Having come to this realization, Lin Qian suddenly opened his eyes, now with a clear understanding of the combat power of a general leading an army.
Although the losses were greater than Lin Qian had anticipated, the battle still maintained a dominant stance.
After all, this was a single unit operation. If multiple units were deployed together, such losses would be nonexistent.
"The battle should end now," Lin Qian said, his gaze fixed on the front. As he spoke, a Nine-Dragon Imperial Seal materialized in his palm.
The Imperial Authority, Mighty Feather!
Golden thunderous soul energy surged from Lin Qian's body, coiling like a dragon, finally condensing into a massive Thunder Dragon Bow that he grasped firmly in his hand.
The soul energy bowstring was drawn back, and the enormous golden thunder soul energy bow was pulled into a full arc. The roaring thunderous soul energy gathered on the bowstring, forming a massive soul energy arrow as thick as an arm. The sheer power contained within it struck fear into the hearts of the five watching from behind.
"Line them up," Lin Qian's voice echoed in Yaonie's mind. With a smile on his face, he gazed at the twenty remaining Blackhorn Clan members. "To die at the hands of our supreme emperor is a true honor."
At that moment, the twenty high-level Awakening Realm Blackhorn Clan members had exhausted too much of their soul energy. Hearing Yaonie's words, they didn't immediately grasp the meaning.
In the next instant, a flurry of blade lights assaulted them, slashing towards their bodies.
The twenty high-level Awakening Realm Blackhorn Clan members simultaneously retreated, using the remaining soul energy to collide with the blade lights, using the rebound to propel themselves backward.
They had been doing this all along—keeping about ten feet away from Yaonie, making it difficult for him to strike.
After all, Yaonie's military role as a Blood General emphasized strength, not speed, which was not his forte.
As they were knocked back, the twenty Blackhorn Clan members unknowingly aligned in a straight line.
Buzz…
The sound of electricity crackled. Lin Qian, holding the Thunder Dragon Bow from a distance, suddenly released the string. The massive golden thunder arrow shot forward, whistling through the air, aimed directly at the twenty high-level Awakening Realm Blackhorn Clan members.
The noise naturally alerted the twenty Blackhorn Clan members, who quickly turned towards the source of the sound. They were met with the sight of a thunderous bolt tearing through the sky, racing towards them.
In their eyes, this was no ordinary thunder arrow; it was as if a dragon of lightning was opening its jaws to swallow them whole.
They wanted to dodge, but Lin Qian's arrow was too fast. By the time they reacted, it had already pierced through the first Blackhorn Clan member's chest.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The massive golden thunder arrow shot straight through all twenty Blackhorn Clan members, its overbearing energy lingering within their bodies before ruthlessly erupting, consuming them entirely.
In midair, the twenty Blackhorn Clan members, ranging from the fourth to the fifth stage of the Awakening Realm, were reduced to charred remains, falling from the sky as nothing but scorched husks.
Even as they fell, the sky still bore the lingering trace of the thunder arrow's path.
Lin Qian lowered his raised hands, the soul energy-formed dragon bow dissipating. Yue Liqiu and the other four stared in terror at what had just happened.
Just moments before, they had been watching the battle, confused when Lin Qian suddenly declared that the battle should end. They hadn't had time to process what he meant.
Then, they saw Lin Qian summon a massive soul energy bow, followed by a thunderous arrow that obliterated twenty high-level Awakening Realm Blackhorn Clan members, turning them into ashes.
With those twenty high-level Awakening Realm members out of the way, Yaonie felt unburdened and immediately turned to slaughter the remaining Blackhorn Clan soldiers.
With his strength at the sixth stage of the Awakening Realm, Yaonie tore through the Lifeblood Realm Blackhorn soldiers like a tiger among sheep, unstoppable.
Wherever he passed, Blackhorn Clan bodies fell to the ground. Meanwhile, the green-armored Windstream soldiers swiftly appeared below, collecting the fallen Blood War soldiers' soul armor and looting everything valuable from the Blackhorn Clan corpses.
Afterward, the Windstream soldiers tossed fire spheres onto the stripped Blackhorn Clan bodies, burning them to ashes, turning them into fertilizer for the land below, ensuring they wouldn't be left to rot in the wild.
Gradually, the remaining Blackhorn Clan soldiers realized that their Awakening Realm comrades had all been slain. Their last bit of resolve shattered, leaving nothing but despair.
A full-scale rout had begun!
The previously constructed heavy soul cannons had already been dismantled by the workmen, ready to be redeployed when needed.
Lin Qian's priority now was to avoid wasting even the slightest bit of resources. To prepare for the impending soul crystal shortage, the Hua Xia Empire had to be meticulous in conserving every resource.
Even the enemy corpses were valuable, with every scrap to be collected as war trophies.
Lin Qian was already rising into the air, preparing to fly forward.
"Your Majesty, what about these things?" Yue Liqiu asked, pointing to the now messy tables.
Without looking back, Lin Qian continued forward, disappearing from sight, his voice drifting back, "Leave them. They're not needed."
"Got it!" Yue Liqiu nodded and, with the other four elders, followed Lin Qian toward the mountain fortress.
Little did Lin Qian know that many years later, the remnants he left behind would become a famous attraction in the Hua Xia Empire's Gu Lin Prefecture.
It became common for Lingti Clan members to bring tourists of all races, pointing to the tables as they recounted the mighty deeds of their supreme emperor.
"It was here, during the first battle of the campaign to annihilate the Blackhorn Kingdom, that the battle reached a stalemate. Twenty crazed Awakening Realm Blackhorn Clan members were unstoppable."
"At that moment, our emperor, the Benevolent Martial Emperor, suddenly slammed the table, stood up, and drew his bow."
"With that single arrow, the heavens trembled, and those twenty crazed Blackhorn Clan members were struck down!"
After hearing these stories, the visiting tourists would eagerly approach the table where Lin Qian once sat, hoping to feel the lingering presence of their emperor.
"Our emperor is truly mighty!" The young Lingti children would cheer as they skipped around.
But those are tales for another time.