"This was all ordered by the Sect Master, not my intention!" the Golden Immortal who had lost an arm exclaimed in panic, his body trembling violently. The white light that shot out from the sword seemed to herald the end of his eternal lifespan!
"No!"
"Spare me!!"
The Golden Immortal cultivator's unwilling roar was silenced as the white sword qi drained him of his life force!
"Kill!"
On the battlefield, the phantom blade formed by the fusion of a million troops surged forth with a roar from the Taotie, tearing through the air like arrows.
All Xuanzong disciples who stood in the path of the blade light were instantly annihilated. Waves of blood rolled in, and hundreds of thousands of lives perished in the carnage.
Boom!
As the blade light dissipated, a sword qi, amplified by the Qiongqi divine beast, descended from the heavens and struck the ground. The entire battlefield, a hundred miles in radius, was engulfed. The earth rumbled, and dust billowed thousands of feet high, obliterating everything!
"The army charges!"
As the dust settled, Meng Tian surveyed the Xuanzong forces. After the combined might of the two armies, less than a tenth remained.
In the void, Yang Su had concluded his battle. This war was a complete victory for the Great Han Immortal Dynasty over the Xuanzong lineage!
In just ten breaths, the Xuanzong disciples on the battlefield were all reaped. Wisps of smoke curled into the air, and the acrid stench of blood permeated the void, revealing the sorrow and brutality of this conflict!
"Commander, our Qiongqi Legion and Taotie Legion suffered a total of thirty-eight thousand and four fallen soldiers, one hundred and six thousand and nine lightly wounded, and one hundred and fifty-nine thousand eight hundred and seventy-two seriously wounded!"
"In this battle, over 1.5 million Xuanzong troops were slain, and the border military strength of the Xuanzong lineage has been completely shattered!"
"Escort the remains of our fallen soldiers back to Chang'an for burial. The seriously wounded shall recuperate here. All other soldiers are to rest immediately and proceed west in three hours!"
...
"What did you say? Elder Hu and the other two, their million-strong army annihilated in one battle?"
At the Xuanzong coastal port in the southeast, Sect Master Bian Teng of Xuanzong angrily addressed the Xuanzong Elder below.
"Do you know what you're saying? Our Xuanzong has been planning this for a long time. The Great Han Immortal Dynasty is merely a force that rose from the lower realms. How could they possibly defeat three Golden Immortal cultivators?"
"Sect Master, I, an old man, cannot believe this either, but Elder Hu and the other two have indeed perished. In a single day, our Xuanzong has lost hundreds of cities. The Great Han Immortal Dynasty's two great legions, led by Yang Su and Meng Tian, are advancing into our heartland. Countless disciples along the way are unable to resist. Sect Master, we have failed. The Great Han Immortal Dynasty possesses a profound heritage, no less than our Xuanzong lineage!"
An Elder's face was filled with sorrow and a hint of fear.
Boom!
Bian Teng slumped onto his throne, his divine sense in disarray. "Has our Xuanzong truly declined?"
"Sect Master, it is not that our Xuanzong lineage has declined, but that the Great Han Immortal Dynasty is simply too powerful. To control the Tianbao Realm after the destruction of the Tianbao Sect, to then eradicate the Burial Sect to the north, and for Zheng Chenggong of the Great Han Yinglong Second Army in the southern sea to defeat the three Golden Immortal cultivators and half a million troops of King Jinxi, Duan Ganbai, of the Southern Heaven Immortal Dynasty – each of these achievements is sufficient proof that the Great Han Immortal Dynasty's strength is not something our Xuanzong lineage can swallow alone!"
"Sect Master, the Great Han Immortal Dynasty's two great legions are launching a fierce offensive, and the Dragon Burial Island is about to open. For the future of our Xuanzong, I implore the Sect Master to surrender to the Great Han Immortal Dynasty and preserve the foundation of our Xuanzong lineage!"
"Sect Master!"
Four or five Golden Immortal Elders bowed deeply.
"Surrender! As long as it can halt the advance of the Great Han forces and preserve the foundation of our Xuanzong lineage, I will agree to anything!"
Bian Teng waved his hand weakly. If not for the imminent opening of Dragon Burial Island, he truly wished to return and lead the Xuanzong army to fight the Great Han Immortal Dynasty. However, with two major events coinciding, he had to make a choice.
...
Several days later, ten days had passed since Zheng Chenggong annihilated the half-million-strong army of King Jinxi of the Southern Heaven Immortal Dynasty. The Xuanzong lineage and the Great Han Immortal Dynasty had engaged in border warfare.
The Great Han Immortal Dynasty's Taotie Legion Commander Yang Su and Qiongqi Legion Commander Meng Tian led their respective legions, annihilating over 1.5 million Xuanzong troops, slaying three Golden Immortal cultivators, and advancing thousands of miles westward to occupy hundreds of cities.
With the Great Han Immortal Dynasty's relentless advance and the impending opening of Dragon Burial Island, Sect Master Bian Teng of Xuanzong reluctantly surrendered to the Great Han Immortal Dynasty. He agreed to compensate the Great Han Immortal Dynasty for all resource expenditures from this war, signed a series of resource indemnity treaties, and ceded one-third of the Xuanzong lineage's territory to the Great Han Immortal Dynasty.
The great defeat of Xuanzong instantly made the Great Han Immortal Dynasty the focal point of discussion for billions of beings across the Nine Realms. A force that had only entered the Immortal Realm two months prior now controlled the Burial Cloud Realm and the Tianbao Realm, and occupied one-third of the Xuanyun Realm's territory, becoming the largest power in the Nine Realms by territorial expanse.
Xuanzong's defeat propelled the Great Han Immortal Dynasty to the throne of the Nine Realms' three overlords, becoming another major power alongside the Southern Heaven Immortal Dynasty and the Holy Academy. Rumors abounded that in the current Nine Realms, only Lao Fuzi and the Southern Heaven Emperor could possibly defeat the Great Han Immortal Dynasty.
As countless factions discussed the Great Han Immortal Dynasty, Zheng Chenggong, leading the Yinglong Legion's Second Army, arrived at the southeastern coast of the Southern Heaven Immortal Dynasty.
"Where did this army come from? Damn it, attacking our Southern Heaven Immortal Dynasty! Are they seeking death?"
On the southeastern coast of the Southern Heaven Immortal Dynasty, ten thousand Yinglong soldiers disembarked from their warships. The void echoed with dragon roars as a powerful blade light descended, instantly annihilating tens of thousands of patrolling soldiers along the coast.
The powerful bombardment immediately attracted nearby Southern Heaven Immortal Dynasty troops. Hundreds of thousands, and even more, Southern Heaven Immortal Dynasty soldiers converged.
Boom!
Boom!
Warships docked, and hundreds of thousands of Yinglong soldiers stormed the land. Swords clashed, and roars shook the heavens. Blood flowed freely, seeping into the sea.
"I thought the high command of the Southern Heaven Immortal Dynasty was too arrogant. Upon landing today, I realized there are indeed warships patrolling this sea!"
"It's because there are troops stationed here. No wonder we were able to pass through the Southern Heaven Immortal Dynasty's coastal waters smoothly!"
Standing on the soil, Zheng Chenggong watched as the tens of thousands of soldiers in front of him engaged in a fierce battle. Behind them, more and more troops were gathering, an endless stream. In the void, an Yin-Yang staff swung, drawing a black and white stream of light as it spun across the battlefield. With each sweep, numerous Southern Heaven Immortal Dynasty soldiers fell to the ground!
"Who?"
"Who dares to declare war on our Southern Heaven Immortal Dynasty!"
A Golden Immortal general appeared in the void. He scanned the surroundings and his expression changed drastically as he saw the banner bearing the inscription of "Great Han."