After listening to Lin Qian's words, the five of them carefully observed the chaotic battle in front of the mountain fortress.
Yaonie, leading the ten thousand Blood War soldiers, wielded the Cold Moon battle blade like a weapon of death. Ordinary Blackhorn Clan members at the first or second stage of the Awakening Realm couldn't withstand a single strike from him.
Even when faced with an encirclement of Awakening Realm opponents, Yaonie remained unfazed, holding his ground against hundreds while maintaining the upper hand.
Yaonie's physique was inherently powerful, and with the soul armor he wore—though not the most advanced in the Hua Xia Empire of the Fantasy Star—it represented the pinnacle of the Empire's design and manufacturing prowess.
As a result, the soul energy attacks from the first and second-stage Awakening Realm Blackhorn Clan members were no more than scratches to Yaonie.
What impressed Yue Liqiu most was Yaonie's strategy in battle. When surrounded, Yaonie prioritized killing the lower-stage Awakening Realm Blackhorn Clan members first. He would fend off the higher-stage opponents temporarily, only to turn on the weaker ones, cutting them down with his Cold Moon blade.
The lower-stage Blackhorn Clan members made up the majority, numbering nearly eighty.
After nearly half an hour of fighting, these eighty lower-stage Awakening Realm members had been completely slaughtered by Yaonie, reduced to pieces by his blade.
Only then did the higher-stage Awakening Realm Blackhorn Clan members realize how dire the situation had become.
Though they had initially held an advantage with their superior numbers, after engaging in battle with the ten thousand Blood War soldiers, the tide gradually turned completely against them. They realized they were no match for the Hua Xia Empire's Blood War troops.
Like the monstrous Yaonie, the heavily armored enemies had unbelievably strong defenses. Despite being in the Lifeblood Realm, the Blackhorn Clan's soul energy attacks barely scratched the surface of their opponents.
Even their ultimate soul techniques failed to make a dent. The Blood War soldiers no longer foolishly took hits head-on, instead dodging the attacks before counterattacking with terrifying speed.
The nearby Blackhorn Clan members at the Void Breaking Realm couldn't get close without being torn apart by the shockwaves of the battle.
As the higher-stage Awakening Realm Blackhorn Clan members prepared to call for reinforcements, they realized with a start that their lower-stage counterparts had already been wiped out by Yaonie.
The leader, a fifth-stage Awakening Realm Blackhorn Clan member, paled as he stared at Yaonie, suddenly understanding. "No wonder this person focused on killing the lower-stage Awakening Realm members from the start. He planned this all along!"
With the lower-stage Awakening Realm members now gone, the remaining twenty higher-stage fighters struggled to keep up with the monstrous Yaonie. Splitting up to escape was not an option, as Yaonie would surely pick them off one by one.
All they could do was watch helplessly as the Blood War soldiers systematically slaughtered their comrades.
The Blackhorn Clan members couldn't comprehend how there could be such a vast difference in power between them and their enemies. How could their soul armor be so much weaker than the opponents'?
Little did they know, from the very beginning, they had been facing an enemy superior in every way.
"Half an hour left." Lin Qian suddenly spoke as he observed the battle. "But judging by the situation, that should be more than enough time."
Lin Qian's mention of "half an hour" referred to the remaining duration of Yaonie's General Skill: Blood Boil.
Having generals and beast commanders leading the Imperial Army and Beast Army dramatically increased their combat strength.
The most crucial factor was the General Skills and Beast Commander Skills they possessed.
Once activated, these skills could significantly boost the combat power of the Imperial Army and Beast Army.
Yaonie's Blood Boil skill, for instance, caused the blood of the soldiers he led to surge and accelerate, stimulating their potential and doubling their strength.
Combined with the Bloodthirst ability and the technological advantages of the Hua Xia Empire, the Blackhorn Clan soldiers were doomed from the start.
Moreover, the lower-stage Awakening Realm Blackhorn Clan members had already been slain by Yaonie.
In contrast, the Qin Dynasty had been quite fortunate during its confrontation with the Hua Xia Empire, as Lin Qian hadn't yet summoned the lowest-ranked generals and beast commanders.
Even the lowest-ranked generals and beast commanders could bring about a qualitative transformation in the Hua Xia Empire.
"Your Majesty, are you still not satisfied?" Yue Liqiu asked, bewildered by the clear dominance of the battle. "If it were ten thousand soldiers from the Four Clans, attacking a Blackhorn Clan fortress like this would be a death sentence."
"But now it seems that it's the Blackhorn Clan soldiers who are marching to their deaths."
"I'm not satisfied," Lin Qian replied, frowning as he watched the battle. "It's still not as good as I expected."
The five were left speechless by Lin Qian's dissatisfaction, marveling at how demanding his standards were.
However, they were unaware that the current assault on the fortress did not represent the full power of the Hua Xia Empire.
Apart from the Windstream troops who assisted in breaking the formation, ten advanced units had yet to be deployed.
This attack plan had been devised by Lin Qian and Zhuge Ming as a test.
Lin Qian wanted to see how much the presence of generals would affect the Imperial Army's strength, which is why only the Blood War unit was sent to conquer the mountain fortress.
If the Qin Dynasty's encounter with the Hua Xia Empire made Lin Qian view the world as provincial, then the Blackhorn Clan before him made him take this world more seriously.
Although the Blood War soldiers held the upper hand against the Blackhorn Clan, the ten thousand Blood War troops had already lost six thousand soldiers.
Unable to engage the Blood War soldiers head-on, the Blackhorn Clan had resorted to hit-and-run tactics, exploiting the Blood War soldiers' lack of speed.
Many Blackhorn Clan members weren't killed by being caught but by failing to notice another Blood War soldier lurking behind them, who would then strike them down with a single blow.
To Lin Qian, the blood-red aura surrounding these Blackhorn Clan members made their emotions more frenzied. Despite their fear, they possessed immense tenacity, fighting on until the very end.
While the five observers saw the performance as extraordinary, the losses far exceeded Lin Qian's expectations, serving as a wake-up call.
The stronger Lin Qian became and the more he witnessed, the stronger his enemies grew.
The Hua Xia Empire, from top to bottom, still needed to push beyond its limits and continually surpass itself.
"We can't rely on our advantages and become proud and complacent, halting our progress."