"Any enemy who opposes the Hua Xia Empire has only one path—death!"
"The Hua Xia Empire is invincible. If the Qin Dynasty dares to harbor ill intentions, they will only become a laughingstock, smashing eggs against a rock," Zhao Long declared with a murderous aura and unwavering pride.
Ye Xin could understand Zhao Long's confidence. She had witnessed firsthand the unimaginable strength of the Hua Xia Empire on that colossal planet. However, just because she knew didn't mean everyone else did.
For example, Zhang Zide, Li Yunfeng, Zhang Qi, and Zhang Wenshuan all wore strange expressions as they looked at Zhao Long, wondering if something was wrong with his mind.
The Qin Dynasty was a force on a completely different level, one that even the Eight-Armed Sea Clan and the Free Cloud Sect couldn't confront head-on. In the Southern Region, it was an undeniable powerhouse. Even though Zhang Qi knew that the Hua Xia Empire was formidable, it still paled in comparison to the Qin Dynasty.
After hearing Zhao Long's words, Lin Qian could only cover his face in exasperation. Such statements, made without context or understanding, naturally sounded absurd.
"Forget it; let's focus on getting stronger," Lin Qian said, shaking off his distracting thoughts and regaining his determination.
Now that he had successfully broken through to the Life-and-Death Realm and his body had been significantly strengthened by the tribulation, the Hua Xia Empire's forces could become even stronger. However, Lin Qian realized that he couldn't underestimate this world.
While he knew that, in the face of the Hua Xia Empire's true strength, the entire Soul Martial Continent was merely a speck, the power he could currently wield was still considerable. Even so, Lin Qian acknowledged that dealing with the Qin Dynasty required caution.
Although Lin Qian wasn't afraid of a direct confrontation with the Qin Dynasty, he knew that victory wouldn't come easily. And that was something he couldn't tolerate. When the Hua Xia Empire made a move, it had to be a complete and overwhelming victory, crushing the enemy entirely!
The conflict with the Qin Dynasty was inevitable, so Lin Qian needed to ensure he had enough power to face whatever might come before the war erupted.
"I need to become stronger!" Lin Qian roared internally, dissatisfied with his current pace of progress. In his previous life, he had been known as the top player in the game, not only as a "rich player" but also as the first to reach the maximum level.
"Xiao Qian, what should we do next?" Ye Xin's voice interrupted Lin Qian's thoughts.
Taking Ye Xin's hand, Lin Qian led her toward the chariot. "Let's head to a certain place. I think we might find a new way to earn performance points, but we'll need to check it out in person."
With that, Lin Qian and Ye Xin boarded the chariot, beckoning to the others. The chariot was spacious enough to comfortably seat a hundred people, so the four others found their places and settled in. Zhao Long took the reins of the nine Flame-Hoofed Warhorses, steering them in the intended direction.
As a lifeform of the Hua Xia Empire, Zhao Long could communicate directly with the Ministry of Works. He could also see the various system screens and tactical maps, receiving orders from Lin Qian.
As the chariot flew through the sky, Lin Qian's mind focused on the images transmitted by the Ministry of Works.
According to the scouting beasts' observations, the four hundred and seventy-six members of the Black Blade Fish Clan had been heading south. Upon reaching the edge of this space, they suddenly vanished into thin air.
Zhuge Ming speculated that there was likely an illusionary formation in that area, which the Black Blade Fish Clan had entered. The scouting beasts were the lowest level of battle beasts, meant for reconnaissance, and couldn't detect illusions.
A rabbit-shaped scouting beast hopped toward the spot where the Black Blade Fish Clan had disappeared. As it crossed into the suspected area, the scenery warped, and an invisible force struck. The screen turned black, showing only half of a bloody rabbit body before everything went dark.
There was no need to guess what had happened—the formation had defenses that had sliced the scouting beast in half.
Lin Qian decided not to dwell on the enigmatic Black Blade Fish Clan. His goal was to explore the entire small world, to familiarize himself with every part of it.
The journey to their destination wasn't entirely smooth. Just as there were soul beasts on the ground, there were also flying soul beasts in the sky.
Currently, Lin Qian's group was being attacked by flocks of Ironwing Birds, with feathers like metal and sharp, serrated beaks. They seemed to view the Flame-Hoofed Warhorses as prey and swarmed toward them.
Each Ironwing Bird had the strength of a Life-and-Death Realm warrior, indicating that this trial world was designed to challenge disciples of that level.
Zhao Long, now a Life-and-Death Realm warrior himself, leaped into action. His fists, imbued with soul power, shattered the bird flocks. Each defeated bird emitted a black glow, marking Zhao Long's arm with more performance points.
Lin Qian closely observed the changes in the markings on Zhao Long's arm. He deduced that defeating three hundred Ironwing Birds resulted in one complete performance point.
Extrapolating from this, he calculated that killing a hundred of the horned bulls would yield one performance point. The points could be accumulated by defeating various soul beasts.
After half an hour of flight, the chariot finally reached a sparse section of the forest. Below, a grand structure caught everyone's attention.
Amidst the sparse spirit trees, a sprawling complex of gray-white buildings stood on the plain. The halls and various-sized palace buildings were connected by enclosed corridors, resembling a formidable fortress.
At the front of this fortress, a massive gate over a dozen meters tall stood open, resembling the maw of a giant soul beast, ready to devour them.
But what drew their attention even more was the fierce battle taking place in front of the fortress.
At that moment, a man in blood-red robes, fighting amidst the chaos, looked up at the chariot and urgently shouted, "Run! You need to run now!"