High above the clouds, Xiang Yang had perished, his body and soul destroyed. Yun Ce stood suspended in the air, his white robes immaculate as the spiritual energy around him slowly settled, as though that crushing battle between Nascent Soul cultivators had been no more than a casual effort.
Below, Qin Yu still held Xiang Guang firmly pinned to the ground. Watching the aura of his ancestor vanish completely from the sky, Xiang Guang went limp. His face turned ashen, and only the deepest despair remained in his eyes. He no longer had the strength to struggle.
"Ancestor... gone... It's all over..."
Qin De slowly lowered his blade and walked step by step toward Xiang Guang. His eyes were icy, and the pain of losing his wife, buried in his heart for years, surged like a tide.
"Xiang Guang, you secretly poisoned my wife, the princess consort of the Eastern Suppressing Prince Mansion. That blood debt ends today."
Xiang Guang shuddered and looked up in terror, his voice trembling. "Qin De... you can't kill me. I'm the emperor of Great Chu! If you kill me, you'll be a traitor—"
"A traitor?" Qin De sneered, his voice cold as ice. "Your Xiang Family has ruled incompetently and cruelly, persecuting loyal subjects until you've lost the people's support. From the day you laid hands on my family, your death was already sealed."
As the words fell, his blade flashed.
A streak of blood appeared, and Xiang Guang, the current emperor of the Chu Dynasty, died on the spot.
At last, the great vengeance he had carried for years was fulfilled. Qin De let out a long breath, and the heavy stone in his heart finally settled. He bowed toward the sky.
"Thank you, Brother Yun. If there's ever anything you need me for, just ask. I won't refuse."
Yun Ce descended from the sky and gave Qin De a slight nod, his white robes untouched by dust. "This matter is settled. Let's return to the mansion and discuss things there."
The four of them did not linger. They transformed into streaks of light and returned straight to the Eastern Suppressing Prince Mansion.
The night passed without incident.
At dawn the next morning, the Qin Family's core members gathered in the main hall of the mansion.
Qin De sat in the seat of honor. His Golden Core early-stage aura was steady and vast. He swept his gaze over Qin Feng, Qin Zheng, Qin Yu, and the military adviser Xu Yuan, then announced a decision that would shake the world, his voice firm and powerful.
"Xiang Guang has been executed, and Xiang Yang has been destroyed. The Chu Dynasty's fate is at an end."
"This prince hereby commands—
"Qin Feng, Qin Zheng, Xu Yuan, and Qin Yu, hear my orders!
"One month from now, assemble the troops from Leixue Prefecture, Shangque Prefecture, and Zhenyang Prefecture—one million soldiers in all—and march north to besiege Bachu Prefecture! Crush the Xiang Family's remaining forces in one decisive campaign and claim the realm!"
The four bowed together and accepted the order. "Yes, sir!"
Qin Yu stepped forward, his fighting spirit soaring to the heavens. "Father, I'm willing to lead the Fierce Tiger Army as the vanguard!"
Qin De nodded. "Granted. Lead fifty thousand soldiers from the Fierce Tiger Army as the spearhead. Drive straight into the heart of Bachu Prefecture, intimidate the enemy, and shatter their morale." Qin De then issued one order after another.
Qin De was leading a million troops to destroy the Chu Dynasty!
The news sent shock waves across the land.
The Xiang Family had already lost the people's support. Now the imperial clan's foundations had been badly shaken, and their ancestor, Xiang Yang, and emperor, Xiang Guang, had died one after the other. The army's morale had long since collapsed, and the people were in a panic. On top of that, the Qin Family had already planted spies among the Xiang Family's forces, secretly bribing officers with generous sums and persuading commanders to change sides.
When the Qin army reached their borders, the Xiang Family's defenders finally broke.
On the city walls, Xiang Family officers gazed at the Qin Family's million-strong army stretching beyond sight. Their banners blotted out the sun, and their blades gleamed like snow. Their palms were already slick with cold sweat.
Only one thought filled their minds: Even the Xiang Family's ancestor is dead, and the emperor is gone. Who are we still fighting for?
On one side stood the Qin Family, advancing like a force of nature, backed by an immortal sect. The outcome was already clear.
On the other stood the Xiang Family, whose power had crumbled. With the tree fallen, the monkeys scattered; resistance meant certain death.
Many officers wrestled with the choice:
Fight? With the few troops they had, they could never hold back a million soldiers—especially not the Fierce Tiger Army, which had fought its way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Its fearsome reputation had spread across the land; just hearing its name made soldiers' legs tremble.
Surrender? They could not only save their lives but keep their military command and their wealth. Why die alongside a dynasty on the verge of collapse?
Fear, hesitation, wishful thinking, despair... Every kind of emotion roiled through the Xiang Family's officers.
When the Qin Family's vanguard, the Fierce Tiger Army, formed its ranks before them, its iron-blooded killing intent bearing down on them, the defenders' last psychological barrier shattered.
"Open the gates and surrender! Surrender and you'll be spared! Refuse, and you die!"
Their cries shook heaven and earth.
Several Xiang Family leaders sighed inwardly. The tide had turned, and there was no chance of a comeback. One after another, they ordered the gates opened and led their men in surrender.
As the Qin army marched north, there were hardly any real battles. The Xiang Family's cities changed hands one after another. The Qin army swept forward like an autumn gale, unstoppable.
In just three months,
Qin Yu personally led fifty thousand soldiers of the Fierce Tiger Army. Like an invincible blade, they broke through Yanjing City and advanced straight to the imperial palace.
The Xiang Family's last loyalists, trusted followers, and elites barricaded themselves inside the palace to make their final stand. They were still unwilling to give up, hoping to fight to the death. But facing the Fierce Tiger Army's relentless charge and the pressure of Qin Yu's Xiantian Great Perfection, their last traces of defiance were quickly swallowed by despair.
In less than half a day, the palace's final resistance was completely crushed. The Xiang Family's remaining forces were all put to death.
And so—
The Xiang Family's centuries-old rule collapsed completely.
The Chu Dynasty fell, and the Qin Family rose.
The vast realm officially passed into the Qin Family's hands.
The mortal dynasties of the Hidden Dragon Continent were changing, and a whole new era was about to begin.
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