The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

"Gone?" In the small world of the ancient relic, high atop a towering cliff, a young man suddenly turned around. His hair was cropped short, standing upright like steel needles, and his clothes were a patchwork of various soul beast pelts. His brow was smeared with blood from a particular soul beast.

This was Shi Peng, the strongest presence in the Beast Taming Sect this time.

Standing before him was a gaunt man with long hair tied into locks, his pupils glowing an eerie green.

"Yes, I initially thought that the pack of a hundred snakes would at least wear down those three girls. Even if Ye Xin escaped alone, her two senior sisters would be left behind."

"But unexpectedly, in the mere time it took for me to step away, they were rescued."

After hearing this report, Shi Peng's expression darkened. He walked to the edge of the cliff, staring out over the forest, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Lin Qian and the others, who had already gathered, were sitting on their mats, which they had prepared. Lin Qian glanced at the injured Divine Sword Sect disciples, who were meditating with their eyes closed, and then turned to Ye Xin, who sat beside him.

"Xin'er, what exactly happened?"

Ye Xin, now reassured that her senior sisters had taken the pills Lin Qian provided and were recovering, finally felt at ease. "We were ambushed by the Beast Taming Sect. The one who attacked us was Gu Nongyi!" Ye Xin's eyes filled with disgust at the mention of the name.

"Gu Nongyi? So, it was that snake-obsessed guy. His methods are cruel, and his strength is second only to Shi Peng," Ding Zhirong remarked, his tone indicating he wasn't fond of Gu Nongyi either.

Lin Qian's face grew serious as he asked Ye Xin to explain everything in detail. Ye Xin nodded and began recounting the events.

It turned out that the Divine Sword Sect's jade tokens allowed the disciples to faintly sense each other's presence. After passing through the portal into the ancient relic, Ye Xin realized her senior sisters were nearby, not far from her location.

Her two senior sisters were even closer to each other, so they met up first and then started heading toward Ye Xin.

But when Ye Xin arrived at their location, she found that they had suddenly stopped moving.

When she rushed over in concern, she found her senior sisters unconscious on the ground, completely unresponsive.

As Ye Xin anxiously checked on them, a hundred venomous soul beasts in the form of snakes suddenly surrounded them.

Each of these snake soul beasts was at the Nirvana Realm. Although not exceptionally powerful, they were all highly venomous.

As the snakes closed in, they began spewing poisonous mist toward Ye Xin and her sisters. To protect her unconscious senior sisters, Ye Xin couldn't afford to attack the snakes and was forced into a defensive stance.

Fortunately, she had the gift Lin Qian had given her—the Starlight White Dress. When activated, the dress formed a protective barrier resembling a starry sky, which successfully warded off the poison.

When Ye Xin's senior sisters finally woke up, they were already gravely injured, unable to fight or even move.

Thus, Ye Xin found herself in an extremely precarious situation. She had to maintain the starry sky barrier to defend against the snakes, slowly depleting her soul power.

Gu Nongyi, who had been observing from the shadows, was driven back by the sudden appearance of soul beasts, and then the swift soldiers arrived, slaying the snakes and rescuing them.

If Lin Qian's swift soldiers hadn't shown up in time, their fate might have been dire.

"The Beast Taming Sect may not be as strong in direct combat as other factions, but their unique soul arts allow them to control and tame soul beasts."

"According to my master, this first area of the ancient relic is filled with soul beasts, giving the Beast Taming Sect a significant advantage. We need to be extra cautious."

Ye Xin looked at Lin Qian, carefully adjusting his collar with her delicate hands. "Xiao Qian, I imagine that the legacy you've acquired, which allows you to summon so many people to help you, must come at a great cost, perhaps even at a huge price. We should be cautious and not rely on it too much."

Ye Xin's words prompted the surrounding disciples, including Lei Qian, to nod in agreement.

They all assumed that summoning such powerful soul warriors and forming an army must have come at a significant cost for Lin Qian.

Lin Qian chuckled helplessly and nodded in agreement.

In truth, summoning troops from his empire required no cost at all. He simply had to think about it, and it would be done.

But since Ye Xin and the others had misunderstood, Lin Qian saw no need to correct them.

If they knew he could summon an unstoppable army without any sacrifice, then this ancient relic would pose no challenge for them. If that were the case, it would hardly be considered a trial, and Lin Qian would be doing them a disservice.

So, Lin Qian decided to let the misunderstanding persist, allowing them to believe that summoning his empire's forces required a great deal of effort.

This way, his empire's army could remain a last resort, and until then, everyone would have to rely on their own strength to face the challenges ahead.

"So, what do we do now? Are we just going to stay here?" Lin Qian asked as he glanced around.

Ye Xin giggled at his question. "Xiao Qian, don't you know what the trial in the first area of the ancient relic is?"

Lin Qian looked embarrassed and laughed awkwardly. "Haha, no, what is it?"

Over the past few days, Lin Qian had been focused on training and preparing Lei Qian and the others, so he hadn't taken the time to learn about the relic's trials.

Lei Qian and the others stared at Lin Qian in surprise. They hadn't expected him to be completely unaware of the ancient relic's trial conditions.

"The small world within the ancient relic is divided into several areas, and we're currently in the first area."

"The first area consists entirely of dense forests and mountains, teeming with soul beasts."

"When we entered the relic, we were placed on the outer edge of this area. The deeper we go, the stronger the soul beasts we'll encounter."

"We have five days to reach the deepest part of the first area and proceed to the second area. If we don't make it to the second area within that time, we'll be expelled from the first area."

"But we mustn't venture too far to the east or west because those areas are incredibly dangerous."

Lin Qian's eyes lit up with curiosity. He eagerly asked, "Xin'er, what's so dangerous about those areas? Why don't we go take a look?"

Ye Xin immediately shook her head. "Absolutely not! That place is filled with the activity of the dead!"