The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

At the break of dawn, the rising sun cast its light on the walls of Qi Yi City, a small town on the border of Sheng Tian Sect's territory. The city served as a lookout post, a frontline defense.

A soul warrior named Lao Hei, who was stationed on the wall, lazily stretched and yawned, preparing to switch shifts, completely forgetting his duty to keep watch.

In Lao Hei's mind, who would dare to challenge the Sheng Tian Sect now?

Suddenly, a loud rumble echoed from behind, and the wall beneath him began to tremble violently.

The unexpected disturbance shocked Lao Hei, and he quickly turned around to see what was happening.

His pupils contracted as he saw the scene unfolding in the distance.

Thousands of heavily armored soldiers, armed with long spears, were charging toward the city on black horses clad in armor.

The cold glint of the armor and the unfamiliar sight of those horses—armored with iron-plated hooves—caused Lao Hei's breath to catch. Despite the weight of the riders and their armor, the black horses galloped swiftly, leaving dust in their wake.

"Prepare!" The leading life-stage soldier of the cavalry unit narrowed his eyes and gave a low command.

Instantly, the five thousand cavalrymen on horseback raised their spears, and yellowish Huaxia soul power began to gather around them.

At the same time, the eyes of their black horses glowed with fire, and their iron hooves turned red, igniting with flames.

As they charged, a trail of flames blazed in their wake.

The cavalry unit accelerated, rapidly closing in on Qi Yi City.

It was only then that Lao Hei snapped out of his stupor and screamed, "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

His panicked cries jolted the city's defenders into action, and they quickly activated the protective barrier.

A pale blue shield materialized around the city, like an upturned bowl covering it.

However, despite the barrier being activated, Lao Hei noticed that the approaching cavalry showed no signs of stopping.

Instead, the horses neighed, and their speed only increased.

"Form up!" The leading life-stage soldier pointed his spear forward, and the other cavalrymen followed suit, raising their spears in unison.

Huaxia soul power surged, spiraling together until the entire unit seemed to transform into a massive spear, hurtling toward Qi Yi City.

Crack!

The city's protective barrier shattered upon impact, unable to withstand the cavalry's force. The heavy city gates were also smashed open and ignited by the fiery hooves of the black horses.

Inside the city, the defenders, who were mostly shape and Nirvana-stage warriors, were no match for the cavalry. Any one of the cavalrymen was like a tiger among sheep, let alone an entire unit of them.

The cavalry charged into the city, and the leading life-stage soldier coldly announced Lin Qian's decree: "Surrender, and you will not be killed!"

The scene at Qi Yi City played out similarly in other cities on the borders of Sheng Tian Sect, Ba Dao Sect, Hui Chun Sect, and Cui Huo Sect.

One by one, the cities near the borders were swiftly conquered, and the forces advanced deeper into the enemy territories.

In just two days, most of Ba Dao Sect, Hui Chun Sect, and Cui Huo Sect's territories had been captured. Even Sheng Tian Sect's territory had been occupied by one-third.

The only reason Sheng Tian Sect's advance had slowed slightly was due to their puppet army, as shown on the tactical screen that Lin Qian watched intently.

The puppet army was entirely made of metal, resembling humans, and emanated energy waves similar to soul weapons. Their strength ranged from Nirvana-stage to sky-stage.

There were a thousand sky-stage puppets and over twenty thousand Nirvana-stage puppets. More concerning were the three life-stage puppets within their ranks.

Such a formidable puppet army naturally posed some challenges to the advancing Huaxia Imperial Army, though only minor ones.

After all, Lin Qian hadn't summoned his entire army at once. Instead, he strategically summoned different units with varying strengths and numbers, just like the ones stationed in the occupied cities.

However, unlike the puppet army, which required a substantial amount of soul crystals to operate, the Huaxia Imperial Army needed no such resources after their initial summoning. They didn't even need food, drink, or rest, as they were purely manufactured from the empire's military facilities.

Soon after, Lin Qian dispatched another wave of imperial troops to engage the puppet army.

For the one thousand sky-stage puppets, Lin Qian sent ten thousand sky-stage soldiers. For the twenty thousand Nirvana-stage puppets, he dispatched two hundred thousand Nirvana-stage soldiers. And for the three life-stage puppets, he sent thirty life-stage soldiers.

"Since you have tens of thousands of life-stage soldiers, why not just send them all out at once and finish this quickly?" Watching the tactical screen as the puppet army was swiftly overwhelmed and reduced to scrap metal, Ye Xin asked curiously.

"Indeed, that would solve the problem quickly," Lin Qian agreed with a nod.

Ye Xin chuckled helplessly, rubbing her forehead as she continued, "Then why bother sending out Nirvana-stage and sky-stage troops in smaller groups and letting Lei Qian, Gao Benli, and even Hai Mingyun and Shen Yunhai lead the attacks?"

Lin Qian smiled softly and gestured to the various tactical screens, showing Lei Qian and the others leading their troops in battle.

In the images, Lei Qian and the others wielded their soul weapons with fervor, their faces alight with excitement as they fought alongside the Huaxia Imperial Army, seizing city after city.

"They are now part of the empire. They need to develop a sense of belonging and pride in the empire. The best way to do that is to let them lead the imperial troops and conquer territory for the empire."

"Overwhelming power might make them feel bored. But winning in a hard-fought battle, where they can contribute, will fill them with pride and foster a deeper connection to the empire."

Lin Qian then pointed to the smiling faces of Lei Qian and the others on the tactical screen. "Look, they're having a blast. Would you like to lead a team and have some fun attacking Sheng Tian Sect's territory?"

"I'll pass. Let them enjoy it," Ye Xin replied with a laugh, shaking her head. "Sheng Tian Sect, once the dominant force in Linhai Prefecture, has now become mere playthings for those around you."