The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

Seeing Wang Lanxin's hesitation, Li Letian chuckled, "We've come this far. We might as well go in and see what this place is all about."

Ye Xin stood at the boundary of the Dead Lands, staring into the pale mist with a worried expression. "Xiao Qian, I have a bad feeling about this place. Are we really going in?"

Lin Qian gently held Ye Xin's soft hand and reassured her, "Don't worry. I'm here."

Feeling the warmth of his hand, Ye Xin's anxiety eased, and she moved closer to him.

"Let's go. Let's see what secrets this Dead Land holds," Lin Qian said as he led Ye Xin forward into the mist.

Seeing Lin Qian and Ye Xin take the lead, the others gritted their teeth and followed. They had all agreed to explore the Dead Lands, and backing out now would be too humiliating.

Once they entered the Dead Lands, the pale mist quickly enveloped them, reducing visibility to just a few meters around them. Beyond that, everything was obscured by the thick fog.

The low visibility surprised Lin Qian, but he remained calm. He knew that his scouts had already entered the Dead Lands and were patrolling the area.

With soul energy subtly flowing in his eyes, Lin Qian glanced at a tactical map displayed in his mind, showing various glowing dots. The bright yellow dot represented him, while the green dots surrounding him were his scouts, who were slowly moving through the mist.

As the emperor of the Huaxia Empire, Lin Qian had a natural connection with his scouts and could sense their presence.

"Everyone, gather around," Lin Qian called out after they had ventured deeper into the Dead Lands.

Hearing his call, the group, which had spread out slightly, quickly gathered around him, their expressions filled with curiosity.

Once everyone was close, Lin Qian pulled out a handful of red strings, each attached to a metal tag engraved with the character for "Hua."

"The mist here is too thick. To prevent anyone from getting lost, take one of these tags. This way, I can keep track of everyone's location," Lin Qian explained as he handed out the tags.

The group, intrigued, took the tags and put them on.

Ye Xin hung the metal tag around her neck and asked, "If you had these, why didn't you give them to us before entering the relic? Wouldn't it have been easier to find us then?"

Lin Qian chuckled. "These weren't ready back then."

Seeing Ye Xin's puzzled look, Lin Qian smiled and didn't elaborate. In truth, before they entered the relic, he had marked everyone with a trace of his soul energy, which allowed his scouts to find them quickly. The tags had only been created after they decided to explore the Dead Lands, where the dense fog made visibility difficult.

"Alright, let's continue our exploration," Lin Qian said once everyone had their tags.

With the tags providing a sense of security, the group felt more at ease and resumed their journey into the depths of the Dead Lands.

As they walked, they remained vigilant, keeping an eye on their surroundings for any potential dangers.

The ground in the Dead Lands was dry and cracked, with a strange black soil that exuded a sense of oppression. The trees, though similar in appearance to those outside, were barren and withered.

From the depths of the pale mist, eerie sounds echoed—wails, howls, and faint cries that sent shivers down their spines. The unsettling noises made everyone tense, except for Lin Qian and Ye Xin, who remained calm and composed.

"Boss, this place gives me the creeps," Lei Qian muttered as he cautiously asked Lin Qian.

Lin Qian couldn't help but laugh. "With your current strength, what is there to be afraid of?"

"What's that?" Liu Yueqian suddenly felt a gaze on her and instinctively turned around. To her shock, she saw a small child, about three years old, standing by a withered tree. The child's face was pale, with pitch-black eyes devoid of any whites, staring directly at her.

The child stood barefoot, clutching the tree trunk with small hands, and grinned at her, revealing two rows of bloodstained teeth.

"Ahhh!" Liu Yueqian screamed in terror and ran towards Lin Qian and the others, only to find them suddenly speeding up and disappearing into the mist ahead.

Panicking, she glanced back to see if the eerie child was following her. To her horror, the child had appeared right in front of her, mere inches away, with that same sinister grin.

"Get away!" In a desperate attempt to escape, Liu Yueqian lashed out with a palm strike.

But before her hand could make contact, another hand grabbed her wrist, and a thunderous voice snapped her out of her terror.

"Wake up!"

The voice jolted Liu Yueqian back to her senses. She realized that it wasn't the eerie child who had grabbed her, but Lin Qian and Ye Xin.

Zhu Xiaojia rushed over, concern written on her face. "Yueqian, what happened? Why did you suddenly freak out?"

Trembling, Liu Yueqian collapsed to the ground, her legs giving way. "What... what just happened?"