Fantasy: Unparalleled Prince, Conquering the Heavens!-Chapter 146 - 145: Unpopulated Area_1

Yumen Pass, one of the northwest gateways of the Qin Empire, was built on the edge of a cliff. Its strategic position was perilous; even birds had difficulty flying through it. It was a place where a single defender could hold off ten thousand attackers.

"Hurry, keep up!" Scorpion Shadow led its massive army, preparing for a direct assault on the city.

It looked at the magnificent and imposing city and immediately gave the order to attack. The vast army of over 200,000 surged forward, climbing the city walls. In no time, they stood atop the fortifications.

There was not a shred of resistance!

No enemies blocked their way!

The unexpectedly smooth advance made Scorpion Shadow find it incredible. For a moment, it suspected a trap and dared not advance recklessly. Instead, it hurriedly dispatched hundreds of Scouts to investigate the surroundings.

"General, the army of the Divine Court is coming!" a Scout surveying the rear hurriedly flew over, saluting respectfully.

How could they be so fast? Scorpion Shadow wondered, secretly anxious. When the Scout who had gone to investigate the situation returned, it quickly asked, "What’s the situation? Is there an ambush?"

"Reporting to the Great General, there are no signs of human life within a hundred-mile radius!" the Scout answered respectfully.

"Advance!" Scorpion Shadow let out a sigh of relief, an excited gleam in its eyes. It flew forward, leading the army past Yumen Pass. As for the enemy in the rear, it paid them no heed at all.

In just a few minutes, over 200,000 Scorpion Clan soldiers had vanished into the territory of the Qin Empire, leaving only a devastated border town behind.

"We’re still too late!"

A few more minutes later, Nie Feng arrived hurriedly with his army. He inhaled the faint scent of the foreign race in the Void, his expression grim.

He stood on the city wall, gazing as far as his eyes could see, yet he found no trace of the foreign race. Disappointed, he shook his head and led his army to continue intercepting the other Scorpion Clan armies.

An hour later, he successfully caught up with one Scorpion Clan army, but they had no intention of engaging with him. After leaving behind several thousand corpses, they disappeared without a trace.

Having been busy for most of the day, Nie Feng had led his army across thousands of miles. Though utterly exhausted, he still failed to stop the Scorpion Clan.

「Meanwhile」

The Scorpion Clan army, upon entering the Qin Empire, was ecstatic. In their view, endless blood food and delicacies lay before them, enough for a grand feast.

But soon, they discovered their mistake. On the vast, empty land, aside from deserted villages and cities, they didn’t see a single soul.

"How strange! We’ve advanced six hundred miles, why haven’t we seen anyone from the Qin Empire yet?" Scorpion Shadow stood before a city, muttering in confusion. The initial joy in its heart had long vanished, replaced by waves of chilling unease. Without blood food, their strength couldn’t increase. Without strength, how could they conquer new territories?

"General, should we press on further?" a Deputy General prompted, equally frustrated by the lack of blood food.

"It seems we have no other choice!" Scorpion Shadow nodded and led the army another three hundred miles deeper. Along the way, they passed numerous cities but still found no trace of humans.

By this point, they had penetrated nine hundred miles into the Qin Empire!

They were like a lone army, racing across an endless plain with no end in sight.

"G-General, should we continue to advance?" the Deputy General asked, his voice trembling. He was beginning to feel afraid. Looking at the surrounding mountains, it seemed as if countless enemies were hidden there, ready to pounce at any moment. Every bush and tree seemed to hide an enemy soldier!

The two previous defeats had severely damaged the Scorpion Clan’s morale, leaving a scar on their hearts. Under such circumstances, they had pushed deep into the Qin Empire’s territory, traveling for vast distances without seeing a single human. Their initial excitement had given way to disappointment, and now, to sheer terror.

Forget the ordinary soldiers; even Scorpion Shadow felt a little intimidated. The world before it was clearly beautiful, but in its eyes, it looked like a bloody, gaping maw, poised to snap shut.

"No, we can’t advance any further!" Scorpion Shadow shook its head and led its army to retreat, heading back the way they came.

But they didn’t know that on a distant mountain peak, a figure dressed in black lay prone, his aura completely concealed, as if he didn’t exist.

He was a member of the Hidden Guard!

The other Scorpion Clan armies encountered the same situation as Scorpion Shadow’s forces. It was as if they had entered a no-man’s-land. Every step forward filled them with terror. Most of the armies only advanced about seven hundred miles before daring to go no further. Scorpion Shadow’s contingent had ventured the furthest, nine hundred miles, before hastily retreating.

「Later that night」

Nie Feng and the soldiers of the ’God Army’, dragging their exhausted bodies, returned to Tianfeng City.

"General Nie, you’ve worked hard. We have prepared food and drink, please enjoy!" At the city gate, an Azure Dragon Army General cupped his hands in salute, speaking in a very friendly manner.

"Hmph, we don’t need it!" Nie Feng was thoroughly disgusted with the Azure Dragon Army for abandoning the common people. He didn’t give them a pleasant look, nor did he accept their food. He led his troops back to their camp to gnaw on dry rations.

His goodwill ignored, the Azure Dragon Army General didn’t get angry. He turned and walked towards the inner city, his face fervent, his fighting spirit soaring.

In the inner city’s training ground, the armies of the Four Sacred Beasts were assembled. Clad in armor, their gazes sharp as gods, they watched the tightly closed gates of the City Lord’s mansion.

"Generals, this is the Scorpion Clan’s marching route!"

Inside the City Lord’s mansion, in a wide hall lit by flickering candlelight, stood five figures. Four of them were Zhao Yun, Lv Bu, Bai Qi, and Wang Jian. The fifth was Jia Xu, dressed in a red robe, gently waving a feather fan in his right hand, while his left held out an intelligence report.

Zhao Yun reached out, took the report, and reviewed it carefully. A cold sneer touched his lips as he handed it to Lv Bu.

After all four had taken turns reading it, they exchanged glances, each seeing the intense murderous intent in the others’ eyes.

"Choose your opponents! The hunt begins now!" Zhao Yun declared, standing up, his voice chilling.

He hadn’t stopped the Scorpion Clan from entering the Qin Empire precisely to wait for this day. With the enemy forces scattered, they could lie in wait and eliminate them one by one.

An hour later, four armies departed Tianfeng City, melting completely into the darkness.

Slaughter would drench the dark night!

「Three hundred miles away」

Outside a winding mountain range, a large army advanced at top speed. Scorpion Shadow looked at the map and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. We’re about to leave the territory of the Qin Empire soon; then we’ll be safe, it thought. The journey back was proving even more difficult than the journey in!

"Speed up!" Suddenly, Scorpion Shadow felt its heart palpitate with a sense of unease. It scanned the surrounding mountains and commanded in a low voice.

"As you command!" The army quickened its pace, entering the mountains that lay like a crouching dragon.

However, they failed to notice that atop a mountain peak, an army lay hidden, a Formation arrayed around them, concealing all their auras. Even when the Scorpion Clan soldiers passed right before them, they remained undetected.

Azure Dragon Formation, Dragon Breath Technique!

This was the power of the Army Soul!

"Kill!" Zhao Yun roared. His battle spear flashed, condensing a shaft of spear energy in the Void, which shot down towards the slopes below.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The figures of Azure Dragon Army soldiers appeared, their bows drawn taut like full moons, unleashing a dense volley of arrows.

The marching Scorpion Clan army, before they could even form a defensive Formation, was riddled with arrows. Blood splattered everywhere.

Rows upon rows of Scorpion Clan soldiers fell!

"Thousand Sand Pincer!" Scorpion Shadow tore through the air, its twin pincers flashing with black light. It managed to block the spear energy Zhao Yun had launched, but the immense force of the impact still sent it crashing into the massive mountain behind it.

BOOM!

The mountain range crumbled!

Countless more soldiers were crushed beneath it, and blood flowed like a river.