Random recommendation:

The Nine Dragons of the Nine Dragons Leaving Fire Array, sworn guardians of the Central Capital, had already proven their mettle against the mighty onslaught of the Shooting Moon Crossbow.

Yet, before the Great Qi Empire’s “Purple Extreme Conquest Dragon,” they were as paper-mâché, incapable of withstanding a single blow!

This turn of events was utterly unanticipated and difficult for many to bear. Along the vast ramparts of the Central Capital, Xia Country’s civil and military officials erupted in a cacophony of reactions. Some leapt forth, ready to shield the city with their very bodies. Others urgently mobilized military formations, seeking to unleash the martial might of their troops against the encroaching threat.

And Prime Minister Liu Xiyi, having already produced the Prime Minister’s Seal, pressed it into the air with a guttural cry, “Activate the Protect Country Grand Array!”

The National Teacher Xi Mengfu remained silent, but with a flip of his palm, he likewise brought forth the National Teacher’s Order.

The Prime Minister’s Seal, descending, seemed to settle mountains and rivers, stretching forth like ten thousand miles of brocade. The National Teacher’s Order, likewise pressing down, sealed the worldly realm, with its carriages, water, horses, and dragons.

Thus, the Protect Country Grand Array was unleashed!

The entire Central Capital City was enshrouded in a glory unlike any other, a vibrant green that defied simple description. It possessed a sense of the utmost purity, yet within it resided the most profound power. Within that verdant brilliance, ten thousand phenomena underwent myriad transformations. Suddenly, there were bustling markets and laborers; then, kings and ministers appeared. Mountain peaks rose abruptly, and mighty rivers surged. Great armies marched in majestic formations, and fortified cities stood as formidable strongholds.

The thousand-year national power of Great Xia, its ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers, its billion subjects – all were encapsulated within this display.

This glory appeared neither dazzling nor scorching to the eye.

Yet, as it spread across the Central Capital City, appearing slow but in truth swift, it had already fundamentally altered this corner of heaven and earth.

The “Purple Extreme Conquest Dragon,” which had shattered the Nine Dragons Leaving Fire Array as easily as breaking a mud pellet, upon encountering this glory, found itself unable to advance further.

It hung suspended in the skies above the Central Capital, poised to descend but unable to do so. Its draconic body, winding for ten thousand miles, stretched all the way to Linzi. Its head, immensely imposing, roared with a power that seemed capable of swallowing the sun and moon… yet it was firmly held at bay.

Any Protect Country Grand Array represents the most fundamental power of a nation. To put it broadly, it concerns the very destiny of the state.

This flickering human-path flood of glory was not confined to the Central Capital City alone; it enveloped the entirety of Xiangyou Prefecture!

And not just Xiangyou Prefecture?

If one were to stand high in the heavens, if one possessed eyes keen enough to see, then one would witness—

The entire territory of Great Xia, spanning ten thousand vertical and horizontal miles.

Xiangyou, Linwu, Pinglin, Daye, Huiming.

Fengli, Shaokang, Jinan, Wanxing, Dexing.

Jiangyong, Yugu, Changluo, Huaqing, Sangfu.

Huailin, Shunye, Youping, Wuxing, Yuxi.

Save for Fengjie, the lands of these twenty prefectures, and even the Xia Capital Guiyi City itself—place after place, a verdant glory lit up, shining upon one another, interacting across vast distances, all dyed with the same radiant hue!

In the face of Qi Country’s hidden killing move, the “Purple Extreme Conquest Dragon,” the ramparts of the Central Capital City had temporarily erupted into a clamor. Everyone sought to resist this absolute worldly might in their own way, until Liu Xiyi and Xi Mengfu collaborated to activate the Protect Country Grand Array.

And after the clamor… came a long silence!

The collapse of the Nine Dragons Leaving Fire Array declared that the Central Capital’s defense line, which Xia Country’s civil and military ministers had desperately repaired and upon which they had hoped to rely for half a year to a year’s resistance… had been formally breached!

Si Jiao, Liu Xiyi, Xi Mengfu, Longjiao, Tai Xu… these pillars of the Xia Country, all gathered in the Central Capital, were the very embodiment of this expectation.

But with the appearance of the “Purple Extreme Conquest Dragon,” everything turned to ash. The hope of holding the enemy at bay beyond the northeast defense line thus vanished into naught.

This great killing weapon, long held in reserve, was completely intended to deal with a hegemonic power like Jing Country. Yet, Qi Country had actually deployed it in their campaign to subjugate Xia, and Cao Ji had actually used it to break a mere Nine Dragons Leaving Fire Array—forcing Xia Country to prematurely activate its Protect Country Grand Array!

The activation of the Protect Country Grand Array signified that this war between Qi and Xia had entered a completely new phase. To rely upon the entire territory of Great Xia, with national power as support, powered by well-trained cultivators and massive stores of yuan stones… this was originally a survival mechanism of life and death, a means that should only be employed as a last resort.

In other words, when the Protect Country Grand Array is activated at full efficiency, it usually means that the nation has reached a critical juncture of life and death!

In the original estimations of Xia Country’s high command, how long was this time frame?

One year? Eight months? Half a year?

Cao Ji had given them the answer. Eight days of rapid march, leading a million-strong army into Xia. One day to breach Sword Edge Mountain. Three days to occupy the entire prefecture of Fengjie. And in less than another day, to shatter the Nine Dragons Leaving Fire Array and force out Xia Country’s Protect Country Grand Array!

It was almost as if the one leading the army to subjugate Xia was not the fearsome and calculating Heavy Xuan Chu Liang. That boastful and savage killer who claimed he would extinguish Xia in three months was not the one who failed to secure the command?

How, in less than half a month, had the ordinarily steady Cao Ji brought the war to such a state?!

The entire Xia Country was now enveloped in the glory of the Protect Country Grand Array. Within this terrifying grand array, which was truly connected to the nation’s very power, every invader would suffer the suppression of the entire country’s might! Every soldier fighting for the nation would receive the blessing of its national power.

The thousand-year history of this land, its thousand-year glory, the belief of its countless citizens—all were thus manifested into immeasurable power. History was transformed, condensed into glory. The past was grasped, forged into power!

In Jiang Wang’s perception, this experience was very similar to what he encountered when assaulting an enemy’s Tongtian Palace. It was also like facing Tai Yin’s Fu Jiong’s divine ability, where he felt the exclusion of the entire environment.

The difference lay in this: when facing Tai Yin’s Fu Jiong’s divine ability, he could completely counter with divine channel techniques, or depart the environment’s sphere of influence, or directly shatter the divine ability’s source. But when facing the Protect Country Grand Array, which covered the entire territory of Xia Country, he could only passively bear it, with no means of escape.

Of course, because this territory was so vast, and he was within the military formation of the Autumn Kill Army, the suppression he received was not very strong, perhaps only affecting about half a percent of his combat power.

But in a life-and-death confrontation, even a hair’s breadth loss of combat power could decide the outcome. Amplified across the entire million-strong Qi Army, it was undoubtedly terrifying to the extreme! To give the most intuitive example, if the Town Country Army were to clash with the Chasing Wind Army again in this state, the casualties would be more severe, perhaps even for the Chasing Wind Army.

The Protect Country Grand Array, this nation’s most crucial power, undoubtedly possessed the key role in reversing the situation.

Standing beside Jiang Wang, Heavy Xuan Sheng naturally also felt this suppression. But instead of surprise, he was delighted. He clenched his right hand into a fist and heavily smashed it against his palm, causing the fat on his body to ripple with excitement in several layers. “Opportunity has arrived!”

What opportunity? Jiang Wang’s question had not yet left his lips when the stout figure turned back, pulled out a war flag, and waved it in the air. “Brothers of the Victory Camp, assemble according to this flag!”

As the flag unfurled, a circular pattern was revealed, embroidered with a depiction of a dragon and a tiger locked in combat. The embroidery was surprisingly intricate, revealing a solid foundation. In the center of the circular pattern, large characters were also embroidered, serving as the flag’s number.

Other war flags either bore a single character like “Cao,” requiring no further embellishment, already possessing infinite prestige. Or they displayed simply the two characters “Chasing Wind,” plainly manifesting the honor of a powerful army. This war flag, however, bore four large characters, piled upon each other, squeezed together like Heavy Xuan Sheng’s fat, proclaiming—

“Victory in Sight!”

Within this, the character for “Victory” and “Sight” were specially colored, one a vibrant red, the other a deep purple. Truly gaudy… and bloated. He genuinely did not know when the military supply officer had made it.

Jiang Wang turned his head, pretending not to see.

And in his distant view, that majestic Purple Extreme Conquest Dragon still held a stalemate with the Central Capital City, like a pearl it could not crush! The vast national power of Great Qi, borrowed through the “Conquest Path” spanning ten thousand miles, was being blocked by the national power of Great Xia, relying on the Protect Country Grand Array. Immense powers clashed, consuming each other in a frenzy. Every breath dissipated power sufficient to move mountains and fill rivers! Cultivators below the Divine Arrival realm, if caught in its wake, would instantly turn to ash, with not even half a chance of survival. Such was its momentum, such was its might.

It was at this moment that Tai Xu, the head of the Tai Clan, disheveled and emerging from a corner of the city wall, suddenly roared, “Rise!”

Beneath the glorious shroud of Xia Country’s Protect Country Grand Array, outside the entire Central Capital City, the fires of the array once again ignited! In that short span of time, Tai Xu had assembled his clan’s cultivators and rapidly completed the array’s repairs. The Nine Dragons Leaving Fire Array, borrowing the vast power of the Protect Country Grand Array, revived! Along with Tai Xu’s command, those nine Leaving Fire Dragons, indeed, once again soared from the fiery light. They converged, crashing into the Purple Extreme Conquest Dragon, tearing and biting madly at it.

The Nine Leaving Fire Dragons, each several tens of li long, were like mere earthworms compared to the Purple Extreme Conquest Dragon, which spanned ten thousand miles. But under the full counter of Great Xia’s Protect Country Grand Array, the Purple Extreme Conquest Dragon was completely unable to retaliate. It could only endure as the nine Leaving Fire Dragons bit off large chunks of its national power, mouthful by mouthful. The soldiers of Xia Country within the Central Capital City could not help but cheer!

And Cao Ji, standing proudly behind the steel city battlements, holding the Purple Micro Midheaven Supreme Emperor Flag (also called the Warp and Weft Flag), rolled up the flag’s surface and waved it across the warp and weft of the battle, planting the flag upon the military rush!

With this single act, dragon roars resounded through the nine heavens. The Purple Extreme Conquest Dragon, extending for ten thousand miles, exploded below, bursting into a sky full of purple star rain, fluttering down. The vast national power of the Great Qi Empire was scattered upon this ten-thousand-mile conquest path, bathing every Qi Country soldier, enabling them to resist the suppression of Xia Country’s Protect Country Grand Array. After several years, the national power of Great Qi, scattered across the land, would very naturally integrate into the Qi Country’s environment, fitting its atmosphere. This was the so-called subtle influence, making the national power easier to wield!

And as one of those bathed in the rain of national power, Jiang Wang clearly felt his body suddenly become lighter, freer! The invisible suppression of this heaven and earth was broken. Perhaps using “offset” would be a more fitting description.

With the Purple Extreme Conquest Dragon’s bombardment, breaking the Nine Dragons Leaving Fire Array, forcing out Xia Country’s Protect Country Grand Array, and pushing the war to a new stage, Cao Ji then, with a turn of his hand, transformed his national power into a star rain, offsetting the suppression the Qi Army received from the grand array within Xia Country’s borders.

All of the opponent’s responses seemed to be within Cao Ji’s control. This man’s grasp of warfare truly became more terrifying the further back one looked! For that latent underwater iceberg had gradually revealed its traces, allowing people to glimpse its true form.

According to Cao Ji’s prior command, at this time, Chen Zeqing, leading ten thousand of the Spring Death Army, had already advanced continuously across the Jiangyin Plain. The surging tide of his army finally brought his forces to the foot of the Central Capital City. Yet, he did not choose to attack the city, but instead formed ranks in his original position, waiting. This was clearly to guard against a counter-attack from the army within the Central Capital City.

And Court Discuss Doctor Chen Fu, leading the county militia troops, had divided his forces into three ten-thousand-man armies, surging onto the Jiangyin Plain to establish camps and fortifications. They were also tasked with cleaning the battlefield—the Qi Army’s main force had advanced too quickly, and their auxiliary troops were still outside the Xia border, so the county militia had to also serve as auxiliaries. Establishing camps and fortifications clearly represented preparation for a long-term confrontation at the foot of the Central Capital City. Cleaning the battlefield was undoubtedly a victor’s prerogative.

The people of Xia Country on the Central Capital City walls could only watch from afar. Generally speaking, the power to clean the battlefield meant the capture and recovery of equipment. It meant that their own wounded had a chance to be treated, while the enemy’s wounded would only receive the final mercy killing.

But the Qi Army did not actually kill the injured Xia Army soldiers on the battlefield. Instead, after disarming them, they brought them back to the camp to prepare for treatment—perhaps to the high command of Xia Country on the Central Capital City walls, this was an even more terrifying choice.

Court Discuss Doctor Xie Huian, leading thirty thousand allied troops from the Eastern Domain Allied Countries, had also, according to military orders, donned his armor and prepared for battle.

In such a moment, starlight flashed in the sky, and Ruan Qu appeared beside Cao Ji, still with his ink-jade hair ornament, still with his elegant demeanor befitting a master of star charts. That Great Xia Martial King Si Jiao, who suppressed the nation with his martial arts, also merely stood back from the Central Capital City walls. This absolute peak stand-off, a mutual check, did not yet determine life or death, nor who would win or lose.

Cao Ji, on the military rush tower cart, exchanged glances with Si Jiao from afar. His mouth, however, simply issued commands: “Order Xie Huian’s department to immediately attack towards the directions of Linwu, Huiming, and Fengli. All military actions are self-determined; I only demand results!”

He again ordered: “Order Chen Fu’s department, except for the troops engaged in cleaning the battlefield, to assemble the main force and, in one hour’s time, attack towards the directions of Youping, Wuxing, and Yuxi! All military actions are self-determined; I likewise only demand results! Do not say that this commander did not give them opportunities for merit; the opportunity is given, it is up to them how to grasp it!”

He further ordered: “Order Li Zhengyan’s department to withdraw their army to the east bank of the Lianjiang River, set up camp, and rest!”

His gaze swept across the battlefield, then saw someone within the military formation of the Autumn Kill Army just raising a flag to assemble their troops. He couldn’t help but feel a certain pleasure, as if an itch had been scratched. He smiled slightly and again ordered: “Order Heavy Xuan Chu Liang’s department to dispatch two ten-thousand-man teams, one to Linwu, one to Youping, to participate in the attack. Military actions are self-determined! The remaining main force will remain in their original position and await orders!”

Finally, he glanced one last time at the skies above the Central Capital—

This piece of sky, which had been clear and then turbid, clear and then turbid, was at this moment adorned with the evening glow, possessing a different charm.

“The aftermath will be handed over to Chen Zeqing; he knows what to do.”

Having said this, Cao Ji had already walked back into the tower cart. With the cultivation of a contemporary True Person, mobilizing the national power of Great Qi, and dispatching the Purple Extreme Conquest Dragon, even he, Cao Ji, was inevitably somewhat weary. Xia Country’s Protect Country Grand Array was already open; the next stage of the war might be very long… In half a month’s time, he had mobilized a million-strong army and pushed the war to this stage. At this moment, he simply wanted to properly sleep.

Flag bearers quickly rode their horses through the air, transmitting the commands of the three army commanders to each location. Loud war drums sounded, and the million-strong Qi Army rapidly diverged.

Cao Ji’s strategic intent was clear: If Xia Country’s Protect Country Grand Array consumed infinite resources and connected the entire nation across ten thousand miles of territory, then his Qi Army would simply bloom fully, launching a large-scale invasion across the Xia border. This would make Xia Country a battlefield everywhere, with beacon fires along its entire frontier!

Xia Country still retained twenty prefectures and hundreds of major cities. Each city broken would weaken the Protect Country Grand Array. Each prefecture conquered would diminish the national power of Great Xia by half a percent. This was also a righteous army’s strategy. It would force the people of Xia Country to enter a state of full defense, and also consume the power of Xia Country’s Protect Country Grand Array to the maximum extent.

And he would leave the main forces of the Spring Death, Chasing Wind, and Autumn Kill armies here on the Central Capital front. As long as the people of Xia Country dared to neglect this place, these three armies would immediately launch an attack and break the Central Capital City!