Though just a single word, it was drenched in supreme killing intent. His blood-stained face twisted into a savage mask.

He just wanted to live. That was all.

Chen Yang casually lifted his wrist, and the Three-Foot Green Peak Sword swung out.

Instantly, heaven and earth changed color. In the azure sky, the rolling white clouds were violently pulled and twisted, forming an elongated, razor-sharp sword cloud that stretched across the entire Lingjin River. There was no lightning or thunder, no torrential rain—only a single, swift gust of wind.

SWOOSH!

One swing of the sword brought utter devastation.

The thousands of charging Personal Guards, their murderous intent filling the air, were cut down like wheat before the Grim Reaper's scythe, falling row by row. Dust swirled and fountains of blood erupted.

SWISH!

The sword light swept past the flagship but showed no sign of stopping. The sky above the Lingjin River was cleaved in two like a transparent curtain. The pillar of Sword Qi slammed into the warships behind with the most domineering, sharp, and unreasonable force imaginable.

In an instant, the clash of steel, the screams of men, and the chaos of battle filled the air. Cries of agony echoed everywhere.

"This…"

Yang Tianli, Yang Qin, and everyone else present turned to look back at the Lingjin River. Of the Golden Summit Yang Family's eighty thousand elite Personal Guards, only a sparse few remained standing, and even they were trembling uncontrollably, their spirits shattered.

What… what kind of power is this? A single sword strike wiped out more than half of the Yang Family's eighty thousand elites!

"A mere rabble like you thought you could destroy the Qin Family and sink all of Qiyun Road?"

CLANG.

With a soft ring, Chen Yang sheathed the Ancestral Sword and spoke with indifference.

An eerie silence fell over the vast battlefield; no one dared to utter a sound. Yang Tianli's eyes bulged, the hair on his body standing on end. They had been routed in a single exchange, their psychological defenses crumbling inch by inch. The men around him were in even worse shape, barely able to remain on their feet.

As the saying goes, there is always someone stronger. To make an enemy of a man like this was to know true despair.

"Are… are you really him?" Yang Qin managed to ask from nearby, each word trembling.

Chen Yang shrugged, and his black cloak slid smoothly from his shoulders.

A wave of sharp gasps swept across the deck, followed by dead silence.

...

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