The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

At this moment, the rectangular tactical mirror displayed the current situation at the Wanxiang Sect's mountain gate. The once picturesque landscape had transformed into a barren wasteland, with the once lush mountains reduced to crimson-colored scorched earth, shrouded in a blood-red aura.

The dense forests that once surrounded the Wanxiang Sect had withered into dead trees, and the ground had cracked open, turning the area into a lifeless expanse.

A dead land.

Seeing the state of the Wanxiang Sect, Lin Qian couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity. It was eerily similar to the deathlands in the small world of the ancient relics, with only one difference—the thin veil of blood-red energy that now covered the mountain gate.

In the center of the Wanxiang Sect's territory, a massive fissure had opened up, and within it, a hazy glow hovered, continuously absorbing the surrounding blood-red energy.

Beside this glow, a small figure hovered in the air, the same presence that had startled Ye Xin earlier.

Following Lin Qian's command, the scholars in the command room increased their observation power, magnifying the image on the tactical mirror.

As the image became clearer, Lin Qian and the others could finally see the figure near the ethereal glow.

"What?" Both Lin Qian and Ye Xin exclaimed in shock as they saw the figure's appearance.

"You've encountered them for the first time, so it's normal to be surprised," Wei Wushuang said with a smile, looking at the figure on the tactical mirror. "This is the Blackblood Clan. They look exactly like that."

"The Blackblood Clan... so that's who they are!" Lin Qian muttered, finally understanding why the transformation of the Wanxiang Sect's mountain gate into this barren wasteland resembled the deathlands so much.

It turned out that the horned, purple-skinned being they had encountered in the ancient relics, Nansen, was a member of the Blackblood Clan.

The figure hovering near the glow bore a striking resemblance to Nansen, with similar purple skin and strange markings. However, there were also differences—the figure on the tactical mirror lacked the horns that Nansen had.

"Master, are all members of the Blackblood Clan like this, or are there unique individuals with different appearances?" Lin Qian suddenly asked Wei Wushuang, curious.

Wei Wushuang chuckled at Lin Qian's question. "The Blackblood Clan all look like this, as far as I know."

"I see..." Lin Qian's expression showed some confusion. "Could it be that I was mistaken and that they are two different species with similar appearances?"

"But if we're talking about differences, there might be some," Wei Wushuang added, recalling something. "According to rumors, the current Blackblood Clan members are all ordinary clan members. The ones with superior bloodlines are said to have a single horn on their heads."

Wei Wushuang thought for a moment and continued, "If I remember correctly, the Blackblood Clan's royal family was said to have two horns. Back then, they were incredibly powerful."

"Unfortunately, not only has the royal family disappeared, but even those with superior bloodlines and a single horn have become extinct. Otherwise, the Blackblood Clan wouldn't have been reduced to being labeled as grave robbers and hunted down by everyone."

After hearing Wei Wushuang's explanation, Lin Qian and Ye Xin exchanged glances. It was clear that Nansen, whom they had encountered in the ancient relics, was indeed part of the Blackblood Clan's royal family.

Moreover, unlike the Blackblood Clan's current focus on creating blood corpses, Nansen had controlled a more powerful entity known as a "walking corpse."

In Lin Qian's opinion, walking corpses were even more formidable than blood corpses.

He remembered that while his soul power could suppress walking corpses, it wasn't as effective as it was against blood corpses. Walking corpses exhibited both vitality and death energy, and their physical strength far surpassed that of blood corpses.

It was worth noting that most of those walking corpses were created from the servants of the Dangyuan Sect, who were only at the Forming Realm. Yet, once turned into walking corpses, they became as powerful as those at the Nirvana Realm.

"The Blackblood Clan's royal family is indeed far more powerful than ordinary clan members," Lin Qian thought as he silently compared the two.

After processing these thoughts, Lin Qian turned his attention back to the tactical mirror, trying to understand the Blackblood Clan member's current intentions.

At the fissure above the Wanxiang Sect's mountain gate, the ethereal glow floating in the air was similar to the portals they had encountered in the ancient relics. This glow pulsed rhythmically, absorbing the blood-red energy from the surroundings.

As more and more of the blood-red energy was absorbed, the once unstable glow began to stabilize.

As the glow stabilized, the rate at which it absorbed the blood-red energy gradually slowed until it finally stopped.

The glow now pulsed steadily, and the gathered blood-red energy lingered in the air, swirling around it like a living entity.

At that moment, the remaining blood-red energy in the Wanxiang Sect suddenly surged toward the Blackblood Clan member, merging with the markings on his skin and eventually being absorbed into his body.

"It seems that this Blackblood Clan member knew about the small world beneath the Wanxiang Sect's mountain gate all along. The formation they created was designed to open the entrance to this small world," Wei Wushuang speculated as he observed the scene on the tactical mirror.

"It appears that opening this small world required the essence of flesh and blood to stabilize the entrance, allowing passage into the world within."

"Furthermore, this Blackblood Clan member seems to have additional motives. Based on the scene displayed on the tactical mirror, the amount of blood energy required to open the small world wasn't excessive. Most of the energy was likely intended for his own absorption."

"If it weren't for Lin Qian's warship, the entire Wanxiang Sect would have been reduced to flesh and blood essence. That would have been a massive amount of energy. Absorbing it all would have greatly strengthened this Blackblood Clan member."

Wei Wushuang concluded, "Fortunately, his plan failed. Otherwise, his strength would have advanced significantly."

Lin Qian nodded silently before turning to the scholar and asking, "Have you been able to determine this individual's cultivation level?"

The scholar respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, our observations indicate that this individual's cultivation is at the Soul Stage of the Life and Death Realm, similar to the Emperor's teacher. However, he is gravely injured, and only by absorbing the essence of flesh and blood was he able to recover to the Soul Stage."

"Based on our analysis, he likely has a way to exert strength at the Soul Stage, but it would be limited."

After hearing the report, Lin Qian frowned as he stared at the Blackblood Clan member displayed on the tactical mirror.

The opponent's strength was beyond his expectations.