The Changing of the Guard, the Qin Family Ascendant

High above the nine heavens, Xiang Yang perished, his soul scattered. Yun Ce, dressed in white, stood suspended in the air, the spiritual energy around him slowly receding as if that crushing Nascent Soul duel had been nothing more than a trivial task.

Below, Qin Yu still held Xiang Guang pressed firmly against the ground. Watching the aura of his ancestor completely dissipate in the sky, Xiang Guang went limp, his face ashen. Only the deepest despair remained in his eyes, and he no longer had the strength to even struggle.

"The ancestor... is gone... everything is over..."

Qin De slowly sheathed his blade and walked step by step toward Xiang Guang. His eyes were cold and sharp; the pain of losing his wife, suppressed in his heart for so many years, surged like a tide at this moment.

"Xiang Guang, back then you used underhanded means to harm the princess of my Eastern Suppressing Prince Mansion. This blood debt must be settled today."

Xiang Guang trembled all over, looking up in terror, his voice shaking: "Qin De... you cannot kill me, I am the Emperor of the Chu Dynasty! If you kill me, you are a traitor and a rebel—"

"A traitor and a rebel?" Qin De let out a cold laugh, his tone bone-chilling. "Your Xiang Family is incompetent and tyrannical, slaughtering the loyal and the virtuous; you have long since lost the hearts of the people. From the day you laid hands on my family, your death was already sealed."

As the words fell, the blade rose.

A flash of blood flickered, and Xiang Guang, the contemporary emperor of the Chu Dynasty, died on the spot.

The deep-seated hatred of many years was finally avenged. Qin De let out a long, heavy breath, and the massive stone that had weighed upon his heart finally settled. Qin De bowed toward the sky.

"Many thanks, Brother Yun. From now on, if there is anything you need from me, just speak, and I will not refuse."

Yun Ce descended from the sky, glanced at Qin De, and nodded slightly, his white robes unstained by dust: "The matter here is concluded. We shall discuss things further back at the mansion."

The four of them did not linger, turning into streams of light and heading straight back to the Eastern Suppressing Prince Mansion.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, the core members of the Qin Family gathered in the main hall of the mansion.

Qin De sat in the main seat, his Golden Core early-stage aura steady and vast. His gaze swept over Qin Feng, Qin Zheng, Qin Yu, and the strategist Xu Yuan, his voice steady and powerful as he announced a decision that would shake the world.

"Xiang Guang has been executed, Xiang Yang has been destroyed, and the fate of the Chu Dynasty has come to an end."

"I hereby issue an order—

Qin Feng, Qin Zheng, Xu Yuan, and Qin Yu, hear my command!

One month from now, reorganize the troops from the three commanderies of Leixue, Shangque, and Zhenyang, totaling one million soldiers, and march north to besiege Bachu Commandery! We shall wipe out the remaining forces of the Xiang Family in one stroke and secure the realm!"

The four bowed in unison: "As you command!"

Qin Yu stepped forward, his battle intent soaring to the heavens: "Father, I wish to lead the Fierce Tiger Army as the vanguard!"

Qin De nodded slightly: "Granted. You shall lead the fifty thousand soldiers of the Fierce Tiger Army as the spearhead, thrusting directly into the heart of Bachu Commandery to strike fear into the enemy and shatter their morale." Following this, Qin De issued a series of commands.

Qin De was leading a million-strong army to annihilate the Chu Dynasty!

Once the news broke, the world was shaken.

The Xiang Family had already lost the support of the people, and now that the foundation of the royal family had been severely damaged, with both their ancestor Xiang Yang and Emperor Xiang Guang dead, their military morale had long since collapsed, leaving everyone in a state of panic. Furthermore, the Qin Family had long ago planted spies within the various Xiang armies, secretly using heavy bribes to turn their generals against them.

On the day the army arrived at the border, the psychological defenses of the Xiang garrison completely crumbled.

On the city walls, the Xiang generals looked at the endless sea of the Qin Family's million-strong army in the distance, their banners blotting out the sun and their blades shining like snow; their palms were already soaked with cold sweat.

Only one thought remained in their minds: The Xiang ancestor is dead, the emperor is gone, so who are we still dying for?

On one side, the Qin Family was sweeping all before them with the backing of a cultivation sect, and the outcome was already clear.

On the other side, the Xiang Family's momentum was gone, and like a falling tree, the monkeys were scattering; stubborn resistance would only lead to death.

Many generals struggled internally:

Fight? With this little strength, they could never stop a million-strong army, not to mention the Fierce Tiger Army that had been forged in mountains of corpses and seas of blood—their fierce reputation had spread across the world, and just hearing the name made the soldiers' legs go weak.

Surrender? Not only could they save their lives, but they could also retain their military power and wealth; why die for a dynasty that was about to be extinguished?

Fear, hesitation, wishful thinking, despair... all sorts of emotions churned within the hearts of the Xiang generals.

When the Qin Family's vanguard, the Fierce Tiger Army, arrayed themselves in formation and that iron-blooded Sha Qi surged toward them, the psychological defenses of the Xiang garrison completely collapsed.

"Open the gates and surrender! Those who surrender will be spared! Those who do not will die!"

The shouts shook the heavens and the earth.

Many Xiang leaders sighed in their hearts, knowing the tide had turned and there was no possibility of a comeback, so they ordered the city gates to be opened and led their men to surrender.

Marching north, there were almost no significant battles; the cities of the Xiang Family changed hands one after another. The Qin Family's army swept through like autumn leaves in the wind, unstoppable.

In just three months.

Qin Yu personally led the fifty thousand Fierce Tiger soldiers, like an unbreakable spearhead, breaking through Yanjing City and reaching the imperial palace.

The last of the Xiang Family's death squads, confidants, and elites holed up in the palace, making a final, desperate stand. They still held a shred of unwillingness, hoping for a final struggle, but faced with the iron-blooded charge of the Fierce Tiger Army and the Xiantian Great Perfection pressure of Qin Yu, that unwillingness was quickly swallowed by despair.

In less than half a day, the last remnants of resistance within the palace were completely wiped out, and all remaining forces of the Xiang Family were executed.

Thus—

The Xiang Family's empire, which had been passed down for hundreds of years, completely collapsed.

The Chu Dynasty perished, and the Qin Family rose.

The vast land officially fell into the hands of the Qin Family.

On the Hidden Dragon Continent, as one mortal dynasty replaced another, a brand-new era was about to begin.