If Yuan Xiang didn't get to the bottom of what he had just witnessed, he believed that even his true self might rush back here and grab Lin Qian to demand answers.
Earlier, Yuan Xiang had followed Lin Qian's directions and flew toward the city in the distance. As soon as he saw the city's outline, he slowed down and concealed himself.
After getting closer to the city, Yuan Xiang didn't notice anything unusual at first and even thought Lin Qian might have been playing a trick on him.
However, just as Yuan Xiang was about to return and confront Lin Qian, something strange happened.
At night, the formation that enveloped the city began to emit a faint glow, casting a soft light over the surroundings.
It was common for many forces to use the glow of formations at night as a form of illumination, and it worked quite well.
But what shocked Yuan Xiang was that on the glowing barrier of the formation, a smiling face appeared—Lin Qian's face.
And this face seemed to notice Yuan Xiang's astonished gaze and even made a playful grimace at him.
The expression vanished as quickly as it appeared.
Yuan Xiang looked up at the Xunyin Tribe and Wuxing Tribe members on the city walls and found that they were completely oblivious to the situation. They were chatting and laughing among themselves.
Recalling Lin Qian's cryptic attitude and words earlier, Yuan Xiang became certain that something had happened to the city's formation.
The most likely explanation was that Lin Qian had tampered with the formation. But how had he done it without the Xunyin Tribe and Wuxing Tribe inside the city noticing? Yuan Xiang had no idea.
Lin Qian's confidence likely stemmed from this strange alteration in the formation.
Unable to suppress his curiosity any longer, Yuan Xiang hurried back, eager to get an explanation from Lin Qian.
"It's quite simple. My subordinates invented something very interesting that allows us to infiltrate our formation's power into the enemy's formation, turning their formation into half ours," Lin Qian explained with a smile when he saw Yuan Xiang's eager expression.
"Turning half of the formation into yours?" Yuan Xiang still couldn't quite grasp it.
Seeing Yuan Xiang's confusion, Lin Qian proudly elaborated, "It's a method my Prime Minister developed to break formations, something akin to an electronic virus. Hmm, I doubt you'd understand what an electronic virus is, so I won't go into detail."
"But what you should know is that the city's formation has been compromised. Although it still has defensive functions, the people inside the city can no longer control it."
"Moreover, I can use their formation to observe them, determine their numbers and strength. I can even control small aspects of the formation, like the glow it emits—nothing significant."
"Earlier, I estimated the time it would take for you to reach the city, and I controlled the formation's glow to display my face. Isn't it amusing?" Lin Qian chuckled.
Yuan Xiang didn't bother with the electronic virus part, but the latter half of Lin Qian's explanation caught his attention.
"Earlier, you said the formation only has defensive capabilities now, and it can't do anything else? The people inside the city can't even get out?"
"Basic functions like entering and exiting are still intact, but all offensive capabilities have been completely disabled," Lin Qian said, his face filled with pride.
Yuan Xiang was left speechless with shock. Even with all his vast knowledge, he had never seen a method of breaking formations quite like this.
Breaking a formation usually required brute force to destroy it or the expertise of a formation master to dismantle it through analysis or using another formation.
But Lin Qian's method, infiltrating and partially taking over the enemy's formation, was unheard of.
What was even more terrifying was that the formation's defensive capabilities were all that remained. The auxiliary functions, which often made defensive formations so formidable, had been entirely disabled.
Defensive formations weren't just about creating barriers of soul power to block attacks. They also included auxiliary functions that enhanced defense, maintained the output of soul power, and absorbed spiritual energy from the environment to sustain the formation.
Some of the most powerful defensive formations were renowned for their strong auxiliary functions, which made their defenses even more impregnable.
But according to Lin Qian, once these formations were compromised, their auxiliary functions would be completely paralyzed, reducing them to little more than turtle shells.
Some defensive formations could even launch counterattacks when attacked, but with Lin Qian's interference, these formations could only passively withstand attacks. This would significantly reduce the loss of troops during the upcoming siege warfare.
It was only now that Yuan Xiang realized that Lin Qian had sent out those swift soldiers not just to confirm the locations of the cities but also to infiltrate their formations.
And from what Lin Qian had described, placing those special soul devices at the four corners of the city's walls was essential for the plan to work. Yuan Xiang couldn't help but admire the Gale Force soldiers.
He himself could turn invisible and remain undetected when approaching a city. But these Gale Force soldiers, without such abilities, still managed to approach the city undetected and complete their mission.
"I really want to see if you can actually defeat the Xunyin Tribe and Wuxing Tribe," Yuan Xiang said after a long silence, his eyes fixed on Lin Qian. "If you can take control of this small world, it will be a great boon for the Human Tribe on the Soul Martial Continent."
"Senior, stop joking," Lin Qian replied, finding Yuan Xiang's words amusing as he shook his head.
Yuan Xiang was puzzled by Lin Qian's reaction. "Why do you think I'm joking? Weren't you brimming with confidence earlier? Why the sudden doubt?"
"Senior, that's not what I meant." Realizing that Yuan Xiang had misunderstood, Lin Qian smiled and explained, "This war isn't about whether we can win—it's a matter of when. Whether or not this small world falls under my control isn't a question of 'if,' but 'when.'"
At this point, Lin Qian turned to face the horizon, his gaze deep and contemplative, as if he could already see the five hundred alien cities.
"The Huaxia Empire has never lost, not even once."
"I can lose, but the Huaxia Empire absolutely cannot lose—not even once!"