On the northeastern border of Great Qin, hundreds of miles from Shen City, dozens of figures radiating powerful auras were advancing through the high sky.
Below, armored vehicles pressed forward relentlessly, and aircraft occasionally flew overhead.
These were Li Xiaotian and the forces of the major powers, their objective: to annihilate the Great Han Dynasty!
Along their path, Li Xiaotian and his entourage were like a dark cloud pressing down, scattering birds and beasts wherever they passed.
Although they traversed regions bordering the Myriad Beasts Mountain range on one side and the sea on the other, both areas known for frequent monster activity, at this moment, no beast stronger than King-level could be seen within dozens of miles. Weaker beasts were fleeing in disarray.
Both the overlords of the Myriad Beasts Mountain and the creatures of the sea witnessed this scene, but they responded with silence.
They did not wish to provoke, nor did they dare to.
Since its establishment, the Great Han Dynasty had provoked Great Qin twice, showing contempt for it. Now, Great Qin was finally retaliating.
That is, by dispatching a million-strong army to destroy the Great Han Dynasty!
A small nation from a barren land had dared to presume dominion over Great Qin, acting presumptuously in Yanzhou. It would ultimately pay the price for its folly.
"Absorbing the essence blood of monsters to enhance strength?"
Li Xiaotian frowned, a trace of disgust flashing in his eyes.
He finally understood why the Great Han Dynasty was so confident, attempting to subdue Great Qin and extend its reach into Yanzhou.
When he had dealt with the white-haired elder and his group previously, he had sensed something amiss. Though they were human, they gave him the feeling of beasts.
It was surprising that a barren and impoverished land could dispatch eleven late-stage Emperor-level powerhouses at once, a fact that caught everyone off guard.
Now, Li Xiaotian knew the reason: the people of the Great Han Dynasty were integrating the essence blood of monsters into their bodies to rapidly increase their strength.
This was also the conclusion analyzed by Gu Qing and the major powers. After all, there were individuals in ancient times who had absorbed the essence blood of monsters, so they were not unfamiliar with the practice.
However, while such methods could quickly boost a person's strength, they came with considerable drawbacks.
The most obvious was that individuals using this method had their cultivation paths capped, making it difficult to reach new heights.
Secondly, the essence blood of monsters contained primal beastly intents. Absorbing their essence blood did not guarantee a hundred percent increase in strength, with a low success rate. Many individuals were backlashed during the fusion process, resulting in severe injuries, becoming cripples, or even death on the spot.
Furthermore, even if successful, it did not mean an end to their struggles. They had to constantly resist the savage beastly intents within their hearts, preventing themselves from devolving from humans into monstrous beings in human form.
"Hmph, no wonder these Koreans are so arrogant in this life. It turns out they have the backing of the demon race. In ancient times, they were mere fence-sitters with no principles, but at least they had a bottom line and did not collude with the demon race. To think they have fallen so far now! If I had known this would happen, we should have eradicated their entire clan in ancient times!"
Gu Qing's face was ashen. In ancient times, many humans had integrated the essence blood of monsters, not all of whom were in league with the demon race.
However, that was a minority, and no single faction consisted entirely of such individuals, as the essence blood of monsters was not easily obtained.
For the Great Han Dynasty to casually deploy eleven powerhouses who had integrated monster essence blood meant they had slain at least eleven Beast Emperors.
And that was assuming the fusion process was one hundred percent successful on the first attempt. But that was clearly impossible; these eleven from the Great Han Dynasty must have been cultivated using the essence blood of dozens of Beast Emperors.
With the Great Han Dynasty's strength, even killing eleven Beast Emperors, let alone dozens, would have incurred the furious retaliation of the demon race.
Yet, the Great Han Dynasty remained unscathed and even possessed the strength to provoke Great Qin. This could only mean that they had already colluded with the demon race.
This was the only explanation for everything!
After all, typically, one would slay a Beast Emperor and extract its essence blood. However, if the Beast Emperor was willing, the outcome would be different.
If a monster lost some of its essence blood but did not die, it would recover its strength in a short period.
Gu Qing surmised that a certain forbidden demon territory must be supporting the Great Han Dynasty, providing them with a continuous supply of essence blood to bolster their strength, thus giving them the audacity to act so recklessly in Yanzhou!
The world was divided into nine regions, each incredibly powerful. However, there were also smaller forces like the Great Han, the Eastern Yi nation by the sea, and various factions in border regions, which did not belong to any major continent. In ancient times, they were vassals to larger continents.
Unexpectedly, the Great Han, once looked down upon by everyone, had suddenly become so powerful. There was definitely something fishy going on.
"If the Great Han Dynasty is indeed as we suspect, then this expedition shall see the annihilation of all Great Han warriors!"
Battle Without End's eyes seethed with killing intent. The Great Han's actions had undeniably violated the bottom line of the human race.
You can be weak, but you cannot betray your own kind!
Although this stance might seem overbearing, it was understandable, as the demon race and the human race were fundamentally opposed, and coexistence was impossible.
Unless one side held absolute dominance over the other.
"Indeed, to eliminate future troubles. As for the ordinary people of Great Han, they shall be relocated to Yanzhou. From this day forward, the Great Han shall cease to exist!"
A strong individual declared. This method was considered merciful, as the transgressions of the Great Han were such that annihilation would not be an excessive punishment.
Everyone nodded in agreement, evidently approving of this decision.
Alas, the Great Han Dynasty, in its moment of ascendancy, had become utterly arrogant, forgetting its place. For this, it would ultimately pay with its last vestiges of glory!
Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, within the Great Han Dynasty, a magnificent golden palace, spanning several li, stood proudly on the land.
The scale of the palace was even more grand than that of Great Qin, and small figures were bustling about its vicinity.
This was a newly constructed imperial palace, possessing immense grandeur and imposing majesty, all signifying Great Han's might and its ambitions for resurgence.
However, if an outsider were to visit this place, they would certainly not recognize the Great Han Dynasty as powerful.
Here, apart from the eye-catching imperial palace, the rest of the land was in a state of disarray.
Ruins, dilapidated buildings, and ordinary people with vacant eyes were everywhere, with corpses littering the streets.
Around the palace, numerous powerful warriors supervised ordinary people constructing the palace.
Although some construction tasks could be effortlessly accomplished by warriors, not a single warrior was willing to lift a finger; they merely supervised the commoners.
Any sign of laziness or falling behind schedule would lead to death.
In stark contrast, the interior of the palace was incredibly opulent. Every building, every person's attire, exuded nobility and elegance.
Heaven and hell were separated by a mere wall.