Qin Renhuang just became an immortal, and you told me this is the prehistoric time

"General! The Dragon Guard's recall was too sudden!"

A fierce general with a full beard spoke first, his tone urgent.

"The various battalions of the Dragon Guard have long cooperated seamlessly with our subordinate units, and they have been responsible for many key positions and sharpest missions. Now, suddenly withdrawing a million elite troops could cause major problems in the grassroots command chain! Changing commanders in the middle of battle is a major taboo in military strategy, and this is like removing the sharpest tip of the blade in the middle of battle..."

Another general, with a more composed demeanor, frowned and added.

"Moreover, even ordinary soldiers in the Dragon Guard are often stronger than ordinary centurions or even chiliarchs. Many captains and lieutenants of the Dragon Guard are even stronger than some of our lieutenants and officers!"
It's only because they cultivate the 'Blood Sacrifice Weapon Forging Method,' which involves intertwining their lives with their weapons, that while their initial combat power is formidable, it's said to shorten their lifespan and make them unsuitable for long-term advancement. Furthermore, their unique promotion path has prevented them from being widely promoted to general. Now, by removing them, our high-end combat force will be drastically reduced…”

His meaning was clear: the Dragon Guards were not only elite soldiers, but also the "pillars of strength" and a supplement to high-end combat power in each army. Without them, the generals felt that their "power," which they could command so easily, had suddenly weakened considerably.

Wang Jian sat upright in the main seat, his face cold and his expression frighteningly serious. He waited until they finished speaking before slowly opening his mouth, his voice like the clash of metal.

"Your strength has decreased? Then we'll replenish it with new recruits from the newly arrived county soldiers and garrison troops! Aren't you lacking capable and courageous soldiers? Now we'll replenish them for you! The number of new recruits you'll be assigned will be based on how many soldiers you can command and how much strength you can generate! If you do well, you can naturally stabilize the defense line and even achieve merit; if you don't do well..."

His gaze swept across the assembled generals with lightning speed.

"Then resign from your general's position and become an ordinary soldier! Our Great Qin has no shortage of generals who can fight!"

These merciless and almost humiliating words made the generals' faces turn red and white, but in the end they all fell silent and dared not say another word.

the reason is simple.

First, this is His Majesty's decree, and no one dares to openly disobey or question it.

Secondly, they were also well aware that the Imperial Guards only obeyed the Emperor and Wang Jian's orders. Although they cooperated in battle, command was not entirely in the hands of these generals. Removing the Imperial Guards would weaken their strength, but it would also take away a powerful force under their command that was not entirely under their control.

Third, and most importantly, their stunt was intended to use the opportunity to demand more new soldiers from Wang Jian and the court to replenish their ranks and expand their own power. Now, although Wang Jian's attitude is tough, he has implicitly agreed to use new soldiers to replenish their losses. Their goal has already been largely achieved, so they naturally know when to stop.

Wang Jian's cold gaze lingered for a moment, especially on the faces of several "famous generals" from different historical periods, who were known for their wisdom and strategy.

He knew that these people had probably already seen through part of the Emperor's deeper meaning in drawing up the Dragon Guards, and might even have guessed the court's subtle fear and attempt to control the Wilderness Army. Their earlier "complaints" were half true and half false, mostly a test and an attempt to benefit themselves.

"Humph."

Wang Jian snorted coldly, releasing a powerful surge of primordial spirit energy that pressed down on everyone's hearts like a mountain.

"Military law is merciless. You all should behave yourselves and do your jobs well. Don't forget that previously, hundreds of thousands of soldiers, without the commander's permission, colluded and submitted a petition demanding leave to visit their families. At this critical moment, this act has already disrupted morale! According to the old laws of Qin, they should be executed!"

These words were like ice water poured over their heads, sending a chill down the spines of the generals and instantly breaking out in a cold sweat.

They then remembered that His Majesty and Commander Wang had not yet investigated the large-scale "petition" incident in the army! Wang Jian's mention of it now was both a warning and a reminder—don't think that having some strength and merits makes you arrogant. In fact, the old scores haven't been settled yet!
Everyone bowed immediately.

"We, your humble servants, acknowledge our mistake and will certainly fulfill our duties and stabilize the defense line!"

……

In another defense zone, Li Shimin gazed in the direction where the Imperial Guards had departed, his face showing little worry but rather envy.

"Truly a valiant warrior!"

He sighed.

"Only such battle-hardened elites are worthy of being led by good men."

Those newly arrived county soldiers…

He shook his head, his tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of contempt.

"Although they have a bit of fighting spirit, their mental fortitude, morale, and even combat instincts are miles behind those of true veterans. They're nothing more than... grunts."

A deputy general beside him whispered.

"General, with the Dragon Guards being withdrawn, the pressure on our side will likely increase significantly."

Li Shimin smiled nonchalantly.

"Pressure? Pressure is good! Without pressure, how can a truly strong army be forged? The Qin army's origins are inherently mixed: remnants of the six states, surrendered soldiers of the Song Dynasty, defeated troops of the Sui Dynasty... If it weren't for His Majesty's confidence in managing the overall situation, and the presence of loyal and exceptionally capable veterans like Wang Jian and Bai Qi, this army would have long since fallen into chaos. Now that the core, and perhaps most 'unstable,' Dragon Guards have been transferred away, the remaining soldiers are more likely to unite as one. As for the new recruits... they can be trained slowly; the wasteland has no shortage of 'materials' for training troops."

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, clearly showing that he was not only not afraid of the challenge ahead, but rather somewhat looking forward to it.

……

The million-strong Dragon Guard, carrying the soaring murderous aura and iron will honed through the bloody battles of the wasteland, landed steadily on the huge training ground outside Xianyang City. They then formed solemn and orderly square formations, standing silently towards the imperial palace.

The convergence of such overwhelming malevolent energy and formidable aura instantly plunged the entire city of Xianyang into the depths of winter. A chilling, desolate atmosphere permeated the air, and the city's inhabitants fell silent, even the birds ceased their chirping.

Above the palace, the illusory "Void Heaven Cauldron," symbolizing the pinnacle of Qin's workshops and smelting, reappeared and quickly solidified. The cauldron's mouth faced downwards, aimed at the million-strong Dragon Guard formation below, emitting a powerful yet gentle suction force.

"Om..."

The next moment, a breathtaking scene unfolded.

The standard armor worn by the million Dragon Guards and the various weapons they held—whether swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, or forks—all detached from their bodies and transformed into streams of light of different colors, each containing a bloodthirsty aura and a faint spirituality.

Like a torrent of steel flowing against the current, it surged towards the Void Cauldron in the sky, only to be completely swallowed up by the enormous mouth of the cauldron!
Ying Xuan's figure had appeared on the highest terrace of the palace at some unknown time.

He looked down at the million elite soldiers standing solemnly below and the giant cauldron that swallowed countless weapons and armor, and raised his hand to cast a series of profound weapon-refining incantations.

Instantly, the vast spiritual energy accumulated throughout the Great Qin Imperial Palace, as well as the massive amount of newly generated incense and spiritual power gathered from all directions, seemed to have found an outlet, transforming into a torrent interwoven with seven colors and gold, surging towards the Void Heaven Cauldron!
At the same time, the stone gate space deep within Ying Xuan's primordial spirit quietly opened, and countless weapon and armor embryos, rare metal ingots, and even some special refining auxiliary materials brought back from the world of Shrouding the Heavens, which had undergone preliminary purification but had not yet been distributed, flew out like raindrops and were also thrown into the Void Heaven Cauldron, which seemed to be a bottomless pit!

The weapons and armor of the Dragon Guards were originally forged in the Qin Dynasty Imperial Palace using incense and spiritual energy mixed with ordinary refined iron. Although the Dragon Guards themselves had nurtured them with blood sacrifices over many years and incorporated metals from another world for reinforcement, their foundation was ultimately limited. Several years have passed, and facing increasingly stronger enemies and the Dragon Guards' own ever-improving strength, this equipment has become somewhat inadequate.

Ying Xuan intends to use the power of the Void Heaven Cauldron, the spiritual energy of the imperial palace and the incense offerings of the people as fuel, and the massive amount of top-quality materials brought back from the Shrouding the Heavens world as a foundation, to carry out a complete rebirth and upgrade of this absolutely loyal core force!

Ying Xuan is now at the Earth Immortal realm, his primordial spirit is pure Yang, and his physical body has entered the secret realm of the Heaven-Covering Immortal Platform. Back when he was still at the primordial spirit realm, he was able to personally forge dragon scale armor and dragon bone spears imbued with dragon might.

At this moment, what he needs to do is lead these million Dragon Guards to use all their cultivation, blood and qi, and even part of their soul imprints to refine the million sets of natal magic weapons that are intertwined with their lives!
This is precisely the core of the "Blood Sacrifice Weapon Refining Method" cultivated by the Dragon Guards—entrusting their own strength and potential to magical artifacts. The stronger the magical artifact, the stronger their power will be, and the more reliable their breakthroughs will be.

Over the past two years, these Dragon Guards have fought bloody battles in the wasteland, acquiring countless metal materials from other worlds and constantly trying to integrate them into their own armor. However, due to their limited strength and crude crafting techniques, they have not been able to fully integrate those precious materials, resulting in limited improvement.

At this moment, Ying Xuan stood in the void, his hands forming hand seals like lotus flowers.

The ancient patterns on the Void Cauldron hanging above the palace lit up one by one, and a deep, thunderous roar came from inside. Wisps of black smoke began to emerge from the mouth of the cauldron. These were the last impurities that had been forcibly quenched and burned out from the original armor and the newly added metal materials!
Inside the cauldron, the temperature was already incredibly high. The massive amount of rare metal materials brought back from the world of Shrouding the Heavens, the refined gold accumulated by the Shaofu over the years, and the molten metal formed from the original armor of the Dragon Guards, under the power of the Void Heaven Cauldron and the guidance of Ying Xuan's magic technique, had become indistinguishable, completely assimilated and fused into a boiling molten metal solution that shimmered with various precious lights!
"Whoosh whoosh..."

The faint light emanating from the million Dragon Guards below, representing the core spiritual imprints of their natal magic weapons, seemed to be summoned by the mother, and poured into the Void Cauldron, precisely entering the corresponding liquid prototypes of armor.

Immediately afterwards, the massive amount of pure molten metal, as if it had a life of its own, began to continuously and evenly merge into the liquid surrounding these spiritual imprints, reshaping, strengthening, and sublimating every part of each suit of armor!
However, Ying Xuan soon discovered that even with such a large investment of materials, he was still somewhat "stretched out" to meet the comprehensive upgrade of a million sets of armor and weapons.

With a thought, he directly communicated with the Minister of the Imperial Household.

In an instant, all the stored metal ingots, ores, and even recycled scrap metal in the royal workshops and secret warehouses in and around Xianyang City, as long as they contained spiritual energy or were strong enough, were all swept up by an invisible force and transformed into torrents of metal that roared towards the palace and were thrown into the Void Cauldron, which seemed to be a bottomless pit!
"burn!"

Ying Xuan made another hand seal, and the temperature inside the Void Heaven Cauldron suddenly rose, instantly melting the additional metals. He then forcibly refined them with a higher level of Dao fire, removing most of the ordinary iron impurities and leaving only the purest and toughest part of the essence, which was then fed into the main furnace.

But that wasn't enough! Ying Xuan's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly pulled his hands out to the sides!
"boom--!!!"

Centered on the Void Heaven Cauldron, a massive void vortex with a diameter exceeding one hundred miles suddenly formed! The Void Heaven Cauldron seemed to transform into a cosmic black hole, frantically devouring and absorbing the endless, chaotic, semi-transformed energy of heaven and earth in the chaotic void outside the barrier of the Great Qin World!
Not only energy, but also some attracted, minute void dust and broken fragments of laws were sucked into the cauldron!
In just a few breaths, the energy above the palace and even the surrounding area was completely wiped out! The terrifying suction force continued to spread, the vortex continued to expand, and the body of the Void Heaven Cauldron, after absorbing a massive amount of energy, expanded and solidified at a speed visible to the naked eye. The pressure it emitted made the people of the entire Xianyang City feel palpitations!

In the square in front of the palace, a million Dragon Guards stood motionless, but each of them was connected to their “partner” who was undergoing a transformation inside the Void Cauldron through the connection of blood sacrifice.

They could clearly sense that their weapons and armor, which had been with them for many years, were undergoing tremendous changes! The spiritual channels, which had been somewhat obstructed due to the mixed materials and rough craftsmanship, were being widened and reinforced.
The material of the armor is becoming denser and tougher than ever before, and naturally developing patterns that subtly correspond to one's own qi and blood and martial arts techniques.

For the past two years, they have been fighting in the wasteland, constantly integrating their own blood essence and the blood energy gained from killing monsters into their armor. The blood energy that was originally just inanimate objects now seems to be activated and purified, flowing slowly inside the brand-new armor like living things, resonating more clearly and strongly with their heartbeats and breaths!
Just then, an even stranger change occurred.

Throughout the entire Qin world, countless people, whether working in the fields, trading in the market, or resting at home, expressed their simplest and most heartfelt prayers and blessings for the stability of the empire, for a prosperous life, and for the wisdom of His Majesty. These prayers transformed into pure, golden incense-like thoughts that spontaneously converged towards the Qin Imperial Palace.

The incense and spiritual energy were not entirely absorbed by the palace. A significant portion of it, guided by Ying Xuan, flew into the frantically operating Void Cauldron like a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix!

"Ding ding dong dong..."

It sounded like celestial music playing, or like the clang of metal on metal. Infused with this massive amount of pure incense and spiritual energy, the nascent form of the million sets of armor within the Void Heaven Cauldron emitted an even more dazzling and radiant light!
Moreover, the dark red and black hues that were originally present due to the blood sacrifice and the essence of the alien races quickly faded away, replaced by a magnificent, righteous, sacred, and solemn golden yellow!
This was not merely a change of color, but a fundamental elevation and imprint! From this moment on, these armors were not only bound to the lives of the Dragon Guards, but also intimately integrated with the will and destiny of the Great Qin Empire and its people! (End of Chapter)