With Lin Qian's command, the formation soul energy in the metal discs placed in the formation hubs of the remaining 498 cities suddenly erupted. The soul energy from the discs swiftly infiltrated the entire formation hub, and the previously half-controlled formations were completely altered.
In that instant, all 500 cities on the Battle Plains belonged to Lin Qian!
The formation virus within the metal discs not only infiltrated the cities' formations but also modified them in the process. Moreover, each disc carried a trace of Lin Qian's aura, causing the newly formed barriers to first glow a bright yellow before fading into a transparent state, making them almost undetectable.
"Are you Lin Qian?" Bai Ximing, the young Xunyin clansman at the forefront of the enemy forces, hovered in mid-air, glaring down at Lin Qian on the city walls.
Lin Qian looked up at the young Xunyin clansman and smiled. "You already know your daddy's name, yet you still need to ask? Isn't that ridiculous?"
"How dare you! You're so audacious, still spewing nonsense when you're on the brink of death, showing no respect to our young master!" One of the Xunyin clan's warriors behind Bai Ximing immediately pointed at Lin Qian and rebuked him after hearing his words.
Bai Ximing raised his hand to silence the warrior and turned his gaze back to Lin Qian below. "I must admit, you may have some ability. If you hadn't provoked me, you might have had a chance to serve by my side. Unfortunately, your foolishness has closed off any possibility of a bright future."
As Bai Ximing spoke, the other Xunyin clansmen behind him looked at Lin Qian with a mix of pity and regret, as if they felt it was a shame that Lin Qian had squandered his opportunity to serve Bai Ximing.
Even Wu Zhanshuang, who stood nearby, shook his head at Lin Qian. "If there had been a chance, I wouldn't have minded giving you some guidance. Being able to capture the Gate City, as well as City One and City Two, shows that you do have some skill."
At this, even the Wuxing clansmen behind Wu Zhanshuang displayed envious expressions. Lin Qian even saw someone spit in his direction.
"Now, I can tell you that you've succeeded in angering me. So, if you think surrendering is still an option, you're mistaken. If you haven't taken your own life by the time we breach this city, I guarantee your remaining days will be filled with unimaginable suffering," Bai Ximing continued, maintaining his arrogant stance.
Lin Qian was dumbfounded by Bai Ximing's words. This level of self-importance was beyond belief. It reminded him of those in the Qin Dynasty—did all the young people in this world share such delusions of grandeur?
That he had supposedly thrown away the chance to serve them? That they were offering to mentor him?
"Hahaha!" Lin Qian couldn't help but burst into laughter at the thought.
"What's so funny? Have you already resigned yourself to fate, using mad laughter to mask your fear?" Bai Ximing's face showed pity as he watched Lin Qian laugh on the city walls. "Your current predicament is entirely your own doing."
"No need to waste words with him—attack now. It looks like the city's formation has been altered, so we'll need to put in some effort," Wu Zhanshuang said, waving his hand impatiently.
"Don't you want to check the state of the remaining 498 cities first?" Lin Qian retorted, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he looked at Bai Ximing and Wu Zhanshuang.
As soon as Lin Qian's words fell, the faces of the Xunyin and Wuxing clansmen behind Bai Ximing and Wu Zhanshuang turned pale. Hastily, they pulled out their tokens.
Just like the tokens from City One and City Two, these tokens began to dim, eventually becoming rusted and losing their luster.
"Young Master, my city's formation has been breached! The entire formation has been destroyed!"
"Mine too! The formation is completely shattered!"
The Xunyin and Wuxing clansmen who had pulled out their tokens reported in horror, their expressions growing more fearful as they realized the same thing had happened to their comrades.
At the same time, Bai Ximing and Wu Zhanshuang's faces turned grim. From the reports of their subordinates, it was clear that all 498 cities had fallen!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, bright yellow beams of light shot up into the sky, erupting from the formation hubs of each city. The entire Battle Plains trembled as the yellow beams twisted like giant dragons, colliding in mid-air and exploding into showers of yellow light that cascaded down like rain, covering the entire Battle Plains.
Meanwhile, Lin Qian reached out and sent a trace of the yellow aura towards Yuan Xiang.
Though puzzled, Yuan Xiang didn't hesitate to accept the aura, and his eyes instantly brightened.
The third space of the Battle Plains had long been controlled by the Xunyin and Wuxing tribes, rendering Yuan Xiang unable to control or sense the area. However, after receiving Lin Qian's aura, that ability returned. He could once again observe the entire third space and saw the beams of light erupting from each city, with a soldier from the Swift Wind unit standing on the walls, gazing up at the sky.
City Two, where Lin Qian stood, was also the source of a dragon-like yellow beam of light shooting into the sky.
Yuan Xiang now fully understood Lin Qian's plan. By intentionally provoking the enemy and luring them into emptying their defenses, he had prepared for this moment.
By controlling all the cities on the Battle Plains, Lin Qian had also taken control of the Xunyin and Wuxing tribes' formation nodes within the third space!
All 500 cities had fallen into Lin Qian's hands, and their formations had been completely transformed, connected to form a grand, overwhelming array.
This was the Huaxia Realm Formation!
It was a foundational formation for controlling territory. Similar formations had been set up in both the Starting Continent and the Coastal Continent.
Once the Huaxia Realm Formation was activated, the strength of every soldier of the Huaxia Empire would increase by 50% within its domain!
Moreover, the Huaxia Realm Formation had no physical barrier. To break it, one would need to destroy all the formation nodes. Simply using brute force to attack the barrier and disrupt the nodes wouldn't work.
Now, the entire Battle Plains was covered by the Huaxia Realm Formation. The third space was no longer under the control of the Xunyin and Wuxing tribes—it now belonged to Lin Qian.
"This will reduce our losses and make the battle even easier," Lin Qian said, satisfied as he observed the successfully formed Huaxia Realm Formation. He then turned his gaze back to Bai Ximing and Wu Zhanshuang, looking at them as if they were fools.
"Sometimes, prey has the illusion that it's the hunter."