His face had been so unremarkable. But as the cloak slid off and he stood clad in a martial uniform, his entire aura transformed.

Majestic and imposing, his presence seemed to soar to the heavens. It was a match made in heaven; he perfectly embodied the uniform's very essence, as if the armor was born for him and him for it.

In that instant, his entire bearing shifted, altering the very atmosphere around him.

This was a War God!

He stood invincible in their midst.

Although everyone present had their suspicions the moment the Azure Dragon War Banners were raised, witnessing this with their own eyes was another matter entirely. They couldn't suppress the violent tremors in their hearts. It was as if they had been plunged into an ice cave; every single one of them was paralyzed by sheer terror, frozen in place.

Who could have possibly thought that the Martial Guards gathered on the Lingjin River were his men?

And who could have imagined that a mere attempt to crush the Qin Clan Royal Family would involve such a colossal figure?

If only...

But there are no 'if onlys' in this world. Once some things are done, you can only bear the consequences.

And regret? Of course, they were filled with regret. From Yang Tianli and Chu Jiang to the upper echelons of Qiyun Road who had defected at the first opportunity—they were all sick with regret, wishing they could slap their own faces or even strangle themselves.

It's over. It's completely, utterly over!

Yang Tianli instinctively looked up. The man before him was like a towering mountain, whose mere presence was enough to crush him and steal the air from his lungs.

"Your paltry Yang Family wanted to kill me?" Chen Yang asked.

Yang Tianli was speechless.

The crowd was speechless.

The Commander of Hanyun Valley, the Nine Gates Admiral.

Kill him?

`PFFT!`

Already feeling a chilling despair, Yang Tianli couldn't hold back a surge of blood. He vomited a mouthful, his complexion turning wan as he resembled a walking corpse.

In the distance, the Azure Dragon War Banners snapped in the wind. That, combined with the general's uniform he wore and the nine dazzling stars on his shoulders… how could it be fake?

Yang Tianli's last sliver of hope—that he might find a flaw and disprove the man's identity—was shattered in an instant.

Look at him: clad in a martial uniform, nine stars upon his shoulders, a fleet of warships gathered at his back. The Azure Dragon War Banners fluttered in the wind, and the thunderous war drums shook the heavens.

His grace was peerless, unmatched in this world, a sight unseen in a thousand ages.

He was a god, the invincible War God who guarded this empire!

His name was Chen Yang. He was the high and mighty Nine Gates Admiral, the titled Zhennan Prince.

Yang Qin's head hung low, his entire body trembling.

Chu Jiang and the other senior figures from Qiyun Road all had ashen faces. They trembled with fear, looking as though they were at a funeral, barely able to remain standing. A deep-seated terror gnawed at their nerves. Their hearts felt as if they were being squeezed by an invisible hand, a grip that could crush them with the slightest pressure.

`THUMP, THUMP, THUMP...`

It was unclear who started it, but within two breaths, the entire crowd was on their knees, their foreheads pressed to the ground.

"Chu… Chu Jiang pays his respects to the Zhennan Prince."

"Huang Zhiming pays his respects to the Zhennan Prince."

"..."

One by one, they spoke, prostrated on the ground, daring not to make a single move.

In our minds, the Zhennan Prince's greatest strength was supposed to be leading troops into battle. Who could have possibly expected his personal combat prowess to be this formidable? It's terrifying!

"Cough, cough."

Yang Tianli coughed up more blood. The physical pain was nothing compared to the overwhelming terror and bewilderment that tortured him from within. Every glance upward sent a fresh wave of panic through him.

He had never dreamed that he would one day meet this living legend, especially not under these circumstances. Ultimately, it was his own fault. Yang Tianli had always been too arrogant and contemptuous of others, believing that the Golden Summit Yang Family, with its eighty thousand Personal Guards, could dominate the Four Seas and Eight Wastelands. Little did he know that as long as you couldn't blot out the sky with one hand, you would eventually meet your match.

Today, he had truly kicked a blade's edge. To put it bluntly, one wrong move could lead to the annihilation of the entire Golden Summit Yang Family.

*Huff, huff.*

Yang Tianli struggled to suppress the panic in his heart. After taking two deep breaths, he spoke with trembling lips, "Gove-Governor, it was an unintended offense. I beg your forgiveness."

Chen Yang slowly took a step forward, clasping his hands behind his back. He smiled faintly. "At a time like this, you're asking for forgiveness?"

"What was it you said just now? That you would use Qin Qiu and me as a blood sacrifice, so we could die as a pair? That you would exterminate my nine generations and sink the entire Qiyun Road?"

"Let's put aside who was right or wrong for a moment. Just based on your arrogant desire to slaughter everyone under the heavens, you now want to talk to me about forgiveness?"

Chen Yang's tone was light, his smile warm. "Don't you think you're being a bit naive?"

Yang Tianli was speechless.

After a long pause, he finally managed, "Governor, my Golden Summit Yang Family's connections are not limited to Triangle City. We have deep ties in Cangyun City and even the Martial Department! Please, just let this matter go. Besides, I..."

`SMACK.`

Mid-sentence, the sound of a sharp slap echoed. As if struck by a steel plate, Yang Tianli's head swam and his vision went black.

"No one has ever been able to stop me from doing what I want," Chen Yang said flatly, lowering his arm.

Yang Tianli shook his dizzy head, but it was no use. He collapsed to the ground, a trickle of blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth.

His eighty thousand Personal Guards were nearly all dead or wounded. The old man with the fifteenth-level cultivation had already been grievously injured. Upon careful reflection, he, the Third Master of the Golden Summit Yang Family, had no good cards left to play.

`BOOM! BOOM!`

The river's waves churned violently. The great ships, each flying an Azure Dragon War Banner, bore down on them. Behind them, the warships of the Golden Summit Yang Family were in a full rout, discarding armor and supplies as they fled for their lives.

"Didn't someone say earlier that once they were free, they'd give these men a good thrashing?"

Chen Yang turned to stand at the bow, watching the warships pass. He raised his right hand in a salute. "They have fought countless battles, their blood staining the yellow sands. They have given their lives for this empire. What right does your paltry Yang Family have to thrash them?"

Yang Tianli was speechless.

A dead silence fell over the scene.

`BOOM!`

The warships of the Hanyun Valley Martial Guard gave chase, striking with irresistible momentum. What followed was a one-sided slaughter. The surface of the Lingjin River, which had just begun to calm, was once again stained a glaring crimson.

Chen Yang glanced at the carnage and slowly shook his head before looking away. "Climb the tower."

The tower he mentioned was, of course, the Blood Sacrifice Tower. After all this chaos, after the river had been stained red with blood, it all came back to its original purpose.

Instantly, an icy chill shot through Yang Qin and Yang Tianli, and their scalps tingled with raw fear. This tower... this tower was built for others. Is it finally our turn to use it?

"Mer-mercy..." Yang Qin prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly as he begged for his life.

Chen Yang's eyes narrowed, his gaze sweeping over Yang Qin. In that instant, Yang Qin felt as if he'd been plunged into an ice cave, a chill permeating his very bones.

...

The great battle lasted for half an hour before it concluded.

"Make landfall!"

At Chen Yang's command, one hundred thousand soldiers disembarked onto Qiyun Road.

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