The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

After successfully entering the small world, Lin Qian looked at the scene before him with a heavy heart. The sky was dark and oppressive, as if constantly shrouded in thick clouds. The land was barren and cracked, and the landscape ahead was filled with dead trees, eerily similar to the wastelands he had encountered before.

The only difference was that, unlike the mist-covered wastelands he had previously seen, there was no mist among the dead trees here.

"I wonder where that Blackblood Clan member is in this small world," Lin Qian muttered to himself as he cautiously surveyed his surroundings. After all, he was about to face an opponent at the Life and Death Realm.

"Humph!" Lin Qian smirked coldly as he stared into the gloomy world before him. "The Life and Death Realm? This should be quite the challenge."

With that thought in mind, he charged forward, the crimson-gold lightning crackling around his feet as if a golden thunderstorm were chasing him.

An hour later, Lin Qian stood on the peak of a mountain within the small world, looking out over the bleak and desolate landscape. He couldn't help but feel deeply troubled.

In the wastelands of the ancient ruins, it had taken him only half an hour to cross the area, as the space was not vast. But here, after traveling in a straight line for an entire hour, the scenery remained just as lifeless and oppressive as before.

"Could it be that this entire small world has already turned into a wasteland?" Lin Qian thought, his heart sinking at the possibility.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Qian raised his hands slightly, and eight circular tactical mirrors appeared around him, floating in eight different directions. The mirrors displayed the surrounding scenery, zooming in and scanning for anything unusual.

As Lin Qian observed the images in the mirrors, he saw the same cracked ground, countless dead trees, and barren rocks. Meanwhile, the control of the tactical mirrors was handled by the Heavenly Work Department, allowing Lin Qian to sit cross-legged and recover the soul force he had expended during his journey. In such a place, it was crucial to stay in peak condition.

"Your Majesty, we've found something!" Suddenly, a voice echoed in Lin Qian's mind. It was Zhuge Ming, reporting back.

Lin Qian opened his eyes, and a system dialogue box appeared before him, showing Zhuge Ming's face.

"What did you find?" Lin Qian asked, though he didn't speak aloud. His voice still resonated within the Heavenly Work Hall.

"One hundred zhang (approximately 333 meters) to the west, we've discovered humans fighting against undead," Zhuge Ming reported. Lin Qian immediately focused on the corresponding tactical mirror.

Seeing the scene on the mirror, Lin Qian rushed westward without hesitation. He retracted the tactical mirrors into the Huaxia Empire, then leaped forward, his arms pressed to his sides as he dove down the mountain.

As he neared the ground, just before his head would have struck, Lin Qian flipped midair, cushioning his landing.

Boom!

The impact of his landing created a resounding crash, and the already cracked ground collapsed in a ring around him, with fissures spreading outward.

Crackling with crimson-gold lightning, Lin Qian was enveloped in soul force as he pushed off the ground again, causing the crater beneath him to deepen further.

Boom!

A bolt of crimson-gold lightning shot out of the crater, streaking towards the direction Zhuge Ming had indicated. Broken earth and debris flew in his wake as Lin Qian charged forward with unstoppable momentum.

Even the dead trees standing in his way didn't slow him down. He simply barreled through them.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

As Lin Qian approached, the dead trees reacted, their sharp branches striking at him like thin swords. But they couldn't penetrate the lightning surrounding him, shattering upon impact.

Wood splinters flew in all directions as the dead trees blocking Lin Qian's path were reduced to debris. Nothing could stop him as he sped forward.

Meanwhile, ahead of Lin Qian, the battle Zhuge Ming had observed was still ongoing.

A group of undead, numbering at least several dozen, were chasing three humans. The strongest of the three was a burly man with a thick beard, wielding a massive stone sword. Each time the undead got close, he would swing his sword and send them flying.

Ahead of him were two young teenagers, a boy and a girl, who appeared to be around fourteen years old. They were injured, covered in blood, and running desperately without looking back.

"Run! Keep running! Don't look back—just go as fast as you can!" the bearded man shouted whenever the girl tried to glance back in fear.

The girl obediently turned her head forward and continued running for her life. She was missing one shoe, though she didn't seem to notice.

The boy gritted his teeth and kept running, holding the girl's hand tightly as they fled.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, the girl tripped on a crack in the ground and fell. The boy quickly lifted her onto his back and continued running, though their pace had slowed considerably.

"Run! Keep running!" the bearded man roared as he stopped retreating, planting his feet firmly on the ground. He raised his massive stone sword and charged at the oncoming undead, his furious shouts drowning out the undead's own howls.

The man's strength was immense, and each swing of his stone sword sent an undead creature flying. But the sheer number of them was too much for him to handle alone, and one of them managed to leap onto him.

More undead piled on, tearing into his flesh.

"Argh!" The man roared in pain, a brilliant red flame of soul force bursting from his body and throwing the undead off him. But despite this, his left arm had already been torn off, and his body was drenched in blood.

"Father!" a desperate cry echoed behind him. The man turned and saw the boy and girl still not far behind. More undead were approaching them from the direction they had been fleeing.

"Children... Father is so sorry..." The bearded man fell to his knees, despair written on his face. This tower of a man, so strong and resilient, now wept bitterly in the face of their impending doom.

"Father!" The two teenagers also collapsed to their knees beside him, their faces filled with sorrow and resignation.

They had given up hope.

The undead, of course, felt no pity. The nearest one, roaring hungrily, lunged at them with its jaws wide open.

Just as the three of them closed their eyes, bracing for the end, a voice bellowed down from above.

"Get lost!"