The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

Below, what appeared before Lin Qian was a settlement built entirely of piled-up stones, with walls made of uneven rocks that stood about two men high. Inside these circular stone walls were simple stone houses, where people dressed similarly to Shi Niu and his children busied themselves, while children ran around playing.

Just as Shi Niu had mentioned, this small world did have land that could sustain life. However, within the stone walls of the Stone Tribe, the ground beneath the stone houses was still cracked and lifeless. Only in the deeper parts of the settlement, far from the gate, did some muddy soil appear, where crops were being cultivated. But even those crops were sparse and unhealthy.

At a glance, the fields could only produce enough food to sustain about 200 people. Yet, based on Shi Niu's description, the Stone Tribe had around 2,000 members!

"Is this how all humans live in this small world?" Lin Qian muttered as he stood on the hill, clenching his fists.

Their clothes, made of coarse cloth, served only to cover their bodies—they offered no comfort or warmth. Every person looked just like Shi Niu's family, covered in dirt and grime, as if they had never taken a bath.

A small stream trickled into the Stone Tribe, barely enough to water their meager crops, and even drinking water had to be rationed carefully. From his vantage point, Lin Qian could clearly see people collapsing from exhaustion, with others rushing to help them, clearly fainting from hunger.

"This month alone, over a hundred people in our tribe have starved to death," Shi Niu said, his face filled with sorrow as he sighed deeply.

Lin Qian sighed as well, then turned to Shi Niu and said, "Take me to your tribe. I will see what I can do to help."

The Stone Tribe's gate was made from dead trees, and a couple of robust tribesmen stood on stone watchtowers, vigilantly scanning the surroundings. They noticed four figures approaching, and as they drew closer, the watchmen were shocked to realize they were humans.

However, these four people were dressed in fine, soft clothing and were immaculately clean—completely different from what they expected of humans.

"Shi... Shi Niu?" one of the watchmen stammered, recognizing the clean-shaven man. Despite Shi Niu's transformed appearance, as one of the tribe's strongest members, his image was deeply ingrained in their minds.

"Open the gates! Our tribe is saved! We are saved!" Shi Niu shouted, his voice filled with excitement and hope.

Returning home always brought a sense of joy and relief. The massive wooden gates of the Stone Tribe creaked open, and Shi Niu respectfully led Lin Qian into the settlement.

As Lin Qian entered the Stone Tribe, he began to truly grasp the harsh reality of life for the humans in this small world. The stone houses, built with uneven stones, had countless gaps that let in the wind. The walls were unstable, easily collapsing, and if someone were inside when it happened, they could be crushed to death.

"This place is far too harsh for survival. I will find a way to take you all out of here," Lin Qian said with a sigh, making a firm decision.

The situation in this small world was far worse than Lin Qian had expected. His mission was no longer just to deal with the Blackblood Clan; he now had to save these people.

Shi Niu's return had drawn the attention of many in the tribe, who were astonished by his clean appearance and fine clothing. Even more shocking was the unfamiliar young man who accompanied him, surveying the area with a sorrowful expression that seemed to reflect the hardships of the tribe.

"Shi Niu, what happened to your hand?" a burly man with a beard rushed over, grabbing Shi Niu's shoulder. "And what's going on? The Qin Tribe isn't much better off than we are, yet they managed to get you clean and give you such fine clothes?"

Shi Niu smiled and patted the man's arm reassuringly. "It's a long story, but I need to speak with the tribe leader urgently. You'll understand everything soon."

"Benefactor!" Shi Niu then motioned to Lin Qian, who nodded, and they continued deeper into the tribe.

Seeing Shi Niu treat the unfamiliar young man with such respect left the burly man and the other tribesmen baffled. Shi Niu was one of the three strongest people in the Stone Tribe, yet he was showing deference to this stranger.

"Could he be from one of the larger tribes? No, that doesn't make sense. Even in the larger tribes, people only wear coarse cloth, and while they may have more food, they don't have extra water for bathing. Only the tribe's leaders might wipe themselves down occasionally, but no one could be this clean," the burly man muttered, scratching his head as he watched Lin Qian walk away.

A young child, captivated by Lin Qian's clean and handsome appearance, tried to follow him, squeezing through the crowd. However, the child was jostled and stumbled into a nearby stone wall.

Crack!

"The wall is collapsing!" someone shouted, and people hurried to get out of the way. The child, still dazed, closed his eyes in fear as the unstable stone wall began to fall towards him.

The heavy stones, large enough to crush the boy, hurtled down. The nearby tribesmen could only watch in horror, unable to react in time.

At that moment, a flash of gold appeared before their eyes, followed by the roar of thunder.

Crack!

When the lightning dissipated, the falling stones had been reduced to fine powder, raining down harmlessly instead of crushing the child.

The boy, who had squeezed his eyes shut, slowly opened them when he realized the stones hadn't hit him. He stared in shock at the thick layer of powder around him.

Looking up, he saw the handsome young man standing before him, gently brushing the dust off his clothes and patting him on the head. "Be careful next time, okay?"

With that, Lin Qian turned and walked back towards Shi Niu, as the tribesmen parted to let him through, watching him with awe and fear.

"Who is this young man? Such power..." the burly man murmured as he looked at the pile of stone dust, then back at Lin Qian's retreating figure, too stunned to speak.