Upon entering the Demon Clan territory, Qin Tian had no intention of leaving.

His two hundred thousand elite troops directly attacked westward, eventually capturing Ling City, which lies less than fifty kilometers from the major stronghold of Black Cloud City at the Black Cloud River.

With troops at the city gates, the Demon Clan panicked.

At this time, Mu Lou's army also began deploying along the Black Cloud River, waiting for Qin Tian to attack.

Just as Qin Tian was ready to go, an envoy from the Imperial City arrived.

"Lord Qin, His Majesty wants me to ask you, what do you think the consequences will be for invading the Demon Clan territory without authorization!?"

The envoy, speaking before Qin Tian's subordinates in his Ling City residence, directly questioned Qin Tian.

This envoy, accompanied by only over a hundred Tianyuan guards, yet spoke with a tone seemingly more imposing than the Ice Emperor himself!

"Before entering the Demon Clan territory, I had already written a memorial," Qin Tian suppressed his anger and explained in a low voice.

"Oh? Just writing a memorial is enough? His Majesty did not approve! You are acting on your own!"

The envoy shouted, somewhat flushed with anger, "Do you not realize that invading the Demon Clan will worsen the Tianyuan Dynasty's relations with them? Do you know the consequences?!"

"I truly don't. The Demon Clan can invade us, but I'm not allowed to strike back?"

Qin Tian coldly smiled. If this person weren't the Ice Emperor's envoy, he would almost suspect him of being a spy for the Demon Clan, as his logic seemed entirely in favor of them.

"Without approval, it is not allowed!"

With a glare, the envoy said to Qin Tian, "I am here under the Ice Emperor's order to deliver His Majesty's decree: Qin Tian, withdraw from the Demon Clan territory immediately, or face severe punishment without leniency!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Tian said nothing, but Lin Yu and the others at Qin Tian's side were enraged one by one.

"Envoy, we've already occupied the East of the Demon Clan. You want us to withdraw? Are you kidding me?"

"Hmph, we're supposed to easily abandon the cities we captured with great effort? Are you teasing me?"

"I think you're sent by the Demon Clan, right? Hilarious!"

Lin Yu, Xiao Zhuang, and others all voiced criticism directly at the envoy, mocking and ridiculing, making the envoy's face turn red in an instant.

"You... you dare to insult me? I represent His Majesty now! Name yourselves, and I will report truthfully to His Majesty upon my return to the Imperial City!"

The envoy ordered Qin Tian in a commanding tone, "Qin Tian, note down those who spoke and submit the list to me!"

Arrogance!

Qin Tian spread his hands and said, "Sorry, I don't recognize them."

"Hahaha..."

Zhou Yang and others burst into laughter, and the envoy became even more infuriated.

"You... you dare disobey orders!?" The envoy still tried to repress Qin Tian with his status.

Qin Tian no longer wanted to waste words with him and said, "Envoy, I have heard your words, and I understand His Majesty's intentions. Go back and tell His Majesty, I will prepare here, and when the time is right, I will retreat."

"When the time is right? When is the right time? His Majesty wants you to retreat now!"

The envoy shouted, "You are defying His Majesty's order! Do you want to die?"

Swish!

Qin Tian's expression changed directly, taking two steps forward, he stood in front of the envoy, releasing an overwhelming pressure, causing the envoy to be startled!

"You ask if I want to die? I'll tell you now, if you are arrogant again, it won't be me who dies, but you!"

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Faced with Qin Tian's fierce words, the envoy was stunned. After serving as the Ice Emperor's envoy for so many years, who treated him with anything but great respect?

Now, Qin Tian was so arrogant! Threatening the Ice Emperor's envoy?

"Want to try!?"

While the envoy hesitated, Qin Tian's powerful aura already enveloped him!

The envoy froze, feeling somewhat unable to move.

He knew that Qin Tian, who dominated the West State, was fully capable of killing him!

"Ahem ahem..."

After hesitating for a moment, the envoy conceded, pursed his lips, and said, "Fine, fine, very good... Lord Qin, I understand your point, I will report truthfully to the Ice Emperor. Farewell!"

With that said, the envoy broke free from Qin Tian's pressure, and without even eating, left directly.

"Damn, he's finally gone!"

"That fool really thought he was superior? Ha, speaking to us in that tone, if he continued, I might not resist chopping him with a sword!"

"Clearly he came with an agenda, just to stir up trouble."

After the envoy left, Zhao Lanjin and others shook their heads and smiled wryly.

Lin Yu asked Qin Tian, "Boss, what do we do now? If intervention comes from the Imperial City, we won't really have to withdraw, right?"

Everyone's eyes were on Qin Tian.

"Withdraw my ass!"

Qin Tian's eyes lit up, saying, "Not only will I not withdraw, but I will also advance! I'd like to see who can stop me!"

Immediately, Qin Tian and the others discussed strategies; on one hand, directing Xu Kuan and Che Aijun to strengthen defenses to prevent the Imperial City from deploying forces.

On the other hand, Qin Tian instructed Zhao Lanjin and others to assemble troops, preparing to attack Black Cloud City.

Lin Yu's True Qi Artillery Troop also began to mobilize.

Xiao Zhuang's intelligence system was in full operation, actively gathering news from the Imperial City and the Demon Clan.

Three days later, ignoring the edicts from the Imperial City, Qin Tian directly marched on Black Cloud City!

Blatantly defying the Ice Emperor's edict, all the factions were stunned!

However, Qin Tian at this moment also did not want relations with the Imperial City to deteriorate too much. He wrote a memorial, forwarded it to the Imperial City, employing a soft tone, explaining the situation within the Demon Clan territory, and promised to withdraw as per the edict once he had incapacitated the Demon Clan's ability to invade the West State.

This was Qin Tian's approach, using both hard and soft tactics.

When the memorial arrived at the Imperial City, Qin Tian had already achieved a significant breakthrough on the battlefield at the Black Cloud River in the Demon Clan territory.

Zhao Lanjin and Lin Yu's True Qi Artillery Troop cooperated closely, catching Mu Lou off guard. Originally planning to last three months, Mu Lou didn't hold out for ten days, and succumbed in the first wave of the West State Army's assault.

Black Cloud City was captured by Qin Tian, and the West State Army threatened the western bank of the Black Cloud River, shocking the Demon Clan!

At this time, the Imperial City had also split into two factions. The Fourth Prince's faction advocated for Qin Tian to withdraw and avoid conflict with the Demon Clan.

The neutral faction and the Crown Prince also advocated for Qin Tian to press the advantage, leaving the Demon Clan unable to catch their breath.

For years, the Demon Clan frequently harassed the Tianyuan Dynasty's West State, yet due to various reasons, the Tianyuan Dynasty had always been on the defensive and had never proactively attacked, let alone reached the Black Cloud River, which had never happened!

Thus, Qin Tian's actions naturally received support from most people, feeling that they had finally regained some dignity.

Unfortunately, the influential figures in the court who had a voice were mostly from the Fourth Prince's faction, and their insistence on withdrawal left the Ice Emperor caught in a dilemma.

The situation in the Imperial City grew increasingly complex, yet Qin Tian here ignored it all. After capturing Black Cloud City, in less than half a month, he cleared the remaining Demon Clan forces on the east bank of the Black Cloud River.

The entire East of the Demon Clan, under Qin Tian's control!

(Thanks "Bright Moon in the Sky" for the red reward! Many thanks for your support~)