7: Taiyan Eight Heavenly Army

In Prince Huai's estate, tens of millions of miles away from the Taiyan Imperial City.

"My Prince, the Prince Zhan, Prince Ling, and the other Eight Kings have indeed raised their troops." Beside Prince Huai, an old man who looked like a steward quietly appeared.

Prince Huai narrowed his eyes slightly and looked toward the Taiyan Imperial City. "Back then, the Founding Ancestor left behind an ancestral teaching, warning us descendants that we must never become enemies with Your Majesty unless absolutely necessary."

"I didn't expect that, in the end, some people would be unable to restrain themselves and strike first."

The steward said in a low voice, "My Prince, this is also understandable."

"Now that Your Majesty is old and has no heirs, whoever strikes first will be one step closer to that seat."

Prince Huai shook his head. "Whether it's being one step closer or taking a step toward the afterlife first, it's yet to be seen."

After a moment of silence, the steward asked again, "Then what does My Prince mean... to wait and see, or...?"

A sharp glint flashed in Prince Huai's eyes. "Prince Ling, the Prince Zhan, and the others are not fools. Since they dare to act, they must have the means to coerce Your Majesty or even commit regicide."

"Regardless of success or failure, both sides will at least suffer heavy losses."

"The Taiyan Territory is vast. Pass my command: prepare all armies. I shall proclaim myself Emperor, break away from the Taiyan Dynasty from this day forth, and establish..."

His voice stopped abruptly.

Prince Huai suddenly felt his Divine Soul tremble, and an extreme fear originating from life's instinct exploded without warning.

He looked up in horror and saw a cold star piercing through the sky from the Peak of the firmament.

No, that wasn't a star!

That was an arrow!

It came too fast, transcending the boundaries of time and space. One moment it was at the edge of the world, and the next, it occupied his entire field of vision.

Wherever the arrow passed, light distorted and annihilated, space cracked and collapsed, leaving only a trail of eternal void.

His kingly Protective Aura, the grand array of his estate painstakingly laid out, and the protective Magic Treasures hidden deep within the Void Realm were like bubbles before this arrow. Without even causing a ripple, they completely disintegrated and dissipated.

The last thought in his mind was not of grand ambitions, but of the words from the Founding Ancestor's ancestral teaching that they had never truly taken to heart:

"Do not go against Your Majesty unless absolutely necessary."

So, this was what "absolutely necessary" meant.

In a daze, he heard a whisper from the Nine Heavens: "All under heaven is the King's land; all within the borders are the King's subjects. A mere ant dares to proclaim himself Emperor?"

The next moment, the arrow fell.

There was no world-shaking explosion, only a dull roar that sounded like the creation of the world or the end of all things.

Centered on Prince Huai's estate, the space burst with countless black cracks, then suddenly collapsed and contracted inward!

The pavilions and towers in the estate, the strict guards, the terrified servants, the elderly steward, and Prince Huai himself... everything, the moment it touched the slight Aura emitted by the arrow, silently decomposed and crumbled into nothingness.

When people in the distance looked over in absolute horror, the once prosperous and grand Prince Huai's estate, which spanned a hundred hectares, had already vanished.

Only a bottomless hemispherical crater remained, its edges still lingering with a heart-palpitating Law Aura.

Prince Huai, his ambition, his estate, and all his grand plans were reduced to absolute nothingness under this single arrow.

A hundred thousand miles away.

On the Peak of a giant mountain.

A general dressed in dark black heavy armor was indifferently putting away his bow.

Around him, dense ranks of soldiers stood solemnly; at a glance, there were no fewer than ten million of them.

Beneath them were Vicious Beasts known as Sun-Devouring Demon Wolves.

"Where is Commander Wan?" the armored general spoke.

"this humble general is here!"

A figure stepped out in response and knelt on one knee.

The armored general looked toward Prince Huai's estate, his tone as flat as an undisturbed surface.

"Prince Huai has been eliminated; the forces in his fief are now leaderless."

"Lead a million wolf riders and, within three days, clear out the remnants of Prince Huai's forces. All direct descendants of the Prince's estate and his die-hard followers are to be exterminated. Leave no one alive."

Commander Wan's eyes flashed with bloodthirsty excitement, and he cupped his fists heavily. "this humble general obeys the command!"

He stood up, turned to the boundless army behind him, and suddenly drew the saber at his waist. The blade pointed straight at the sky, letting out a tearing hum.

"Million wolf riders! Follow me to battle!"

"Roar—!"

In an instant, a mountain-shaking, sea-surging howl of wolves rose to the sky, shaking the surrounding clouds into dispersal.

Commander Wan led the million-strong army, like a black torrent of death, pouring out from the Peak of the giant mountain.

The armored general leaped onto the back of the Sun-Devouring Demon Wolf King and waved his hand. "Depart. Continue to expand the territory for Your Majesty."

The mighty torrent of the army galloped away in one direction.

Under the setting sun, a grand banner with the word 'Tianjie' fluttered loudly in the wind.

Soon, the army disappeared over the horizon.

Scenes like this were still playing out across the Taiyan Dynasty.

Any prince with even a hint of rebellion in his heart was completely wiped out.

At the same time.

Outside the Taiyan Imperial City.

The Eight Kings gathered, with an army of hundreds of millions behind them.

"Prince Zhan, are you sure we can really block Your Majesty's Eight Heavenly Armies?" Prince Ling asked.

The other kings also turned their gazes over.

It wasn't that they lacked confidence, but rather that the ancestral teachings passed down were far too terrifying.

Legend has it that Di Yan was able to succeed in usurping the throne precisely because of the Eight Heavenly Armies, which suppressed all factions into helplessness.

Otherwise, with Di Yan's reputation for rebellion, the kings would have already acted to 'purge the officials around the ruler' long ago; there would be no need to wait until today.

The Prince Zhan forced himself to remain calm and said, "Rest assured, everyone. We only need to hold out for a moment. Once the Senior strikes and kills Di Yan, the Eight Heavenly Armies will be nothing to fear."

"Besides, Prince Ling and I have both achieved a Breakthrough to Saint Emperor. The eight commanders are only at the Peak of Saint King. What is there to fear!"

Behind these words lay a hundred thousand years of planning.

A hundred thousand years ago, his Founding Ancestor—Di Yan's ninth brother—had already begun plotting for this day.

Exhausting all the resources accumulated by the Prince Zhan's estate over a hundred thousand years, they had invited a Supreme to strike and kill the current Your Majesty.

He just didn't expect that the current Your Majesty was also his ancestor's sixth brother.

A terrifying existence who had lived for a hundred thousand years.

Now, he finally had his wish.

He had managed to enlist a fifth-layer Supreme expert to strike once.

Just as he was secretly feeling smug.

"Dong!"

A war drum, sounding as if it came from the ancient primordial era, thundered from all directions.

The sound waves were as solid as substance, instantly silencing all the clamor within the rebel camp.

Following closely were the second and third sounds... the drumming grew faster and heavier, each beat like a heavy hammer slamming into the hearts of the hundreds of millions of rebels.

"Boom—!"

In the eastern sky, a giant dark war flag pierced through the clouds, fluttering proudly. On the flag, the ancient and majestic word 'Heavenly Leader' seemed to be formed from gathered stars, shining brilliantly!

Beneath the flag, a great general stood tall, clad in star-patterned armor, his gaze like lightning piercing through the Void Realm.

Behind him was the Tiankui Star Divine Army, infinitely solemn with their Auras merged as one!

The Prince Zhan and the others looked over simultaneously, their pupils shrinking.

Prince Ling lost his voice and cried out, "Saint Emperor! It's actually a Saint Emperor! How is this possible?"

As a Saint Emperor himself, he knew how difficult it was to achieve a Breakthrough to Saint Emperor.

Almost simultaneously.

In the western sky, a blazing golden light tore through the heavens!

A golden banner rose proudly, the words 'Tiangang' on it emitting a scorching and fierce Aura.

Under the banner.

A giant in golden armor, holding a massive halberd, merely by standing in the Void Realm, caused the gravity of that area to distort.

Behind him was the Tiangang Star Radiance Army, with Evil Qi soaring to the heavens and dazzling golden light!

Prince Jing swallowed hard. "Prince Zhan, Prince Ling, the Aura on this person is on par with yours. Could he also be a Saint Emperor?"

The Prince Zhan and Prince Ling exchanged a look, their expressions extremely ugly.

According to their investigation, in the entire Taiyan Dynasty, only Di Yan was a Saint Emperor. They hadn't expected two more to appear now.

"Weng!"

In the southern sky, countless mysterious runes flashed out of thin air, outlining a spiritual flag with the words 'Tianji.'

The main general beneath the flag had a blurred figure, as if hidden behind the mist of destiny, with only those eyes that could perceive all things clearly visible.

The Tianji Star Calculation Army under his command was silent. As their formation shifted, it drew the Laws of the world to flow along with them.

Prince Ling's pupils shrank again. "Another Saint Emperor!"

Immediately after, the North, Northeast, Southwest, Northwest, and Southeast.

The Eight Heavenly Armies were like primordial Vicious Beasts, their bloodthirsty and ferocious Aura washing over them.

Eight war flags, eight directions!

Heavenly Leader, Tiangang, Tianji, Tianxian, Tianyong, Tianxiong, Tianmeng, Tianwei!

The eight legendary Heavenly Armies were like eight insurmountable chasms, guarding the entire Imperial City and completely surrounding the hundreds of millions of rebels outside, along with their ambitions!

The eight main generals, though their armor styles varied slightly, all bore the unified 'Yan' emblem on their shoulders. The Saint Emperor pressure they unrestrainedly emitted was like eight invisible giant hands, firmly clutching the throats of all the rebels!

The previously aggressive rebel camp was now deathly silent.

The color instantly drained from the faces of the Prince Zhan and Prince Ling. Their previous composure and calculation vanished, leaving only boundless shock and fear.

The Eight Heavenly Armies.

Eight Saint Emperor commanders!

Di Yan... he had hidden himself so deeply!

Was this the true foundation of the Taiyan Dynasty?

As they looked at each other, they all saw the terror in one another's eyes.

Could the Founding Ancestor's ancestral teaching truly not be defied?!