The Peerless Emperor

Inside Old Man Qi's humble abode, the hole in the ground had been sealed shut. The Array activated beneath the earth was functioning methodically according to the design of the Heavenly Art Department, its intricate pathways shimmering with a faint, cold light.

The light of the Array that enveloped Yushui City extended subtly into the distance, forming a connection between Yushui City and the other cities within the Emperor Qin Dynasty.

Through these connected pathways between Arrays, the Array virus engineered by the Heavenly Art Department spread, infiltrating other Arrays, growing in strength, and lying dormant in secret.

With just a single command from Lin Qian, it would erupt completely, seizing control of all the cities within the Emperor Qin Dynasty.

However, there were exceptions, such as the Imperial City of the Emperor Qin Dynasty. It was impenetrable; according to Zhuge Ming's observations, within the Array of the Imperial City, there was a vigilant, active consciousness.

Even though the infiltration of the Array virus was silent and stealthy, this consciousness within the Array would surely detect it, and efforts could thus be in vain.

Instead of risking exposure over a minor gain, it was better to temporarily give up on the Array of the Imperial City.

At this time, far at the border between Feng State and Lianshan State, Feng Huabin and Jia Gong were leisurely chatting inside a small dwelling.

"Do you think His Majesty Lin's plan could actually succeed?"

"I don't know. Secretly taking full control of the Emperor Qin Dynasty's Arrays is unthinkable. Although I feel it's impossible, who in this world can be sure of what's possible?"

Agreeing with Feng Huabin's words, Jia Gong nodded. "But what I'm more curious about is, what did His Majesty mean when he said he wanted to build artillery platforms within the enemy's Territory?"

"I, too, am clueless about what these artillery platforms are. His Majesty even muttered something about 'Tower Building Flow in front of enemy gates,' which sounds baffling to me."

While the two were deep in discussions, Lin Qian was already standing in front of Old Man Qi's house, ready to bid farewell.

"Big brother, do you really have to go?" Qi Yan looked longingly at Lin Qian, reluctant to let him leave.

As soon as Qi Yan spoke, Old Man Qi smacked the back of his head. "What nonsense are you talking about? He has urgent matters to attend to. We should be grateful and not make demands."

Lin Qian looked at Old Man Qi and smiled, then crouched in front of Qi Yan, grabbing his shoulders. "Big Brother has left you Soul Crystals and plenty of food. In these troubled times, just live well with your grandfather and avoid drawing attention."

"I've left you a Cultivation Technique—to train and become a Soul Martial Artist and protect your grandfather in the future."

Hearing Lin Qian's words, Qi Yan curiously looked up at him. "Big brother, will I have the chance to see you again?"

Lin Qian caressed Qi Yan's head earnestly. "To see me in the future, you'll have to become very strong."

"Why is that?"

"Because Big Brother will be your Emperor, and I need a strong Qi Yan to serve me, not a crybaby who can't protect his grandfather."

Inspired by Lin Qian's words, Qi Yan patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, I will become strong in the future and serve you, Emperor Big Brother!"

"Hahaha, very good," Lin Qian nodded in satisfaction, stood up, and turned to Old Man Qi. "Old man, I must be on my way."

Old Man Qi looked at Lin Qian, nodding solemnly. "I will guard this secret with my life, and I hope the people of the Emperor Qin Dynasty can truly live under the heavens as you have said."

Lin Qian nodded to Old Man Qi, then turned and left the room, heading towards the direction outside the city gates.

To secure a perfect victory over the Emperor Qin's Dynasty, it was not only the layout of the city that mattered but also the deployment of military forces.

The true weapons of war lay hidden deep in the sea, the battleships. With overwhelming force, Lin Qian was confident that neither the Soul Martial Artists of Emperor Qin's Army nor the City Defense Forces could match him.

Of course, Lin Qian needed to consider not just the offensive of the Huaxia Empire but also the battlefields involving Double Pole Palace, Carefree Sect, and Blood Spirit Valley. Those three powers were waging war for him against the Emperor Qin's Dynasty, and it would be wrong if he didn't offer assistance.

However, the current standoff at the battlefield had far too many people. Rashly bringing the Huaxia Army there would only startle the enemy.

But who said that warfare between forces had to be nothing but slaughter among Soul Martial Artists?

Lin Qian had realized that in this world, personal martial strength was held in extremely high regard, and wars, in his view, were nothing but large-scale brawls.

Lacking tactics and war-use Soul Devices, it was merely a case of each side calling people and then bashing each other.

Lin Qian was unsure about what the vast Void beyond held, but on the Soul Martial Continent, this was the way.

Clashes held no division of labor or cooperative unity; it was just a melee where victory went to the side with more numbers and greater strength.

In the past, a clever tactic of the foreign races in the Four Directions World was to let the Soul Beasts act as cannon fodder, hoping to wear out Lin Qian's forces first.

That plan proved futile. The Soul Beasts meant to exhaust resources ended up being minced by the War Beast Army's Silver Moon Giant Wolves, turning into chunks of meat.

After leaving Yushui City, Lin Qian proceeded deeper into Shunshui State, following the roaring turbulent river. Two days later, he saw a dark mass of people in the distance.

"Emperor's Eye!"

Lin Qian's pupils turned a golden hue, and in an instant, he could see the situation far away clearly. The dark mass was all Emperor Qin's Army troops, as well as City Defense Forces from various cities coming to their aid.

The Emperor Qin's Dynasty's directive was based on the will of the high and mighty Human Emperor, dividing the states except for the one where the Imperial City was located among Princes and Marquises.

The army directly under the Human Emperor was named Emperor Qin's Army, while those under Princes and Marquises managed the City Defense Forces.

Just in front of him, the assembled Emperor Qin's Army and City Defense Forces amounted to a staggering one hundred million. The weakest were in the Life and Death Realm, albeit of various ages and with fluctuating auras, with most in the Life and Death Body Realm.

Having such a number of armies in the Life and Death Realm did not surprise Lin Qian, considering the Dynasty's long legacy.

Moreover, Lin Qian believed that this one hundred million Life and Death Realm Army was merely a portion of the Emperor Qin's Dynasty's strength.

"Not bad," Lin Qian commented, admiring the massive army, and found it remarkable. He had indeed forgotten how many people he had summoned in the Four Directions World.

However, here, Lin Qian wouldn't directly summon so many people. It would be too shocking, likely attracting unwanted attention.

Since he couldn't rely on sheer numbers for dominance, Lin Qian decided to take a different approach by adopting the Tower Building Flow.

"Interesting, very interesting!" Lin Qian rubbed his hands together, eager to begin.