The Vermillion Bird army charged like thunder. The defending forces, battered by arrows and boulders, were mostly annihilated. Those who survived had lost all will to fight, devoid of the ferocity expected on a battlefield.
"Screech!!"
The Vermillion Bird soldiers met them with their spears, and blood instantly flowed. Heads flew through the air.
Rivers of blood erupted as the Luoyue Dynasty's Imperial Guards arrived on the battlefield, only to fall into the crimson tide.
The Vermillion Bird Legion, already the pinnacle of the dynasty's soldiers, was further empowered by their legionary armor, making them unstoppable. The scarlet army swept through the ranks, their long blades leaving mountains of corpses. Their soldiers fought with fierce determination, slaughtering the Luoyue Imperial Guards.
The scarlet flames of Southern Brightness raged, and waves of malevolent energy surged unchecked.
"Kill!"
"Fight to the death!" A Luoyue general, at the eighth level of the Spirit Sea realm, erupted from the royal palace, his face contorted in rage. He cursed his king for his passive defense, placing all hope in a monstrous kingdom.
Watching his soldiers fall into pools of blood, his fury intensified. He glanced back at the lifeless palace halls.
"Boom!"
He turned indifferently, facing the Vermillion Bird army. Xu Chu, Liao Hua, Lu Kang, and Gao Shun fought like gods among men, each strike felling hundreds of soldiers.
The furious flames within him boiled, his eyes turning blood red. His wrath, directed at both the Han and his own king, poured forth, filling the void with a terrifying bloody light.
He tore off his armor, shedding the markings of the Luoyue Dynasty. Clad in simple white clothes, he seemed a figure of desolate tragedy.
His right hand clenched, and a heavy, blood-soaked greatsword materialized. His wild black hair instantly turned white. A long blade, imbued with a ruthless blood sea, took form.
He gazed at the Han army and swung the blade down. A blood sea surged, crossing the carnage of the battlefield.
From the rear of the army, Gan Ning calmly observed the Luoyue general who had burst from the palace. He drew his twin halberds from his waist, his eyes flashing with cold light. His cultivation, now at the ninth level of the Spirit Venerable realm, had advanced through years of commanding armies, conquering territories, and fighting relentlessly. His twin halberds hummed as he swung them forward with a mighty force.
"Boom!"
As the halberds struck, sharp, cold glints flashed.
A thunderous roar echoed, shaking the very foundations of the buildings, turning them to dust!
"Bang!!"
The two torrents collided, erupting in a fierce inferno!
"Crackle crackle crackle!!"
Crimson ripples spread, shaking the Luoyue Dynasty's capital. The ground buckled, streets shattered, revealing a scene of blood, shattered stone, and the mangled remains of soldiers.
They clashed intensely in the void.
"Bang!"
The blood sea's light collided with the halberds' brilliance. Unstoppable primal energy agitated the air.
With a deafening roar, the sharpness of the twin halberds shattered the blood-red river and lunged towards the Luoyue general.
"Boom!!"
Gan Ning's halberd sent the Luoyue general flying hundreds of feet. The blood river vanished, revealing the Luoyue general, drenched in blood. A bloody gash ran across his torso to his abdomen, his entrails spilling out. Blood trickled from the arm that still gripped his crude saber.
"Huu... huu..."
He endured immense pain, his saber trembling in his hand. His opponent was too powerful; he was no match for the Han general.
"Hiss... huu..."
Gan Ning looked at the resilient Luoyue general and finally lowered his weapon. He admired the general's righteousness. Despite his weak court, he stood firm, fighting for a lifeless dynasty. This was the duty of a soldier!
Gan Ning returned his twin halberds to his waist and strode across the battlefield to the general's side. "Are you willing to join my Han?"
"You..." The general's red eyes trembled. Even now, his king and officials refused to fight.
"Look carefully. The country you protect is not worth your sacrifice. You are the first general I've encountered since arriving in Luoyue who has stood up to fight. I greatly admire your integrity!"
"Are you willing to join my Han?!"
"Yes... I am willing!" With these words, the general collapsed, drained of strength.
...
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... This is... terrible!"
An official burst in, stumbling and falling, crawling in his panic.
"Your Majesty, General Mo has surrendered!"
"What?"
A stir rippled through the court officials. "Your Majesty, the Han are overwhelmingly powerful, their might unyielding. We cannot resist them. We sent for reinforcements from the Moluo Dynasty, but the distance is too great. Even if King Moluo is willing to aid us, we... we will be unable to withstand the arrival of the Moluo army!"
"Your Majesty, we have lost. We cannot fight anymore!"
An elderly minister of high rank emerged, trembling, and looked at the dejected Luoyue King with tears streaming down his face.
"Your Majesty, let us surrender!"
"Our great Luoyue Dynasty, with its vast territory spanning billions of miles, is now a lone city trapped in a tiger's jaws. The Han army has already cleared the city of our soldiers and may be storming the palace at this very moment!"
"Your Majesty, let us surrender!"
"Surrender!"
A chorus of officials prostrated themselves before him, their laments filled with deep regret.
"Alas!"
"To think that our Luoyue lineage has ruled this land for tens of thousands of years. While we have achieved no great deeds, we have committed no heinous crimes!"
"Since I inherited the throne, though I am no wise ruler, Luoyue has not deviated from its course under my reign. Yet, why has Heaven betrayed me!"
"Why has Heaven betrayed me!"
"Puff!"
The Luoyue King roared at the heavens, spitting out a mouthful of blood. His face was a deep shade of purple, filled with unyielding resentment. Until his last breath, he clutched the Luoyue King's Imperial Seal.
...
In mid-October of the first year of Han, the Luoyue King died of rage in the royal palace. Gan Ning led the Vermillion Bird army into the palace, annihilating the entire lineage of the Luoyue kings and executing all officials. Subsequently, the army split into four divisions and, within a single day, conquered all four corners of Luoyue.