Chapter 148: An Overwhelming Momentum

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

The moment Lin Qiu’s words fell, the soldiers of the Other Shore Legion roared fiercely.

A chilling, deadly aura spread once again, instilling a measure of fear in the hearts of all those within the twenty-eight ancient cities.

Some even began to worry—if they truly went to war with the Other Shore Royal City Legion, could they really stand against them?

Seeing the citizens and soldiers within the city in this state, Bi Cang realized he could not allow Lin Qiu and his legion to interfere with their morale unchecked. With a grim resolve, he stood atop the city wall.

Looking at Lin Qiu, he said, “We have united to resist your tyrannical rule. The ocean is not a place where you alone decide! As for Chancellor Gui, she came to cause trouble here and, unable to match our skill, was detained. What right do you have to demand her release?”

Bi Cang’s words were clear—there was absolutely no chance they would release Chancellor Gui under Lin Qiu’s demand.

Having spoken, Bi Cang activated his ancient city stele, summoning the legion sealed within.

One after another, armored mermaids wielding short swords appeared beyond the royal city. The other ancient city lords followed suit, each summoning their legions from their respective steles, forming a vast and imposing force outside the city walls.

On this scale, they nearly matched the Other Shore Royal City Legion in strength.

Lin Qiu made no immediate move. He stood silently, watching the emergence of the ancient city legions, a faint, disdainful smile curling at the corner of his lips.

If these legions were from the ocean royalty, they might stand a chance against the Other Shore Royal City Legion. But to think these ancient cities’ forces could face them in battle was nothing more than a joke.

Though “ancient city” and “royal city” differ by a single word, the gulf between them was as vast as heaven and earth. This was precisely why Lin Qiu was so confident, waiting for all the ancient city lords to summon their legions in full.

He planned to crush them all with overwhelming force, firmly establishing the Other Shore Royal City’s dominance over the Eastern Sea.

Lin Qiu’s goal had always been to develop the Other Shore Royal City into the true ruler of the Eastern Sea—no one, regardless of who they were, could act in this domain without his rules.

Soon, all the ancient city legions had assembled, their momentum nearly equal to that of the Other Shore Royal City Legion.

Seeing this, Bi Cang’s expression brightened somewhat. He addressed Lin Qiu again: “Faced with the united front of twenty-eight ancient cities, even as lord of the Other Shore Royal City, you must yield. The Eastern Sea is not yours to command alone!”

Clearly, Bi Cang believed the alliance of the twenty-eight ancient cities was enough to force Lin Qiu to back down; otherwise, he would not have spoken so boldly.

Lin Qiu chuckled and shook his head, his tone tinged with derision: “Truly childish! Let me show you the vast difference between the ancient cities and the royal city!”

With that, Lin Qiu ordered the Other Shore Royal City Legion to advance, their numbers overwhelming as they surged toward the united legions of the twenty-eight ancient cities.

The allied ancient city forces charged to meet them, and the two armies clashed fiercely.

Lin Qiu did not enter the fray himself. Holding a longsword forged from condensed seawater, he fixed his gaze on Bi Cang standing atop the city wall, pondering whether to eliminate him once and for all.

With his current cultivation, Lin Qiu could slay Bi Cang in an instant. Yet doing so would undoubtedly weaken the ocean royalty’s seal significantly.

After all, the garrison of the twenty-eight ancient cities was positioned directly above the ocean royalty’s seal. Any battle here would wear down that seal.

It seemed Bi Cang and the others had deliberately chosen this location, perhaps hoping to use Lin Qiu’s hand to help break the seal.

After careful consideration, Lin Qiu ultimately chose not to act.

Meanwhile, the battle in the center had already reached its conclusion: the Other Shore Royal City Legion decisively crushed the summoned legions of the ancient cities.

The lords of the twenty-eight ancient cities could hardly believe their eyes.

They never imagined the gap between the ancient city legions and the royal city legion would be so vast. This was supposed to be a coalition army of twenty-eight ancient cities!

Outnumbered twenty-eight to one, yet utterly annihilated—if they hadn’t witnessed it themselves, they never would have believed it.

Lin Qiu was unsurprised by this outcome. This was precisely the difference between the ancient and royal cities.

A single word’s difference, yet worlds apart.

The Other Shore Royal City Legion did not advance further into the twenty-eight ancient cities but remained where they were.

Their aura grew even more formidable, like demonic gods clawing their way up from the depths of hell, inspiring dread in all who beheld them.

Lin Qiu spoke once more: “This is your last chance. Release Chancellor Gui, or I will not hesitate to kill you all and offer you as tribute to Chancellor Gui’s spirit in the heavens.”

His words shattered any hope Bi Cang had of using Chancellor Gui as a hostage.

With a grim expression, Bi Cang glanced at the other ancient city lords, fully aware that they had been defeated by Lin Qiu once again. Reluctantly, he withdrew the illusions of the twenty-eight ancient cities.

Chancellor Gui was freed and returned to Lin Qiu’s side.

As soon as he was back, Chancellor Gui apologized earnestly: “Lord, I have brought you shame.”

Lin Qiu waved off the apology with a casual pat on his shoulder. “That’s nothing. But you really should work on improving your cultivation.”

To await the arrival of the new lord of the Other Shore, Chancellor Gui had converted all his strength into lifespan. Otherwise, he could not have remained within the Other Shore Royal City for so many years.

Normally, with the power granted within the royal city, Chancellor Gui’s abilities were respectable. But once outside the legion, his cultivation dropped to the fourth rank.

This level was strong among ordinary ocean creatures, but in Lin Qiu’s eyes, a fourth rank cultivation was far too weak for the position of chancellor in the Other Shore Royal City. Improvement was necessary.

Lin Qiu did not pursue further attacks. Instead, he led the Other Shore Royal City Legion to withdraw. He had no desire to hasten the breaking of the ocean royalty’s seal by aiding the twenty-eight ancient cities.