The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

"What? You're planning to go to the Dead Lands?" Ye Xin's two senior sisters exclaimed in shock after hearing Lin Qian's intentions once they had recovered from their injuries.

"Sister Liu, Sister Zhu, would you like to join us?" Ye Xin approached them, holding their hands gently and asking softly, "If you don't want to, we'll have to part ways here."

The two female disciples of the Divine Sword Sect, Liu Yueqian and Zhu Xiaojia, exchanged a glance before falling into deep thought. They had heard of the Dead Lands before. It was a place of peril where only two survivors had returned from the initial exploration, highlighting the extreme danger.

Should they continue to hunt soul beasts and proceed to the second area, or follow Lin Qian into the unknown Dead Lands? The decision weighed heavily on their minds.

After what felt like a long deliberation, both women seemed to make up their minds. "We'll go with you!"

Ye Xin beamed with joy upon hearing their decision. "I'm so glad we can venture together, sisters."

"Since we've decided, let's not waste time and head out immediately," Lin Qian suggested. "We only have five days, so the sooner we start, the better."

Everyone agreed and, with determined steps, began their journey eastward.

Meanwhile, in another world, the once-virtual planet known as the Fantasy Star, which had crossed over with Lin Qian into this world, was no longer made of mere data. It had transformed into a thriving and massive entity: the Huaxia Empire.

On the first continent, home to the empire's capital and headquarters of its six major legions, Zhao Long, a key general, was drilling his elite troops in the south. Clad in heavy dragon-patterned armor, the soldiers, with their soul energy surging, executed precise drills under Zhao Long's watchful eye.

These soldiers, part of the sixth legion—the God Spear Legion—were so powerful that any one of them could obliterate the entire Linhai Province.

Suddenly, Zhao Long paused in his training as a command from Lin Qian echoed in his mind. In the next instant, he vanished, reappearing on the eighteenth continent to assemble a squad of five hundred mid-level spearmen.

As the troops formed up, the mysterious force known as Tianhen enveloped them, pulling them into the small world of the ancient relic. They appeared in a dense forest, following the trail left by Lin Qian and his companions.

Soon after, black-clad scouts arrived and knelt before Zhao Long. "Lord Zhao!"

"Lady Jiqing cannot leave the empire at this time, so you'll follow my orders for now. Head west and begin reconnaissance. The rest of the troops will follow shortly," Zhao Long instructed.

"Understood." The scouts swiftly moved westward as Zhao Long led his five hundred spearmen in that direction at a steady pace.

Meanwhile, Lin Qian, leading his group eastward, nodded in satisfaction. He had managed to deploy his forces within a wide range, ensuring they could cover both the eastern and western regions.

As the group pressed on, the roar of a tiger echoed through the forest, and a massive flame-clad tiger blocked their path.

"A Flame Tiger! A soul beast with the strength of a ninth-stage Nirvana realm cultivator. Its flames can even melt low-level soul weapons!" Zhu Xiaojia gasped at the sight of the ferocious beast.

Liu Yueqian was equally alarmed. This beast was no ordinary soul beast. It could rival the strongest Nirvana realm cultivators who had surpassed their limits.

If encountered alone or in pairs, this beast would be a significant challenge. Carelessness could easily lead to death under its claws.

But Lin Qian simply frowned, his body crackling with red-gold lightning as he charged forward and punched the Flame Tiger directly in the head.

In an instant, the tiger's skull shattered into a shower of blood and flesh, scattering across the ground. The trees and earth were stained red, and pieces of the beast's burning flesh smoldered on the ground.

Lin Qian casually withdrew his soul energy and continued walking forward as if nothing had happened, leaving Liu Yueqian and Zhu Xiaojia frozen in shock.

Even Ye Xin, walking beside Lin Qian, was stunned as she glanced at the bloody remains. She had expected a fierce battle, but Lin Qian had ended it with a single punch.

"Aren't you all surprised?" Zhu Xiaojia asked incredulously, noticing that Lei Qian and the others remained unfazed.

"Wang Lanxin and I might not be as strong as the others, but we could still kill a Flame Tiger in one strike. Lin Qian is on a whole different level," Wang Lanxin replied with a smile.

"You can't judge our boss by normal standards. You'll get used to it," Lei Qian added nonchalantly with a shrug.

As they continued their journey, Liu Yueqian and Zhu Xiaojia began to witness just how powerful Lin Qian's group truly was. Every soul beast they encountered, regardless of its strength, was swiftly dispatched with a single blow.

Even Li Letian and Wang Lanxin, who considered themselves the weakest in the group, were able to do so effortlessly.

Liu Yueqian and Zhu Xiaojia knew they could handle these beasts, but not with the ease displayed by Lin Qian's group. They were practically unstoppable.

"Are those Green-Furred Wolves again? They seem to be Nirvana realm soul beasts."

"Only about a dozen this time. The first pack we encountered had over a hundred, right?"

"Yeah, but the last batch got wiped out by the reinforcements the boss sent."

As Lei Qian, Ding Zhirong, and Zhao Haiming casually fought off the wolves, chatting all the while, Liu Yueqian and Zhu Xiaojia were left speechless.

Why did it seem like these disciples from the Wanxiang Sect were even more monstrous than the ones from the Sheng Tian Sect?

Finally, after more than an hour of traveling, Lin Qian suddenly stopped. "We're here."

Everyone looked up to see thick, pale fog stretching out before them. The mist was so dense that it obscured everything beyond, but they could faintly make out twisted, barren trees within.

This eerie fog seemed confined to the area ahead, sharply contrasting with the lush green forest where they stood. Strange, low wails and soft sobbing seemed to drift out from the mist, sending chills down their spines.

"Maybe we should turn back?" Wang Lanxin whispered nervously to Li Letian, tugging on his sleeve.