Chapter 324: The Burning Earth

“Coup!” This phrase instantly sprang to everyone’s mind.

Who was the First Prince? Certainly not a fool. He immediately shouted, “Yuan Cai, protect the Emperor!”

Yuan Cai roared, “Men, seize Xiao Liming and his group!”

The First Prince, too, had hidden cards to play. Beside him were two Nascent Soul-stage experts — a testament to the royal family’s heritage. Yuan Cai commanded over a hundred elite Golden Core cultivators, who immediately lunged forward to capture Xiao Liming and the others.

But in that very instant, Yuan Cai suddenly sensed a surge of true energy behind him — murderous intent erupting in a flash…

“Not good!” Yuan Cai was shocked, but it was already too late. A magic-treasure-grade flying sword pierced through his defenses from behind, then through his dantian. The sword energy twisted and shattered his Golden Core in an instant.

Yuan Cai turned around with great difficulty. Looking at the cold and stern face of Zhang Quan behind him, his eyes were filled with disbelief. “Zhang Quan… Zhang Quan… You… you actually…”

“Apologies,” Zhang Quan said coldly. “Yuan Cai, I once regarded you as Yuan Zhao’s brother. I even gave you a few subtle warnings in secret. But you kept pretending not to know and insisted on reviving the dream of restoring the Great Xia Kingdom. In truth, Great Xia was finished fifteen years ago. There is no restoring it.

The past is the past. Those who fail to see reality can only be eliminated.

I’m sorry, but you’ve been eliminated.”

Yuan Cai summoned the last of his strength to grasp Zhang Quan’s hand, his eyes full of rage.
“Zhang Quan, and to think I called you a brother… Ha! I must have been blind…”

“Those who adapt to the times are heroes; those who don’t become ghostly martyrs,” Zhang Quan said with a faint change in his expression. He dodged Yuan Cai’s feeble retaliation and gently supported him into a sitting position as his life ebbed away. “Brother Yuan, you probably don’t know this — in today’s imperial court, those truly loyal to the First Prince are fewer than the fingers on one hand. Moreover, it was the First Prince himself who was the main culprit behind Great Xia’s downfall.

When he failed to recruit Court Physician Fu Minghui and chose instead to restrain him, that was the moment Great Xia was truly doomed.”

Yuan Cai forced his eyes open. “You actually have a magic-treasure-grade flying sword…”

Zhang Quan whispered beside Yuan Cai’s ear, “My younger brother is quite sentimental about the past.”

Yuan Cai collapsed, and the atmosphere in the hall changed dramatically.

Zhang Quan picked up Yuan Cai’s general’s seal and spoke: “Everyone, the Great Xia Kingdom’s destiny has ended. Now, in the east, there are Li Yulong, Li Xian, and Yuan Yong. In the south, there are Kong Donglai, Gao Bin, and Wang Chuan. It’s time to see the situation clearly.”

At Zhang Quan’s feet lay Yuan Cai in a pool of blood. In his hand, he held up the blood-stained seal. The entire hall was filled with a chilling and oppressive atmosphere.

The First Prince’s face turned dark, but looking at the two Nascent Soul-stage experts beside him, he finally found some confidence. “I have two Nascent Soul experts on my side. What about you?”

Xiao Liming turned his head toward the two Nascent Soul cultivators beside the First Prince and curled his lips in a confident smile. “You two, aren’t you going to make a move?”

What?! Xiao Liming’s words startled the First Prince. But before he could react, his hands were seized by those very two experts, and his entire cultivation was sealed.

The First Prince’s face turned ashen. “You… The Great Xia Kingdom nurtured you, and you still…”

One of the Nascent Soul cultivators sighed, “First Prince, we’re sorry. We still have family alive. We cannot ignore them. Of course, we’ll ensure your safety — but first, we must make a trip to Anyang.”

Xiao Liming strode forward and slowly sat on the dragon throne, gazing down at the hall. “The Great Xia Kingdom has long been history. From today on, Baofeng County, Xin’an County, and parts of Wuyang County will form a new nation. The name of the country — Xiao Nation.

I am the founding emperor, Ji Yunya shall be the empress.

Ouyang Qing shall be the prime minister; Zhang Guang, the Minister of Revenue.

Zhang Quan shall be the Minister of Commerce and concurrently the Grand Herald, in charge of foreign affairs.

Additionally:

Grand Tutor: Xiao Zhenwei; Grand Commandant: Xiao Zhenwu; First Prince: Xiao Yunlong.”

Then Xiao Liming continued listing names and official titles — all part of his power base. While Li Yulong had fought to extend the Great Xia Kingdom’s fate by fifteen years, Xiao Liming had been managing the northwest for over fifty or sixty years. His deep-rooted foundation was beyond imagination. With his rise to power, his forces began to emerge from the shadows.

In just half a day, Xiao Liming had fully taken control of the “Xiao Nation.” The First Prince’s forces dissolved like bubbles in the wind. He himself, along with his wives and concubines, were all put on a plane to Anyang.

On that plane, the First Prince’s fury was indescribable. Only now did he realize — he never truly controlled Baofeng County. From beginning to end, he had merely been a banner waved by his maternal grandfather, Xiao Liming. The only one truly loyal to him and to Great Xia had been Yuan Cai — and now, who knew where Yuan Cai had even been buried?

Suddenly, the First Prince recalled what Ge Zhengfeng once said — that he had the fate to be a First Prince, but not an Emperor. Now, it seemed, that was truly the case.

…………

Northern Battlefield of Anyang — One Hour Later

One hour passed quickly. Both Anyang and the Cai State were on high alert.

Along the Great Wall of Cai’s border, 110 of the latest cannons had finally been deployed. These cannons gave the Cai State’s 500,000 troops immense confidence. “So we also have such powerful artillery!”

The changes on Cai’s frontier were clearly observed by Yan Zhengqing. The two border defenses were only ten li (about five kilometers) apart — well within the eyesight of a Nascent Soul expert. Not to mention, Anyang had telescopes.

“No wonder the Cai State had the audacity to provoke war — their artillery technology has made such massive strides!” Yan Zhengqing looked at the ten 240mm-caliber cannons and spoke with a flash of realization.

Beside him, a personal guard reminded: “Commander, the one-hour mark has passed.”

“Good!” Yan Zhengqing’s expression turned stern. “Pass the order — attack!”

The personal guards immediately contacted the relevant departments through the Spiritual Communication Mirror. War had officially begun! The beasts of slaughter began to awaken.

Anyang was the first to open fire. Artillery above 105mm atop the city walls fired first. At a distance of ten li (about 5 km), they directly executed indirect fire; the shells launched from the Great Wall of Anyang’s border struck the defensive walls of the Cai State.

Cai State was not to be outdone. Their domestically produced 150mm and 240mm artillery pieces extended their barrels to increase range—surprisingly, they could also reach a ten-li distance.

As shells flew over, Yan Zhengqing remained calm and collected. Elite cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage had already been prepared. Talismans were cast out one after another, forming rock walls, ice barriers, and more to intercept the shells. Upon encountering obstacles, the shells exploded mid-air, causing no real damage to the ground below.

Cai State attempted the same strategy, but the situation differed. Anyang’s shells forcibly pierced through the defenses before detonating. Cai’s elite interceptors were immediately met with heavy casualties. The temporary air defenses built under Lu Chenggang’s supervision were practically useless!

“What’s going on?!” Cai State’s commander-in-chief and generals were dumbfounded. Something was clearly off.

A gap emerged on the battlefield right from the start. Almost all of the shells from Cai State were intercepted by Anyang. However, the shells from Anyang inflicted devastating losses upon Cai. Despite their preparations, they could not stop Anyang’s artillery.

Cai State’s 110 artillery pieces roared. But Anyang fired with over 300 artillery units, ranging from 105mm to 150mm and even 240mm, all firing ferociously.

Soldiers from both sides lay flat behind the city walls, watching from afar—warfare had completely changed, and ordinary soldiers were suddenly rendered useless. But there was a clear contrast: Anyang’s soldiers were full of excitement, while Cai State’s troops only showed fear.

Initially, Cai’s soldiers had been confident. “We’ve got cannons too!” But from the start of battle, the bloody disparity was obvious.

Explosion after explosion—shells rained down on Cai State’s defenses. The spells meant to intercept them were like fragile glass, shattered by Anyang’s artillery. The aftermath was predictable.

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By the time Cai State’s commander and generals reacted, their positions had already been bombarded severely.

On Anyang’s border wall, Yan Zhengqing curled his lips into a smug smile. “Enjoying the delayed-fuse armor-piercing shells?”

Enjoying was an understatement. With the release of armor-piercing shells, Cai’s defensive strategies completely failed. The soldiers’ confidence, like their failed interception spells, was “pierced through” by the armor-piercing rounds.

Seeing the situation deteriorate, Cai State’s commander-in-chief, Luo Guanjie, made a prompt decision: “Wang Qisheng, charge! Spare no cost. Immediately storm the front of Anyang’s border, use spells and flying swords to clear the path, then use guns and artillery at close range to breach their defenses.

We have 500,000 troops, and Anyang only has 200,000. Victory will be ours! As long as we breach the front lines, half the battle is won. Once our forces flood into Anyang, they’ll be at our mercy!”

“Yes!” Wang Qisheng, with unstoppable momentum, led 30,000 elite soldiers who had already assembled. Among them were over 5,000 Foundation Establishment experts and more than a hundred Golden Core experts—this was one of Cai State’s true trump cards. For this war, they brought out their deepest reserves.

The 30,000 elites traveled entirely using spells, moving in scattered formations. They used not only speed-enhancing spells, but various evasion and low-grade invisibility techniques. With magical assistance, they crossed ten li in just 15 minutes. Over 27,000 troops reached their designated attack points.

“Aerial assault!” With Wang Qisheng’s command, 27,000 elite troops soared into the sky, intending to land on Anyang’s border wall—or even fly past it—to attack from behind.

On the border wall, Yan Zhengqing, who had remained inactive until now, sneered. “A good plan, good strategy… but you underestimate Anyang’s strength!”

As Wang Qisheng’s forces rose into the air, tens of thousands of Anyang’s Foundation Establishment cultivators and hundreds of Golden Core cultivators took off as well. Fierce machine guns also erupted from the border wall.

At first contact, Wang Qisheng’s elite troops were drenched in blood—more than 10,000 slain in mid-air. But the real shock came when Cai’s Foundation Establishment cultivators clashed with Anyang’s: Anyang’s troops were all wielding magical treasures!

Cai’s elite, protected only by magic tools, were like rotted wood—cut down in an instant! Magic tools are for Qi Condensation stage cultivators. Foundation Establishment cultivators using them can only utilize half their potential. But with magical treasures, they can exert double their power.

Cai’s attacks couldn’t even breach defenses! Only Cai’s Golden Core experts could harm Anyang’s Foundation Establishment elites—but they were already locked onto by Anyang’s own Golden Core cultivators.

The sky lit up with magical radiance, followed by flashes of blood. Before the first scream faded, less than 5,000 of the 30,000 elite remained, fleeing in all directions.

“Buzz…” A droning sound echoed from above. While fleeing, Wang Qisheng turned his head and saw a dark cloud flying in from behind Anyang. No—those weren’t clouds, they were planes! Hundreds of them, flying at a height of at least a thousand zhang (over 3 km)!

Six to seven hundred propeller planes approached—far larger than those Anyang sold to the outside world. Some were especially massive. Their surfaces shimmered with glowing formation patterns. With his experience, Wang Qisheng immediately recognized them as floating cloud formations—used to reduce weight and enable flight.

“Planes transporting large quantities of bombs!” That thought had barely formed when the planes flew past Anyang’s border, launching attacks from a height of 3,000 meters. At that altitude, precision was meaningless—but it didn’t matter. Cai State had 500,000 soldiers below.

As the planes reached the skies above the wall, they dropped bombs. The momentum carried the bombs toward Cai State’s territory. In an instant, the sky was filled with black dots—countless bombs darkening the heavens. And these bombs seemed especially massive.

Wang Qisheng, still fleeing in panic, couldn’t even care about the bombs or planes overhead. Soldiers behind him screamed and fell one after another. Faced with waves of magical treasure-grade flying swords, Cai’s soldiers could barely defend themselves. Many wished they had wings to escape into the sky.

“Shhhk…” A flying sword zipped past Wang Qisheng. His True Essence shield was sliced like tofu. The sword skimmed past his scalp.

Cold sweat instantly drenched Wang Qisheng’s clothes. The power of the magical treasure left him without even the courage to fight back.

Suddenly, the shouting and battle sounds behind him faded. He turned and saw that Anyang’s elite had stopped their pursuit and returned to the border wall.

“They’re not pursuing?” Wang Qisheng paused. At last, he had a moment to look up—and saw the sky covered in bombs.

This time, learning from the armor-piercing shell disaster, Cai State immediately released multi-layered spell barriers to intercept the slow-falling bombs.

Boom… The first wave of bombs exploded. But instead of shrapnel or smoke, the blast unleashed a sea of flames! Crimson fire, dazzling and enchanting—yet beneath its beauty lurked the grin of death. The flames surged like a tidal wave, rolling forward, painting destruction across the land.