The Strength Of The Family! Are You Going To Have A Decisive Battle With Me?

Certainly.

Not all the ancestors of aristocratic families were as reasonable as the Yang family.

Some had been in seclusion for years, just a step away from achieving a breakthrough.

Then, suddenly, they were woken up by their descendants, disrupting their critical progress.

Ancestor: ?

When these ancestors found out they were awakened to be sent to the battlefield at the empress's request, their fury was almost uncontrollable.

What?

They were being asked to fight on the front lines?

"Is the empress mad?!" one of them cursed, clearly on the verge of rebellion. "Who sends ancestors like us to fight?"

"The empress is riding a horse, I—"

But before the ancestor could finish venting his frustration, three semi-saint masters appeared out of nowhere.

"What did you just say?" one of them asked with an icy expression.

This was the fastest face-change in history.

The ancestor's anger evaporated, replaced instantly by groveling.

"Ahaha... It was me... I was the one riding the horse..."

"What was that? You were insulting me?" the semi-saint sneered.

The ancestor was on the verge of tears.

Is this the royal method?

First, they interrupted his cultivation breakthrough, and now they were interrogating him under threat?

Who did he offend?

In the end, after much groveling and assurances that his family would fully comply with the royal orders, the ancestor was spared any further punishment. Of course, his smile was forced, driven by the unmistakable threat in the hands of the semi-saints.

Royal Palace.

A detailed report was soon presented to Zhou Linglong.

When she saw the composition of the forces from the aristocratic families, she was stunned.

"Are any of the families holding back?" Zhou Huangye asked.

Zhou Linglong snapped out of her shock, nodding excitedly. "No, Ancestor! Based on rough estimates, we've gathered around 100,000 elite private soldiers!"

"And there are six semi-saints, more than a hundred martial masters, and over a thousand Martial Kings!"

The soldiers provided by the aristocratic families were no ordinary troops. These were highly skilled warriors, all starting from the level of martial masters.

This was an incredibly powerful force.

"I can't believe these aristocratic families were hiding so many experts!" Zhou Linglong marveled.

She never imagined they had such deep reserves.

Zhou Huangye remained calm. "The strength of these families has always been formidable. If they didn't have such power, they wouldn't have survived this long."

Zhou Linglong nodded in understanding. Then Zhou Huangye chuckled. "It seems they needed a reminder of who's in charge."

The elite army they had now assembled, with the addition of the royal family's forces—such as the Hidden Dragon Guard and the Imperial Army—was more than sufficient to face Orion's army of hundreds of thousands.

With six martial saints from Dragon Court, over twenty semi-saints, and the six additional semi-saints from the aristocratic families, this combined force could even destroy a smaller dynasty!

Meanwhile, on Orion's side, troubling news arrived.

Yuxiang, one of Orion's informants, received a secret report from their spy network.

"My lord, news just came in from Yizhou."

Orion and his commanders turned to Yuxiang, who read the message carefully.

"The guards of the major cities in southern Yizhou have abandoned their posts and started evacuating the cities." Yuxiang relayed. "All supporting troops from other states and counties have also withdrawn from Yizhou and are regrouping in Chang'an."

Orion frowned.

"What is Da Zhou planning?" he muttered. "They've evacuated the entire region? Are they abandoning Yizhou?"

The situation was puzzling. Why would Da Zhou allow Orion to take the province without a fight?

Then, a thought crossed Orion's mind.

"Are they pulling all their forces back to Chang'an for a final stand?"

This would complicate matters. A decisive battle under Chang'an's walls would mean Da Zhou was preparing to fight with everything they had.

"What's the situation at Yumen Pass?" Orion suddenly asked.

Yuxiang responded swiftly. "The generals Gao Shun and Xie Xuan are still battling Wang Hu's 300,000-strong border army, but we have the upper hand. In two days, the situation should be resolved."

Orion frowned. "Two more days? Why is it taking so long?"

The Great Wall Legion might be elite, but compared to Gao Shun's trapped camp, they should have been overwhelmed by now.

"Tell Gao Shun to finish it quickly and come support us in Chang'an. We'll need every soldier for the final confrontation."

Yuxiang nodded and immediately sent a message using a spiritual pigeon, injecting it with a speed-enhancing potion. The pigeon darted off like a rocket, its feathers blown back by the wind.