My strength increases by one percent every day; I can destroy stars with my bare hands.

Yangzhou, Qinghe County Wharf.

The Canglan River is shrouded in mist and covered with frost.

The morning mist, like a veil, enveloped the entire Grand Canal, turning the river surface into a vast expanse of white, making it difficult to discern a person even ten steps away.

On the dock, the garrison soldiers were huddled in a sheltered spot, dozing off. The peaceful days of the past few days had made them lower their guard.

No one noticed the strange sound coming from the fog.

The first to notice something was wrong was Zhao Si, a veteran on the dock lookout tower.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes, leaned out of the wooden railing, and squinted at the river.

The fog is too thick; you can't see anything.

But the sound of water grew closer and louder, so loud that the wooden planks beneath his feet trembled slightly.

"wrong……"

Zhao Si muttered something to himself, then suddenly turned around and shouted towards the city wall.

"enemy……"

Before he could utter the second word, an arrow pierced through the mist and instantly penetrated his throat.

Zhao Si clutched his neck and collapsed, blood gushing from between his fingers, staining the wooden planks of the watchtower red.

He saw the scene emerging from the fog in the last moments of his life.

Hundreds of large ships lined up in a row, bursting out of the white mist like giant beasts.

On the flagship at the very front, a large flag fluttered in the wind.

One side is embroidered with the two large characters "Giant Whale," while the other side is embroidered with a lifelike giant whale, black with gold trim, fluttering in the wind like clouds.

Each ship was filled with disciples of the Giant Whale Gang, each one looking fierce and menacing, wielding swords and displaying cruel smiles.

Hundreds of large ships rushed toward the dock at an astonishing speed, their hulls cleaving through the river water and splashing up spray.

The garrison on the dock finally reacted, and the bugle sounded mournfully.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"The Giant Whale Gang is coming! Quickly engage them!"

"Quick, stop them!"

"..."

It was all too late.

"Bang!"

The first large ship crashed into the dock pier, and the entire pier shattered instantly like building blocks, with wood chips flying everywhere.

The cargo containers piled on the dock were scattered by the waves; grain, silk, and porcelain rolled all over the ground and were instantly crushed into powder by the ships that followed.

"kill!"

On the hundred ships, the disciples of the Giant Whale Gang roared in unison.

The sounds converged, like a thunderclap exploding in mid-air, shocking the defenders to the point of turning pale and terrifying them.

Thousands of Giant Whale Gang members leaped from the bow of the ship, wielding long knives, and killed as soon as they landed.

The defending troops were caught off guard, and most of them were still in their barracks.

They were startled awake from their sleep and rushed out of the barracks barefoot, only to run headlong into the blades of the Giant Whale Gang.

"puff!"

"what!"

"Well!"

"..."

With a swift stroke, the knife fell, the head rolled off, and the body collapsed to the ground.

Blood splattered on the ground, forming streams that flowed down the slope of the dock into the canal, turning the river water along the banks a dark red.

"Don't linger in the battle, push inwards."

The voice of Li Canglang, a powerful member of the Giant Whale Gang, came from the bow of the ship and clearly echoed throughout the entire dock.

He did not go ashore himself, but stood at the bow of the ship, looking down at the carnage on the shore, his gaze as calm as still water.

Thousands of disciples surged across the docks like a tide toward the city gates.

The garrison of Qinghe County had just seen flames shooting into the sky from the direction of the dock, and the shouts of battle were deafening.

Before they could react, a dense, dark mass of people, like ants, spread from the riverbank and approached the city gate.

"The Giant Whale Gang, it's the Giant Whale Gang."

The guards on the city gate were terrified and trembling.

They all knew the power of the Giant Whale Gang; they were the overlords of the Canglan River, a force that even the imperial court found difficult to deal with.

"Close the city gates! Close the city gates now!"

The garrison quickly closed the city gates, thinking that this would stop the Whale Gang.

Unfortunately, all of this was just wishful thinking on their part.

"kill!"

Led by a dozen or so experts at the Qi Refining Realm, the Giant Whale Gang charged forward, leaping onto the city wall with unstoppable force.

"We can't hold them off any longer, run!"

"Hurry up and go."

"The Whale Gang has rebelled! Run!"

"..."

The city gate was easily captured by the Giant Whale Gang.

Subsequently, tens of thousands of disciples of the Giant Whale Gang stormed into the county town and completely took control of it.

"From this day forward, Yangzhou belongs to the Giant Whale Gang."

On this day, Qinghe County changed hands, and the entire Yangzhou was in grave danger.

The news spread like wildfire from Yangzhou, reaching all corners of the country.

When the news reached the capital, the court was in an uproar.

In the imperial court, the emperor could no longer maintain his imperial dignity; his face was ashen, and he was furious.

Yangzhou has been a prosperous city since ancient times and is one of the important sources of revenue for the imperial court. Once it falls, the operation of the imperial court will be disrupted.

"Who can tell me, who can go and take Yangzhou back for me?"

The emperor tried hard to suppress his anger, but all the ministers could sense that he was on the verge of exploding.

Minister of War Zhou Zhanyun stepped forward and said in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, the main force of the imperial court is currently locked in a stalemate with the rebel army of the Prince of Fu's residence in Lingyang Prefecture. The battle is at a stalemate, and most of the imperial forces have already been transferred away..."

"Then bring the troops back from the front lines."

Before Zhou Zhanyun could finish speaking, the emperor interrupted him sternly.

"Absolutely not!"

Minister of Revenue Sun Wenhan suddenly looked up, his voice changing tone.

"Your Majesty, the rebels are powerful, and our army is suffering repeated defeats and struggling to hold on. If we withdraw our troops now, our defenses will surely collapse. If Lingyang County falls, the rebels will be able to advance unimpeded and reach the capital!"

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

The emperor turned and glared at him, his eyes bloodshot, already somewhat losing his mind.

"What about Yangzhou? If Yangzhou falls, the Grand Canal will be cut off, and all the grain and tax revenue from Jiangnan will be unable to be transported. We'll starve to death even before the rebels attack!"

Sun Wenhan opened his mouth, then closed it again, and stopped speaking.

Left Prime Minister Gu Yanqing slowly rose to his feet, his aged voice echoing in the hall.

"Your Majesty, this old minister believes that we should not focus solely on Yangzhou in this matter."

"The Giant Whale Gang has been entrenched in the canal for many years, with hundreds of thousands of members and numerous experts. It is not something that ordinary local garrisons can deal with."

"To quell the rebellion, we need at least a Transcendent Realm expert to oversee it, along with 100,000 elite troops."

Upon hearing this, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

The imperial court is currently short-handed, so where would it find any extra manpower or capable personnel to mobilize?

"Then we'll deploy troops."

Zhao Chongwu, the commander of the palace guards, stepped forward. He had a full beard and a booming voice.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to lead 50,000 imperial guards south to quell the rebellion."

This statement was immediately met with opposition from the crowd.

"General Zhao, the Imperial Guards number only 100,000. You're taking 50,000 with you. What if the rebels break through the defenses, or the Giant Whale Gang sails upstream and heads straight for the capital? How will we deal with that?"

Zhao Chongwu, his face flushed red with anger, retorted, "Then what do you suggest we do? Just stand by and watch Yangzhou fall?"

The crowd fell silent again; they couldn't let the Imperial Guards leave, after all.

The 100,000 Imperial Guards are the guarantee of the safety of the Imperial City. Their families are all in the Imperial City, and they must not allow the Imperial City to be in danger.

"That's enough!"

The emperor's stern shout interrupted the argument that was about to erupt.

He returned to the dragon throne, sat down, rested his hands on his forehead, and closed his eyes for a long time.

When I opened my eyes again, my gaze had become serious.

It wasn't composure, but rather the final suppression before the storm.