Chaos Across the Land

For years, friction between the Great Kang Empire and the Great Martial Empire had never ceased.

Now that the Great Kang Empire had suffered Heavenly Punishment, the Court Officials of the Great Martial Empire were beaming with delight.

The Great Kang Empire had suffered devastating losses and was too busy cleaning up the mess to challenge the Great Martial Empire again.

It seemed that the Great Kang Empire would have no time to cause trouble for the next ten years.

The Court Officials were quite pleased with this. That way, they could do nothing while still raking in money.

However, what the Court Officials had not expected was this: although the Great Kang Empire had suffered grievous losses, would it truly refrain from invading the Great Martial Empire?

Three months later, winter arrived earlier than usual within Great Kang, and a snowfall froze countless people to death.

Because of the snow, the prey in the mountains and forests also hid away, making it difficult for many tribes to obtain food.

There had been little cause for concern in previous years, because countless merchants from You Province would arrive with caravans laden with grain and other supplies.

The people of the various tribes only needed to offer some of the Medicinal Herbs they found while hunting.

But ever since the Youzhou Governor had made an example of a few to frighten the rest, no caravans had gone to the Great Kang Empire.

Even the boldest merchants could not leave You Province. They would be stopped by the border guards, then have their homes confiscated and their clans exterminated.

After several years, no merchant dared take the risk anymore.

This drove countless small tribes in the Great Kang Empire to wage war over food.

Another two years passed.

Over those two years, the Great Kang Empire had suffered miserably. Natural disasters and man-made calamities came without end, and small tribes were swallowed up at every moment.

At last, after two years of warfare, the strongest tribe in the Great Kang Empire emerged.

"We are of the same race, and we are human too!"

"Not beasts!"

"These past years, we have suffered countless natural disasters and man-made calamities. Clan members die every moment."

"My heart aches, but what pains me even more is why you would rather slaughter one another than turn your blades toward the Great Martial Empire!"

"The Great Martial Empire is incomparably prosperous. No one freezes there, there are vast cultivated lands, and more grain than they can ever eat!"

"Yet the Great Martial Empire does not cherish these things. Its emperor is now incompetent, its officials greedy, and its military lax!"

"They clearly possess a uniquely blessed position, countless lands, and mountains of grain, yet their people live worse lives than we do."

"Such an empire is destined to perish!"

"And it can only perish. Now, I will lead you out of these mountains and forests to seize the Great Martial Empire!"

"Clan members, take up your weapons and show your blood and courage. I will watch over you from behind!"

"Roar!"

"Qi! Qi! Qi!"

"Victory!"

Under the leadership of a young man named Qi from the tribe known as the Wind Tribe, the entire Great Kang Empire united as one!

That year, Wang Pan was twenty-seven years old.

War erupted!

The Great Kang Empire brazenly dispatched its troops, crossed the border, and launched a full-scale invasion!

You Province became a meat grinder, with countless soldiers dying every moment.

The organized armies of both sides formed Army Formations, their Killing Intent linked together as they fought until the sky darkened and the earth dimmed.

There were even Heavenly Gang Realm experts who could break through ten thousand troops alone, leaving countless dead in their wake!

Yet the Great Martial Empire had not realized the severity of the problem. Or rather, they knew, but did not care.

Although the Prince guarding You Province repeatedly begged the Great Martial Empire for reinforcements, what finally arrived was an army composed entirely of Skin Refining Stage martial artists.

This made the Youzhou Governor fly into a rage. He wished he could return to the capital with a sword in hand and slaughter every minister in court!

After only one battle, barely anyone remained alive from that army composed entirely of Skin Refining Stage martial artists.

Meanwhile, the Great Kang Empire's offensive grew ever fiercer, with new tribes arriving every day to join the army.

Three months later, You Province fell.

The Heavenly Gang Realm Prince had directly fled ahead of time with his personal guards. Of the several hundred thousand Youzhou Army soldiers, fewer than eighty thousand remained after three months.

"I acknowledge your courage, and I understand your determination to defend your homes and country."

"But look at this: your commander abandoned you and fled. Look also at the kind of lives your families have been living."

"We are invaders. No matter what we say, that cannot be changed."

"What I can promise is that we will not indiscriminately kill a single civilian, and we will let you live better lives than before!"

"No corrupt official will dare reach into your pockets, and no wealthy clan will dare oppress you!"

"This empire belongs to us, but it also belongs to you!"

"Join us. Join us in creating a great empire together!"

Qi did not make things difficult for them. Instead, he tried to persuade them.

With Qi's Heavenly Gang Realm cultivation, every word he spoke spread across the battlefield and rang in everyone's ears.

"Qi! Qi! Qi!"

After some consideration, the eighty thousand soldiers surrendered. One after another, they dropped to one knee and shouted Qi's name.

These eighty thousand soldiers were exceptionally elite. Over the past three months, they had fought countless battles, large and small, and every one of them was a battle-hardened veteran!

Qi smiled happily. With that, all of You Province had fallen.

Qi also fulfilled the promise he had made to the surrendered soldiers, treating the people of You Province equally.

When the army entered the city, it did not touch a single hair on the civilians' heads.

At the same time, the army was strictly forbidden from harassing the people. Violators would die!

In Qi's words, these common people were pitiful too.

And they had no money.

Instead, the wealthy merchants and great clans suffered disaster.

Countless wealthy merchants and great clans had their homes confiscated and their clans exterminated, while the gold, silver, grain, and fodder seized from them piled up like mountains!

When news of You Province's fall spread across the land, the Great Martial Empire finally unhurriedly mobilized troops from several nearby provinces.

A total of two million soldiers were deployed in Lanzhou to block the Great Kang Empire's southward advance.

The commander was none other than Wu Wudi, the Prince who had previously abandoned You Province, along with his son, Wu Qianjue.

"You refused the road to heaven, yet charged straight through the gate of hell."

When Wang Pan learned of this, he immediately laughed.

Where was this?

This was Lanzhou!

Lanzhou was Yanhua Sect's home ground!

After more than a thousand years of operation, Yanhua Sect's control over Lanzhou had reached a terrifying level!

Although Wang Pan was only a True Disciple of Yanhua Sect and could not make decisions for the sect, did that matter?

It did not!

The current sect master was only sixty-eight years old. Given the three-hundred-year lifespan of the Heavenly Gang Realm, he was in the prime of his life!

And this sect master was filled with ambition.

Or rather, the entire Yanhua Sect had been filled with ambition for a thousand years.

One could see it from their control over Lanzhou. After all, what proper sect would do something so laborious and unrewarding?

Did they really think controlling an entire province required no cost?

That was also why such a vast sect still lived so frugally.

The reason they had kept their ambitions hidden was likely because they had not found an opportunity.

The Great Martial Empire was still powerful. It had only begun to decline in recent decades.

Now, the opportunity had come!

As long as the Great Kang Empire and the Great Martial Empire fought one another to a standstill, Yanhua Sect could suddenly enter the fray and utterly defeat the Great Martial Empire's army!

At that point, Yanhua Sect could either lead its own force to contend for the realm or pledge itself to the Great Kang Empire. Both were good choices!

As for competing for the realm himself?

The thought surfaced in Wang Pan's mind for only an instant before he crushed it.