"What happened? Explain in detail." Even though Lin Qian was anxious upon hearing that something had happened to his father, he knew that panicking wouldn't help. After calming himself, he inquired with Zhuge Ming.
Since Zhuge Ming knew the cause of the blood glow, he likely also knew what had happened to Lin Qian's father.
"Your Majesty, do you remember when someone tried to find us using a formation, only for us to counter it?" Zhuge Ming began after Lin Qian asked.
Lin Qian recalled the event and nodded, suddenly realizing something. "Could it be that during the counter, the bloodline connection was established with my father?"
"Correct, Your Majesty. The Emperor Emeritus was nearby at the time, which led to a parent-child connection forming. The earlier blood glow indicates that he faced a life-threatening situation. However, since the glow dissipated suddenly, it shows that the crisis was only a narrow escape. If it had faded slowly, that would have been cause for greater concern," Zhuge Ming explained, trying to reassure Lin Qian.
Lin Qian nodded, though still worried. "It seems my father's situation is more precarious than I thought."
With that realization, Lin Qian's expression hardened as he refocused on the ongoing national war.
Now was a critical moment in tightening the battle lines. There was no room for any laxity—he had to give his absolute best effort.
Moreover, the war was too crucial to lose. Lin Qian needed to resolve everything in the Gulin World as quickly as possible so that he could return to the surface world.
There were still many matters to attend to in the Huaxia Empire on the surface. Once those were settled and his position solidified, Lin Qian planned to head to the Central Region.
After the incident with the Yun family, his parents were likely in a difficult situation and needed his help.
Furthermore, the "Body Refining" manual was said to be in the Yun family. Only by obtaining it could Lin Qian successfully implement the Puppet Body Plan, allowing his army commanders and beast generals to appear and assist him.
Even if their power would be limited by his own realm, these powerful entities would still be formidable, even with their strength restrained.
"Who in this world could withstand a blow from the Monkey King?" Lin Qian thought, filled with anticipation for the day the Puppet Body Plan would succeed.
On the battlefield, the now-crazed Blackhorn soldiers charged recklessly toward the floating warships, their cries echoing as black smoke and a bloody aura swirled around them.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The soul cannons mounted on the floating warships fired in orderly succession, maintaining continuous pressure. The Imperial Army, composed of twelve advanced units, also fought fiercely, driving the enemy back.
The presence of commanders significantly boosted the Imperial Army's combat effectiveness. Under Yaonie's leadership, the Blood Battle unit became a blood-soaked meat grinder, cutting a swath through the enemy ranks.
With each swing of his war blade, Yaonie sent blood-red energy slashing through the Blackhorn soldiers, creating bloody chasms that none could cross.
"Ahhh!" Three high-ranking Awakened Blackhorn warriors, hiding nearby, began channeling their soul power, aiming at Yaonie with sinister grins. It seemed they could already see him being mortally wounded by their ambush.
A sharp whistle pierced the air as a massive soul arrow, condensed with energy, suddenly broke through the sky. In an instant, it shattered the skulls of the three Blackhorn warriors.
"Hmph!" Duen Chen, watching from afar, smirked as he saw the three bodies fall from the sky. He quickly raised his giant bow again, searching for his next target.
Elsewhere, Liu Chaochao's skill, "Five-Spray Per Second," had drawn a large crowd of enraged enemies, all furiously attacking him with their soul power.
However, Liu Chaochao didn't even speak. He lazily yawned, swinging his slender sword with a bored expression.
In the midst of the battle, Liu Chaochao seemed like an invisible vortex, drawing the enemy's attacks around him only to send them spinning back, killing the very Blackhorn warriors who had launched them. Liu Chaochao remained unscathed amidst the chaos.
"Idiots!" Liu Chaochao sneered, showing no mercy as he mocked the Blackhorn warriors who had just died by their own hands.
Half a month into the war, Yue Liqiu had joined the battle lines formed by the warships, accompanied by the elders of the Reverse King Palace.
These elders had been horrified when they received Yue Liqiu's message. They had never imagined that the Blackhorn King might already be dead, and that an outsider was controlling his body.
They were equally shocked to learn that the madness overtaking the Blackhorn clan was caused by the poisoned military wine.
What surprised them even more was witnessing the floating behemoths, the floating warships. They had never seen anything like them—it was beyond their comprehension.
The Blackhorn soldiers, powerful in their madness, were like paper before the fully armored Imperial Army.
Disciplined, powerful, and completely superior—there was no comparison.
Seeing talking, armored soul beasts and the terrifying soul cannons being assembled shattered everything they thought they knew.
Following the fleet, they witnessed what true domination looked like, what it meant to be overwhelmingly outclassed, and what real coordination could achieve.
The straight line of battle gradually tightened into a circle, with warships supporting each other and maneuvering unpredictably.
The strategy was so precise and fluid that it seemed as though an invisible hand was guiding the entire battle.
During a particularly tense battle, the Reverse King Palace elders felt as though they were being watched from above. When they looked up, they saw something unforgettable.
A pair of eyes, emanating imperial might, gazed down at them. The golden pupils meticulously observed the battlefield, effortlessly directing the movements of the commanders and Imperial Army soldiers, all without a single word exchanged.
Those golden eyes, which seemed to survey everything from above, left the Reverse King Palace elders trembling. After the battle, they wasted no time swearing an oath of allegiance to Lin Qian.
They had seen a powerful empire—one that treated all innocents, whether Blackhorn or from the other four clans, equally after the battle. This convinced them to submit without hesitation.
What was wrong with following a powerful yet just empire?
The Blackhorn Kingdom was already a dying entity, beyond saving.
After a full year, the Huaxia Empire was known throughout the Gulin World. The territories they had conquered had fully embraced the empire.
People from the five different clans discussed the war every day, cheering on the front lines.
By now, the Huaxia Empire had pushed its battle lines to the Blackhorn capital.
Lin Qian left the temporary war strategy hall. There was no need to maintain the war mode any longer. Now, he would personally visit the capital to see who dared to brazenly plunder the spiritual energy of the Southern Domain's Nine Provinces!