The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

As soon as the shout echoed, a terrifying imperial aura descended from the sky, pressing down on the undead. In an instant, the mindless zombies that had been focused only on killing suddenly seemed to feel fear. They recoiled, backing away from the man and his two children.

The Emperor's Might!

Nine golden dragons, entwined with crimson lightning, charged into the horde of undead. With just one encounter, the closest zombies were crushed into pieces. Their dantians were shattered, rendering them incapable of further combat.

The strength of these undead, at most, reached the first or second stage of the Nirvana Realm, which was utterly insignificant before Lin Qian. Simply summoning the nine dragons was enough to sweep them away effortlessly.

The bearded man and his children stared in shock at the scene before them. They had resigned themselves to their fate, believing there was no escape, but in the blink of an eye, the heavenly dragons had torn the undead to shreds.

Once the undead were eradicated, the majestic dragons dispersed, and Lin Qian descended smoothly before the family.

"Finally, I made it in time," Lin Qian said with a sigh of relief as he looked at the astonished trio.

He had been fortunate that the family's escape route led toward him, and that there was a nearby hill, allowing him to leap from above and save precious time.

As Lin Qian observed the three, they too were scrutinizing the young man who had appeared out of nowhere.

"You... you look so nice," the girl timidly said, her voice soft and hesitant.

"I look nice?" Lin Qian chuckled at her words. "I'm a man; shouldn't you say 'handsome' instead?"

"Your clothes look so soft, and you're so clean," the girl said, her eyes filled with envy.

Thud!

At that moment, the burly man with the beard knelt down before Lin Qian, frantically kowtowing. Each time his forehead hit the ground, a heavy thud echoed, and blood began to trickle down. "Thank you, benefactor, for saving our lives! Thank you!"

Lin Qian quickly stepped forward, grabbing the man by the shoulder. The bearded man found that no matter how much strength he used, the grip on his shoulder effortlessly neutralized it.

"There's no need for that," Lin Qian reassured him, patting his shoulder. He then produced three small, translucent crystal bottles filled with a light red liquid and handed them over. "Here, drink these."

The man looked at the crystal bottle in confusion, marveling at the beautiful container he had never seen before. The liquid inside was a delicate red, making it even more enchanting.

The bearded man handed the other two bottles to his children, uncorked his own, and drank it down without hesitation. He trusted this young man who had saved their lives; whatever he asked, the man would do without question.

"Father, my pain is gone, and my body feels so comfortable!" the boy exclaimed in surprise after drinking the potion.

Beside him, the girl also smiled with delight, noticing her wounds were beginning to heal.

The bearded man was equally astonished to find that his injuries were healing at a visible rate. In mere moments, the bleeding from his severed arm had completely stopped.

Unbelievable!

Suddenly, a strange rumbling sound came from behind them. The man and his children turned in confusion and were shocked to see a building materialize out of thin air—white walls, a large red gate—structures they had only imagined existed in fairy tales.

Lin Qian stepped forward as the gate opened by itself. Standing at the entrance, he beckoned to the family, "Come inside. You're safe now."

The family exchanged glances and followed Lin Qian into the courtyard.

Inside the gate was a small courtyard with a path paved with blue bricks, a pond filled with red clouds, and lush greenery that was almost impossible to find in such a desolate world.

As the gate closed behind them, the protective formation around the courtyard activated, enveloping the entire area in a barrier.

For Lin Qian, a small courtyard was as insignificant as dust in the vast Huaxia Empire. But to the family, it was nothing short of a paradise.

"Go ahead, take a bath, change into clean clothes, and eat until you're full. Afterward, I'll ask you some questions," Lin Qian instructed, then called out, "Show them the way."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Six palace maids appeared in the courtyard, bowing to Lin Qian before guiding the bewildered family away.

Palace maids, like the inhabitants of this world, were part of the Huaxia Empire's units, existing solely to serve its ruler.

In Lin Qian's previous life, the game's civilians, palace maids, and plants were all part of the world's system, fully obedient to the player who controlled the territory.

An hour later, in the courtyard's front hall, the family was devouring the food laid out on the table. Halfway through the meal, they all simultaneously paused.

Now cleaned up, the father—his beard shaved—looked no older than thirty, though his skin was pale, likely from years without sunlight. His children, too, appeared refreshed after bathing and changing into clean clothes.

The man knelt before Lin Qian once more. "Benefactor, we've had our fill, but we have one request. May we take the leftover food to my tribe?"

"Don't worry about the food. I have plenty. Just focus on filling your own bellies for now," Lin Qian said, pulling the man back to his feet. "Finish your meal first, and then we'll talk."

After a while, the table was cleared, and the family stood before Lin Qian, both grateful and fearful of the young man who had saved them, given them clean clothes, and allowed them to eat food they had never even dreamed of.

"Are there others living here besides you?" Lin Qian asked from the head seat.

"Yes, there are many human tribes—over a hundred, large and small. There are also dwarf demons and giant demons, each with tribes numbering in the thousands. There's constant warfare," the man explained, his emotions fluctuating between anger and fear as he spoke of the wars.

Fear, however, seemed to dominate.

"Why are you so afraid of their wars?" Lin Qian inquired.

The man gripped his hair in frustration. "You don't understand, benefactor. When they go to war, they capture us humans by the dozens to use as food for their warriors!"