"Three more prefectures? It seems you're very confident, thinking that your small country can win." Qin Yunyu found this amusing and shook his head at Lin Qian. "Moreover, it seems you've misunderstood. Five prefectures will be attacking your Huaxia Empire."
In the sky above the Two Provinces Water Forest, cold winds blew, causing Lin Qian's white robe to billow. He looked at Qin Yunyu with pity in his eyes. "It's unfortunate, but the sect masters Feng Huabin of Qingfeng Sect in Fengzhou and Jia Gong of Ying Mountain Sect in Lianshan Prefecture have already agreed to merge with my Huaxia Empire and bow down before me."
"And by the way, the forces from Qizhou, Tiaoshun Prefecture, and Nanying Prefecture that attacked the Huaxia Empire have already been completely annihilated."
Lin Qian's words caused Qin Yunyu's pupils to contract slightly, but he quickly shook his head. "Ridiculous. You think you can cover up your current predicament with lies? Your Huaxia Empire is already history. Soon, I can mercifully spare your life by abolishing your cultivation and then take you to Linhai Prefecture to witness it for yourself."
"No need. I know very well what is happening in Linhai Prefecture," Lin Qian said as he stretched his shoulders and looked at Qin Yunyu. "Although it's a bit troublesome to fight while undergoing a tribulation and unable to use my martial soul armament, it should be enough to deal with you. After I kill you, it will mark the Huaxia Empire's declaration of war against the Qin Dynasty."
Lin Qian's words left many people stunned, making them think he might be crazy.
Fighting Qin Yunyu, who was in the Awakening Realm, while undergoing a soul tribulation and claiming to declare war on the Qin Dynasty? Some people secretly wondered if Lin Qian was just a lunatic spouting nonsense.
"How arrogant. No martial soul armament? You..." Qin Yunyu closed his eyes slightly, then suddenly opened them wide and glared at Lin Qian, roaring in fury, "Do you even know who you are? You're not qualified to fight me or declare war on the Qin Dynasty!"
Lin Qian cracked his knuckles and calmly replied, "However, earlier, I threw you with one hand."
"Insolent!" Hearing Lin Qian bring up that statement again, Qin Yunyu felt all the blood rush to his head. Enraged, he roared at Lin Qian and charged straight at him.
Golden soul energy condensed on Qin Yunyu's sword blade as his speed soared to the extreme. He became like a golden meteor, reaching Lin Qian in the blink of an eye.
The howling wind parted as Qin Yunyu approached, and the golden-patterned Qin Sword in his hand thrust forward, aiming directly at Lin Qian's heart, clearly intending to pierce it through.
To onlookers, Qin Yunyu's sword strike seemed like a golden comet about to engulf Lin Qian and obliterate him.
"You are the insolent one!"
At that moment, Lin Qian suddenly shouted, his body enveloped in blazing golden emperor soul energy. The soul energy condensed into an imperial robe adorned with nine golden dragons, each one coiling around his figure.
The overwhelming imperial pressure filled the air, crushing down on everyone present.
In the next instant, crimson-gold lightning crackled across Lin Qian's emperor robe. His right fist clenched tightly, and a terrifying power began to build within it.
"Get lost!"
With a thunderous roar, Lin Qian unleashed his emperor's might, and his punch, infused with the imperial aura, shot out like a cannon.
As the punch neared him, Qin Yunyu's expression changed drastically. To him, the incoming punch wasn't just an ordinary attack—it was as if an entire mountain range was bearing down on him.
Bang!
Lin Qian's punch collided with the tip of Qin Yunyu's sword, and for a moment, the air around them seemed to freeze, as if time itself had stopped. Only the sound of the impact reverberated in the stillness.
Three seconds later...
Boom!
The collision of their soul energies erupted with a deafening explosion. Waves of chaotic energy rippled outward, sweeping over the onlookers.
The violent shockwaves tore apart the spirit trees in the Two Provinces Water Forest below and turned the river's waters into mist, revealing the riverbed.
The spectators hurriedly activated their soul energy to shield themselves from the impact of the explosion.
Gradually, the chaotic energy in the sky began to settle, the explosive soul energy dissipated, and the smoke cleared, revealing the scene.
Lin Qian, clad in his emperor robe, floated calmly in the air, standing exactly where he had been without moving an inch.
On the other hand, Qin Yunyu had been forced back dozens of feet, making it clear who had the upper hand in their clash.
As Qin Yunyu slowly returned to his position, Lin Qian flexed his right hand and coldly remarked, "One punch was enough to send you flying."
Lin Qian's words made Qin Yunyu's expression grow even darker. It was clear to everyone, especially him, that Lin Qian's current state was entirely different from before.
The imperial pressure emanating from Lin Qian, the aura of a supreme ruler, made Qin Yunyu feel as though Lin Qian was far more powerful than his own father.
When Lin Qian uttered the word "emperor," Qin Yunyu felt an overwhelming urge to bow his head.
It wasn't just Qin Yunyu; everyone around felt the same shock at Lin Qian's aura, and they had to summon their soul energy to resist being overpowered.
"So strong!" Fang Zitian exclaimed, deeply impressed as he watched Lin Qian, surrounded by nine golden dragons.
Beside him, Li Yunfeng and Yang Tianhao were equally astonished by Lin Qian's display of power.
After all, Lin Qian was undergoing a soul tribulation, yet with just a punch, he had sent Qin Yunyu, an Awakening Realm genius, flying dozens of feet. It was terrifying.
Moreover, Lin Qian's current state and demeanor made the three of them feel both familiar and unfamiliar.
If the usual Lin Qian was gentle and refined, like a talented young man next door, the Lin Qian they saw now was a majestic emperor, a sovereign overlooking all beneath him.
At this moment, no one thought Lin Qian's earlier words were arrogant. Even the southern domain observers, who had been secretly watching, now looked at the figure surrounded by nine golden dragons with solemn expressions.
Some of them even began to believe that the story of Lin Qian surviving a tribulation with five stages of fire gathering might actually be true.
Previously, people had doubted the story because it seemed impossible. But now, with Lin Qian fending off a genius in the Awakening Realm with a single punch while undergoing a soul tribulation, those same doubters had to reconsider.
"Emperor..." one of the southern domain observers muttered in awe as he gazed at Lin Qian in the sky.