Great Qing Rises Again, a Million-Strong Army Bears Down

It had been a few months since Lin Hanzhou had left seclusion.

A shocking piece of dreadful news, enough to shake the entire Great Gan Dynasty,

came from the northern frontier, racing back to the Capital City by urgent courier.

The Great Qing Dynasty in the north, silent for more than fifty years, had once again brazenly invaded the south.

When the military report, stained red with blood, was presented on the imperial desk in the Hall of Supreme Harmony,

the entire court fell into a deathly silence.

Every minister who heard the news wore an expression of disbelief.

Upon the dragon throne, Empress Li Yuechan's face was ashen, her expression grim beyond measure.

The brutal Battle of the Capital Defense fifty years ago remained vivid in their memories.

The legend of the White-Haired Sword Saint, who had wielded a sword alone to slay two Grandmasters before the armies, moving through their ranks as if no one stood in his way,

was still enthusiastically recounted by storytellers across the land.

That battle had utterly broken Great Qing's backbone.

Everyone had thought that Great Qing would be incapable of invading the south again for at least several centuries.

But now...

"Minister of War!"

Li Yuechan's icy voice shattered the silence of the hall.

"Y-Your Majesty, I am here!"

The Minister of War trembled as he stepped out of the ranks.

"Read it!"

"Yes..."

The Minister of War unfolded the military report in his hands and read in a dry voice.

"Your Majesty, Great Qing has invaded with the strength of the entire nation. Its vanguard claims to number a million troops. Three days ago, they broke through several cities in Liao Province and occupied more than half the province."

"What?!"

"A million troops?! H-How is that possible?"

"More than half of Liao Province has fallen? This..."

"Didn't the State Preceptor cripple them fifty years ago? How can they still have the strength to invade our Great Gan borders?"

The entire court erupted into chaos.

Yet the worst blow was still to come.

The Minister of War took a deep breath and, his voice choked with tears, read out the most devastating intelligence.

"According to reports from the front, there are apparently ten powerhouses at the Grandmaster level accompanying the Qing Army..."

Boom!

The words "ten Grandmasters" crashed down upon every person's head like five thunderbolts from the heavens.

The hall fell into another deathly silence.

But this time, it was not from shock. It was from despair that sank into their bones.

Ten!

Those were ten Grandmasters!

Great Gan did not have that many, even if it exhausted the strength of the whole nation.

Over the past fifty years, despite Great Gan's vast resources, it had barely managed to produce three Grandmasters.

Including the two who had been guarding the northern frontier and keeping watch over the sects, Great Gan now had only five Grandmasters.

Five against ten.

In terms of top-tier fighters, they were at a crushing disadvantage.

How could they possibly fight this battle?!

After all, a single Grandmaster was worth a million troops.

One additional Grandmaster could deal a devastating blow to the outcome of a battle, let alone five.

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

An elderly minister shouted in a frenzy.

"This must be false intelligence—a feint by the Qing Army."

"Fifty years ago, the State Preceptor slew two of their Grandmasters, leaving them badly weakened."

"Where could they possibly have found ten Grandmasters in fifty years?!"

"Indeed, Your Majesty. There must be something suspicious about this."

"I believe we should send people to investigate and report back at once."

After hearing the news, the ministers began arguing among themselves.

Some suspected it was false, while others believed it was utterly credible.

The despair on their faces had already turned ashen.

Upon the dragon throne, Li Yuechan's expression grew graver than ever before.

Her heart was filled with the same questions.

Why?

Why had Great Qing, a nation they had once dealt a crushing blow,

managed to produce ten Grandmasters in a mere fifty years?!

It was completely contrary to the principles of martial cultivation.

Even Great Gan, with Lin Hanzhou—the Protector Grand Master, who was almost like a god—

had only barely managed to produce three Grandmasters, despite his personal guidance of gifted martial artists and the support of the imperial family's resources.

If Great Qing truly had ten Grandmasters, it must be hiding secrets unknown to them.

But she knew this was not the time to investigate.

She needed to confirm whether the army invading from Great Qing really had ten Grandmasters.

If it was merely a feint by the Qing Army, that would be a relief. What she feared was that the report was true.

If so, Great Gan would have no way to resist them and would be swept aside.

"Report—!"

Just then, a messenger covered in blood stumbled and crawled into the hall.

"Your Majesty, an urgent report from Qing Province..."

"The Qing Army is attacking too fiercely. Our forces are falling back at every turn, and the Protector General has fallen in battle."

"All of Liao Province was completely overrun several hours ago. The Qing Army is now advancing toward Qing Province."

"Qing Province is in imminent danger. We beg Your Majesty to send reinforcements at once!"

After delivering his message, the messenger's head lolled to one side, and he collapsed unconscious.

The Protector General had fallen, and Liao Province had once again been occupied by the Qing Army!

This news shattered the last of the court's composure.

After all, the Protector General had been a Grandmaster.

For a powerhouse like him to fall in battle was proof of the Qing Army's terrifying strength.

For a Grandmaster to have had no chance to escape, several Grandmasters must have joined forces against him.

In that case, the report that the Qing Army might have ten Grandmasters was very likely true.

If so, Great Gan was in grave danger.

Faced with such a terrifying gap in strength, all the ministers wore expressions of panic.

They understood all too well what the Protector General's death meant.

That was why they had almost come to believe the report that the Qing Army had ten Grandmasters.

Upon the dragon throne, Li Yuechan's beautiful face was likewise troubled.

The Qing Army might have ten Grandmasters; they had already captured a province; and one of Great Gan's own Grandmasters had fallen.

Each of those reports was a calamity in itself.

Now, they had all struck at once—a leaky roof in a night of endless rain.

With Great Gan's current strength, even joined by the three great sects, they were no match for ten Grandmasters.

With no other choice, Li Yuechan could only place her hopes in Lin Hanzhou.

Fifty years ago, he had slain two Grandmasters in succession. His strength must be even more terrifying now.

And with the four Grandmasters Great Gan still had, they might yet be able to fight the Qing Army's ten.

Still, Li Yuechan did not want Lin Hanzhou to take part in this battle.

During that battle in the Capital City fifty years ago, he had burned away fifty years of his lifespan. He had already done far too much for Great Gan.

She was terrified that he would die in this coming war. Great Qing had ten Grandmasters!

But if she did not seek his help, Great Gan had no way to stand against them with its current strength.

More towns would fall, and the Qing Army's inhuman slaughter would happen all over again.

As the Empress of Great Gan, she could never allow such a thing to happen again.

In the end, she made her decision: she would have to ask the State Preceptor to act.

The Protector Grand Master, who had become Great Gan's guardian deity and was almost worshipped as a god.