The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

"Empress?" Not only were the two female disciples from the Divine Sword Sect stunned, but even Ye Xin herself was left bewildered and at a loss for words. The situation had taken such an unexpected turn that she couldn't fully grasp what was happening. Just moments ago, they were in a dire situation, surrounded by danger, when suddenly, these strangers appeared to help them. Before they could even express their gratitude, the strangers had knelt before her with utmost respect.

Among the group of strangers, three of them stepped forward and knelt on one knee, presenting the tokens they had received from Lin Qian.

"Could it be that Xiao Qian's plan to reunite with us in the relic was to find people who could track us down?" Ye Xin furrowed her brows, unsure as she looked at the swift soldiers before her.

After a brief moment of consideration, Ye Xin stepped back to her two fellow disciples and whispered, "Senior Sisters, what do you think of this?"

"Within the Linhai Province, sects have ruled for a thousand years, and the influence of an imperial power has long faded. These individuals are suspicious, so we should remain cautious," one of the female disciples said, her tone filled with vigilance.

"Junior Sister Ye, do you think these people might have been sent by Lin Qian? After all, they hold the tokens we gave him," the other female disciple speculated.

Ye Xin shook her head slightly, replying, "I can't say for sure."

The first disciple, who had spoken earlier, continued to eye the black-armored swift soldiers warily before saying, "Since they refer to you as 'Empress,' perhaps you should try commanding them."

Taking her senior sister's advice, Ye Xin nodded and cleared her throat gently. "My two senior sisters are injured and unable to move. Could you carry them?"

As soon as Ye Xin's words left her mouth, the swift soldiers responded in unison, "As you command!"

Without hesitation, the swift soldiers holding the tokens of the Divine Sword Sect disciples bent down and carefully lifted the two women onto their backs.

The soldier holding Ye Xin's token then stepped forward and bowed again. "Please follow us closely, Your Majesty. His Majesty has been awaiting your arrival."

Still in a slight daze, Ye Xin blinked and nodded, following the soldiers as they led the way.

The speed of the swift soldiers astonished Ye Xin. Despite her own swiftness, which often surpassed that of her senior brothers and sisters in the Nirvana Realm, she found that no matter how much she increased her pace, the formation of these soldiers guarding her remained perfectly intact, showing no signs of disorder.

Ye Xin realized that these black-armored soldiers must be at least as fast as she was, if not faster. If that were true, then these individuals would undoubtedly be regarded as highly talented disciples within any of the three sects or five clans of Linhai Province.

But where had they come from, and were they truly under Lin Qian's command?

As the dense forest rapidly retreated behind them, Ye Xin's eyes suddenly lit up. She had spotted a familiar group of people up ahead. In front of her were the five disciples from Wanxiang Sect, with Lin Qian standing at the center.

The commotion caused by their arrival caught the attention of Lin Qian and the others, who turned to look at them.

When Ye Xin and her group reached Lin Qian, the swift soldiers knelt before him, drawing the astonished gazes of everyone present. "Your Majesty, the Empress has been located and is safe."

Lin Qian nodded and waved his hand dismissively. "Well done. Now, scout the area and maintain vigilance."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The swift soldiers swiftly dispersed into the forest, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

"Xiao Qian... are they really under your command? What's going on?" Ye Xin asked, her voice filled with surprise and confusion as she looked at Lin Qian.

The two female disciples from the Divine Sword Sect also stared at Lin Qian with puzzled expressions. They had clearly heard the mysterious individuals refer to him as "Your Majesty."

Although Lin Qian was known as the "Young Emperor," it was a title given to him because his master, Wei Wushuang, was called the "War Emperor." At the end of the day, Lin Qian was still just a disciple of the Wanxiang Sect. How did he come to have such mysterious subordinates who revered him as an emperor?

What puzzled the two disciples even more was how Lin Qian had managed to bring these individuals into the ancient relic. The twisted aura surrounding the entrance would reject any more than forty-eight individuals, allowing entry but not exit.

Not only were Ye Xin and her senior sisters filled with questions, but the five disciples from Wanxiang Sect were also amazed.

"Boss, I've been meaning to ask you about this for a while. When you dueled Liu Ming, you suddenly summoned three thousand Nirvana Realm heavy-armored soldiers, and now you have these mysterious subordinates," Lei Qian said with a curious yet perplexed expression. "And they called me 'Lord Lei' and said I was your imperial guard."

"Three thousand Nirvana Realm soldiers?" one of the Divine Sword Sect disciples exclaimed in disbelief. "Even Shengtian Sect would need to muster the forces of all their affiliated cities to gather that many."

Ding Zhirong and the others exchanged surprised glances with Lei Qian and then looked back at Lin Qian. They had heard rumors about this event before, but it seemed too far-fetched to believe. Now, however, they were beginning to think it might be true.

"I can't explain everything to you right now. Just think of it as me inheriting a powerful legacy and ascending to the throne," Lin Qian said, spreading his hands with a smile. "All you need to know is that in this ancient relic, we can walk with our heads held high."

"But the disciples from Shengtian Sect are formidable," one of the Divine Sword Sect disciples cautioned, frowning. "Each of them has talent comparable to Junior Sister Ye's, far surpassing us. They are considered the top geniuses in Linhai Province."

She was well aware that the Shengtian Sect disciples this time were far more powerful than in previous years.

"Hahaha..." The moment she finished speaking, the disciples from Wanxiang Sect burst into laughter.

Both Ye Xin and her senior sisters were left confused. Why were the disciples from Wanxiang Sect laughing at their words?

"No matter how talented the disciples from Shengtian Sect are, they are nothing compared to the boss," Lei Qian said, pointing at Lin Qian with a chuckle.

Even the usually reserved Ding Zhirong cracked a smile. "Geniuses? In front of Lin Qian, they might as well be trash."

"If they get the chance to witness Lin Qian's full power, they'll probably wet their pants," Zhao Haiming added, shaking his head in amazement.

Li Letian and Wang Lanxin exchanged a knowing smile. "When it comes to talent, it's best not to bring it up in front of a monster like Lin Qian."

Ye Xin and her two senior sisters were taken aback by the Wanxiang Sect disciples' glowing praise of Lin Qian. They had never expected them to hold Lin Qian in such high regard!

But no matter how they tried to imagine it, they couldn't fathom that Lin Qian had accomplished the unprecedented feat of breaking through twelve Nirvana cycles.