The capital of the Cangmu Dynasty.
"Holy Elder, all the cultivators at the Heaven Fusion Realm of the Cangmu Dynasty are here, awaiting your command!"
The Cangmu Human Emperor bowed slightly towards the Holy Elder on the Human Emperor's throne, his brows furrowed with worry. At this moment, the Cangmu Dynasty was no different from Beihan; the imperial power rested entirely in the hands of the Holy Elder.
However, this time was different. They submitted to the Holy Elder willingly. After all, with the ancient desolate army pressing down, whom else could they rely on if not the Holy Elder?
"Holy Elder, the strong individuals of my Sacred Origin lineage are all at the disposal of the Ten Elders!"
Ying Zhong, the Human Emperor of the Sacred Origin, slowly stepped forward, displaying a readiness to be the first to act, completely devoid of his usual cunning and deceit.
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, several whooshing sounds came from outside the great hall. Everyone turned to see the Old Ancestor of the Sacred Origin Dynasty, Ying Yu, leading the strong individuals who were supposed to be guarding the northern border of the Beihan Dynasty, storming into the hall in a hurry.
"Holy Elder!"
Ying Yu bowed slightly to the Holy Elder, his eyes filled with a trace of terror, and his voice urgent: "Holy Elder, the Blood Python army from the old land of Tianyue has not advanced towards the Weiyang Dynasty, nor have they pressed towards the Beihan Dynasty's borders!"
"Hmm?"
The Holy Elder's expression changed drastically, and he stood up abruptly. Inside the hall, all the high-ranking leaders of the human territory were filled with dread. If they were not heading south, nor east towards Weiyang, then there was only one direction: the southwestern border of the Cangmu Dynasty.
The Fiery Rhinoceros and Blood Python armies intended to devour the human alliance in one gulp. Once this defense line collapsed, they could sweep south and conquer half of the human territory in the southwestern region.
With the collapse of the northern defense line of the Cangmu Dynasty, the Cangmu, Beihan, Sacred Origin, and Tianyuan Dynasties would all be unable to escape.
The Holy Elder, the Blood Elder, and the Moon Elder all lowered their heads in silence. It was clear that the Fiery Rhinoceros and Blood Python armies intended to swallow them whole. This was the last remaining fighting force of the four great dynasties, and their top experts were all on the front lines. If they were defeated in one battle, the flame of humanity in this territory might be extinguished.
The entire hall was silent, filled only with the figures of the leaders and top experts of the four great dynasties.
"What about the Great Yan Dynasty?"
The Holy Elder fell silent for a moment, his voice weak. He looked up blankly at the rulers of the various dynasties and the experts of the Heaven Fusion Realm.
"Holy Elder!"
The Human Emperor of Tianyuan took a deep breath and stepped forward: "The Great Yan Dynasty is likely struggling to protect itself at this time!"
"When I led my troops north, the eastern defense line of the Great Yan Dynasty had already been completely shattered by the Sky-Devouring Greedy Wolf army. The Yanhai Collection, with the troops of the Great Yan, has set up heavy defenses in the capital. I am not aware of the current situation."
Unlike Ying Zhong, the Human Emperor of Sacred Origin, the Human Emperor of Tianyue harbored his own thoughts. If the Great Yan Dynasty could not hold its ground, Tianyuan would be the first to bear the brunt. Instead of defending his own dynasty, it was better to lead his troops north.
The Holy Elder looked up in despair, tightly closing his eyes. He recalled how he had spent his life in the intermediary realm of the Human Emperor Hall, using various holy wars to weaken the powers of the various dynasties. In the end, in their time of crisis, there was not a single supreme expert in the vast southwestern region!
Alas!
What had his life been for?
Though he had already broken through to the Heaven Transformation Realm and his skin had improved slightly, in just a few breaths, his blood qi weakened, as if he had once again become depleted of blood qi, with little of his lifespan remaining.
"Holy Elder, terrible news!"
"Terrible news!!"
A noble of the Cangmu Dynasty rushed into the hall in a panic, as if his life were hanging by a thread.
"What is it?"
"Have the Fiery Rhinoceros and Blood Python armies attacked?"
The Blood Elder immediately stood up. At this moment, everyone in the hall held their breath. Even though they had been fearless before the mobilization of the armies, appearing ready to lead the charge, when the moment truly arrived, their faces turned pale, and they unconsciously took a step back.
"No..."
"No, it's an army that has appeared about thirty li southwest of the capital!"
"An army!"
"The South Gate!"
At once, everyone in the great hall heaved a sigh of relief, their expressions gradually easing. The Fiery Rhinoceros and Blood Python armies were gathered about a hundred li north of the capital. If it wasn't the ancient desolate army, that would be good!
"Let's go!"
The Holy Elder's expression turned cold. The armies of the four great dynasties were all gathered in the Cangmu Dynasty, and most areas were virtually undefended. Who was this army that suddenly appeared near the capital?
...
"Report!"
"Reporting to the general, thirty li ahead is the capital of the Cangmu Dynasty. According to intelligence from spies within the city, the Holy Elder and the rulers of various dynasties are all stationed in this city. The northern defense line of the Cangmu Dynasty has been fully deployed. It is estimated that within a day, the Holy Elder and others will set off!"
In the southwest direction of the Cangmu Dynasty, a vast army clad in azure armor was advancing rapidly, kicking up layers of dust.
On both sides of the road, the common people of the Cangmu Dynasty watched, some with fear in their eyes, some with smiles, some with burning gazes, and some pointing and chattering.
This army was none other than the Kui Niu Legion led by Qi Jiguang. They had set out from Qingcang Pass, under the king's orders, to attack the Blood Python army in the old land of Tianyue.
The entire Kui Niu Legion stretched for dozens of li, with a total of 400,000 soldiers. Each soldier's face was solemn, and their killing intent enveloped them. The army had marched eastward from Qingcang Pass without stopping.
At the front of the army, Zhou Yuji led the way, wielding his Tiger Head Chiseling Gold Spear. In the center of the army, four men in armor and one man in a gray robe and plain clothes, wearing only a soft armor on his upper body.
These four were Qi Jiguang, Li Wenzhong, Wang Baobao, and Zhu Sheng!
"We are acting under the king's orders, taking advantage of the human race's complacency. If the Ten Elders obstruct us, we can declare the king's decree!"
Zhu Sheng smiled gently, looking at the soldier kneeling and reporting before him, and then looked at Qi Jiguang and the others with a slight smile.
"Tell General Zhou Yuji to act according to the strategist's orders!"
Qi Jiguang's eyes were fixed on the east, showing no concern for the capital of the Cangmu Dynasty, which was thirty li away.
...
Soon, the vanguard of the Kui Niu Legion approached the capital of the Cangmu Dynasty. At this time, the Cangmu Dynasty had deployed troops to set up heavy checkpoints at the south gate of the capital, blocking the Kui Niu Legion's eastward route.
"What is that?"
Suddenly, on the city walls of the Cangmu Dynasty, Ying Yu's expression changed dramatically, and he let out a loud shout, instantly drawing everyone's attention. They followed Ying Yu's gaze and saw three large banners fluttering in the center of the army, shaking the void!
One banner bore the character "Han!"; one was blank, with a fierce Kui Niu beast scanning in all directions; and one bore the character "Qi!".
"Great Han!"
The Blood Elder and the Moon Elder's faces changed instantly. The hands that were supporting the city walls trembled. The Great Han! That was an empire with experts like Wang Yue and Li Bai, who were at the Heavenly Realm!
The vanguard of the Kui Niu Legion, looking at the heavy checkpoints to the east, instantly raised their spears. Cold light flashed, and rolling murderous intent instantly enveloped the void.