The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

"Except for Lei Qian, everyone else should leave," Lin Qian suddenly ordered as noon approached, his voice calm yet commanding.

His words took everyone by surprise, especially Lei Qian.

"Boss, if they all leave, what are we going to do during the battle?" Lei Qian asked anxiously.

"Don't worry, just go. Trust me," Lin Qian replied with a mysterious smile. "Honestly, you think I'm afraid of a group battle because of numbers? Not at all."

As soon as Lin Qian finished speaking, Bai Ren, Ye Lin, Ye Long, and Ye Feng all looked up instinctively. However, the sky remained clear, with nothing unusual happening.

But they couldn't forget what had happened in Bashan City when the people from the Tyrant Blade Sect thought they had the upper hand due to their numbers, only for a group of heavily armored soldiers to descend from the skies, overwhelming and killing the sect's men with ease.

Today, the situation felt eerily similar.

With that in mind, Bai Ren and the others quietly stepped back and left the stage.

Once they had left, Lin Qian nodded slightly and turned to the remaining Thunder Division members. "You all should leave as well. Staying here won't change anything."

"But we can't just leave," a female disciple from the Thunder Division protested with a frown. "There are over six hundred of them. How can you and Lei-shixiong handle it alone?"

In an instant, a cold gleam flashed, and a long spear shot out, its tip aimed directly at the female disciple's throat.

A black-armored general appeared out of thin air, his piercing gaze locked onto her. "You dare defy His Majesty's orders? How bold!"

Zhao Long's sudden appearance and booming voice echoed through the air, his overwhelming presence crushing the spirits of the Thunder Division disciples.

"Zhao Long, stand down. Don't scare them," Lin Qian's voice rang out, and Zhao Long shot the female disciple a fierce glare before slamming his white spear into the ground and kneeling with one fist pressed to his chest.

"Your Majesty, Zhao Long reports for duty!"

Suddenly, the sound of synchronized footsteps echoed from the entrance to the arena, growing louder as it approached.

The commotion drew the attention of all the disciples present, who turned to see where the sound was coming from.

At the entrance of the arena, a group of heavily armored soldiers appeared, marching in three tight columns. The central soldiers carried long black spears on their backs, their gazes fixed straight ahead.

The soldiers on the left wore swords at their waists, while those on the right carried knives.

Though their weapons differed, their heavy armor was identical, reflecting a cold light in the sunlight.

Lin Qian turned to face the approaching soldiers.

Thud, thud!

The three columns of soldiers came to a halt beneath Arena Number Thirty-Six, kneeling in unison before Lin Qian, their expressions cold and emotionless as they shouted in unison.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"Rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Everyone in the arena was stunned, their minds reeling from the sight before them.

Lei Qian stiffly turned his head to look at Lin Qian, swallowing hard.

"What's going on?" Lei Qian's mind was a blur. There were at least three thousand soldiers here, each radiating the powerful aura of a Ninth Rank Nirvana Realm warrior.

An elite army of this caliber, appearing out of nowhere in the heart of the Myriad Manifestations Sect and addressing Lin Qian as "Your Majesty"? It was incomprehensible.

Lei Qian was bewildered, and so were the Thunder Division disciples. The spectators, too, were utterly shocked.

But Liu Ming and Lei Kuo were terrified.

Were they idiots? As a top-seven inner disciple, Liu Ming wasn't stupid. Reports from the inner disciples he'd sent to monitor Lin Qian had given him a rough idea of Lin Qian's strength.

Although Liu Ming was confident in his own abilities, he was also cautious by nature. To ensure victory and secure the spot for the ancient ruins, he had used his position as the challenger to change the battle format to a group fight.

Liu Ming knew that Lin Qian had little influence within the sect, not having even joined the inner disciples yet. In a group battle, the most Lin Qian could rely on were Lei Qian and the few dozen members of the Thunder Division.

But Liu Ming had over six hundred people, including Lei Kuo's men. No matter how strong Lin Qian was, he couldn't possibly hold out against such numbers, right?

However, reality had played a cruel joke on him. The sudden appearance of three thousand heavily armored soldiers shattered his carefully laid plans.

"Zhao Long, take the middle spear division and surround the arena. Anyone who tries to leave before noon will have their dantian crippled!" Lin Qian commanded loudly, ensuring that Liu Ming and Lei Kuo heard every word.

"Zhao Long obeys!" Zhao Long rose to his feet and began running around the perimeter of Arena Thirty-Six.

As he moved, the spear-wielding soldiers followed, stopping at intervals around the edge of the stage, standing tall and vigilant. Their cold eyes locked onto Liu Ming, Lei Kuo, and the others, unwavering.

"You can leave now," Lin Qian said once more, turning to the remaining Thunder Division disciples.

This time, no one protested. They simply nodded in a daze and quietly left the stage.

Lin Qian turned and began walking toward Liu Ming and Lei Kuo, with Lei Qian hurrying to catch up. As Lin Qian advanced, the remaining two divisions of soldiers, those wielding swords and knives, moved forward in formation, filling the space left by the spear division and marching onto the stage.

Stopping a few meters from Liu Ming and Lei Kuo, Lin Qian halted, and the soldiers behind him did the same, forming ranks and waiting.

Lei Qian exhaled a breath of relief, then turned and grinned at Liu Ming and Lei Kuo.

"Hahaha! Liu Ming, Lei Kuo, why so quiet now? Weren't you two full of insults earlier?" Lei Qian laughed loudly, his voice filled with unrestrained joy.

Smack!

Lin Qian suddenly slapped Lei Qian on the head, scolding him. "What's with that smug look? Don't act like a petty man just because you have the upper hand."

Lei Qian quickly composed himself, realizing he'd lost his cool.

The sudden appearance of these soldiers had given him a surge of confidence, making him truly understand the meaning of strength in numbers.

"Ha-ha-ha!" Lin Qian threw his head back and laughed, his voice echoing across the arena. He pointed at Liu Ming and Lei Kuo, shouting, "Weren't you two barking like dogs just now? What happened? Keep barking! What's wrong, cat got your tongues?"

"Well said, Your Majesty!" Zhao Long pounded his chest with his fist, his voice booming.

And then, the three thousand soldiers in unison roared:

"Well said!"

"Well done, Your Majesty!"

"Bravo!"

"Clap!"

Clap clap clap clap clap!

The sound of slapping hands resounded through the arena.