Lin Qian raised his head and looked toward the sky, noticing a faint black mist lingering above, refusing to dissipate. To the average person, it would appear as if there was nothing unusual—just a clear, cloudless sky, a perfect day.
However, Lin Qian, with his golden pupils glowing with intense heat, could clearly see the black mist hovering in the sky.
He had discovered this anomaly purely by accident.
The current war situation on the Soul Martial Continent had stabilized. Since the start of the war, the overwhelming power of the Hua Xia Empire had exceeded everyone's expectations.
No one had anticipated that the Hua Xia Empire would possess such immense strength. Once they engaged in conflict with various forces, they crushed their enemies on all fronts.
The people of the Hua Xia Empire felt immense pride, believing that living under such a powerful empire was an extraordinary stroke of luck.
At the same time, they actively contributed to the war effort, further solidifying their recognition and deep sense of belonging to the empire.
With the people's unwavering support, the national destiny of the Hua Xia Empire grew even stronger.
However, at that moment, Zhuge Ming suddenly reported an anomaly. He explained that after the empire's fortune grew, the spiritual energy in the Southern Region should have increased as well, but it hadn't. Instead, it seemed to have decreased.
Following this report, Zhuge Ming further informed Lin Qian that the density of spiritual energy across the entire Soul Martial Continent appeared to be dropping.
This strange situation caused Lin Qian's eyes to narrow. Using his imperial authority, he called upon Sun Wukong's Fiery Eyes to scan the surrounding void and see if anything unusual could be found.
As expected, when Lin Qian looked toward the sky, he noticed the swirling black mist hovering above, lingering and immovable.
"What... is that?" Lin Qian muttered to himself, his eyes filled with grave concern as he focused on the dark energy swirling above. This strange phenomenon was causing the spiritual energy of the world to decrease, which was an extremely serious matter.
According to Zhuge Ming's observations, this wasn't a localized issue but a continent-wide problem. The spiritual energy across the entire Soul Martial Continent was declining.
In the vast expanse of the outer void, the Dark Fiend had been sitting motionless for five years, positioned at the center of his massive formation, with his eyes tightly shut.
But in that moment, the Dark Fiend suddenly opened his eyes, fixating his gaze on the Soul Martial Continent below. A gleam of brilliance flashed in his eyes, and a twisted smile appeared on his face. "Hahaha, I didn't expect this... there's actually a Death Spirit lingering on the Soul Martial Continent. Now, this plan will be flawless."
"It seems the Blackblood Clan I created wasn't entirely useless after all. They left behind this hidden card."
"Not bad, not bad at all!"
Sensing this, the Dark Fiend nodded repeatedly, his body trembling with excitement, barely able to contain his elation. His eyes burned with desire as he looked down at the Soul Martial Continent. "This shard... will belong to me. How rare, truly rare!"
"Once I obtain this shard, when I return, all the glory of the universe will be mine. Who would dare look down on me then? Hahaha!"
Cloaked entirely in black, the Dark Fiend threw his head back, laughing maniacally in excitement, unable to contain himself.
Lin Qian, of course, had no idea that the Dark Fiend was watching the Soul Martial Continent from the outer void.
Even more unknown to him was that the patriarch of the Jiang family was, at that very moment, kneeling in the ancestral hall of his clan's estate, bowing respectfully to the ancestral tablets, his expression filled with madness.
Outside, the sounds of battle echoed. Clearly, the Hua Xia Empire's forces had already breached their defenses.
At this moment, a trace of helplessness appeared on the Jiang family patriarch's face. "Ancestral forefathers, it was the greed of your descendants that brought this upon us. We thought our plans would allow our clan to rise again, but who could have foreseen..."
"This Hua Xia Empire is truly accursed, meddling in matters where it had no business. How could it be so powerful?"
"But since there's no way to restore our family's former glory, I can only hope that by aiding the Dark Sovereign in his plan, he will look after our descendants." The Jiang family patriarch mumbled to himself, extending his spiritual sense to check on his direct descendants, who were fleeing under the protection of powerful warriors.
Boom!
The doors of the ancestral hall burst open, and a general clad in black dragon-scale armor strode inside, wielding a snow-white spear. His face was youthful and handsome—none other than Zhao Long.
"Jiang family patriarch, His Majesty is merciful, and we as his subjects should follow his example. If you have any last words, speak them now. I will grant you this final opportunity."
The Jiang family patriarch stood up and burst into maniacal laughter as he turned to face Zhao Long. "A general of the Hua Xia Empire, I presume? Everyone on the Soul Martial Continent has heard of the famed general in black dragon-scale armor. I've long wanted to test your skill."
"But, alas, I have more pressing matters to attend to."
As he spoke, the Jiang family patriarch suddenly tore open his robes.
At that moment, Zhao Long noticed a formation engraved near the patriarch's heart, pulsating with restrained energy.
As the patriarch's soul power surged, the formation shattered, releasing a wave of intense energy. A foul, decaying aura began to emanate from his heart.
Suddenly, the soul power of the Jiang family patriarch transformed into black smoke, entwined with a crimson hue.
From the wound in his chest, a black liquid seeped out, gradually forming a token.
"The Blackblood Royal Clan!" Zhao Long exclaimed in shock. He had never expected that the Jiang family patriarch would belong to the Blackblood Royal Clan.
Without hesitation, Zhao Long relayed this crucial information to Lin Qian. He gripped his spear tightly and thrust it fiercely toward the patriarch.
The spear flashed with cold light, striking like a dragon.
A dragon's roar echoed as Zhao Long, empowered by the strength granted by Lin Qian, unleashed an unstoppable blow.
The ancestral hall exploded into fragments, forcing Zhao Long back several steps. He steadied himself outside on the ancestral hall's stone plaza, his gaze fixed on the Jiang family patriarch, who had risen into the air, shrouded in black energy.
Hovering midair, the Jiang family patriarch's body continued to emit streams of black blood from his heart, which flowed into the black token, gradually draining his life force.
"For every generation, the head of our Jiang family seals the Death Order within their heart, merging it with Blackblood. Now it's time for you to learn what true despair feels like, hahaha!" The Jiang family patriarch cackled madly, his flesh crumbling into dust, merging with the black Death Order token.
Suddenly, darkness engulfed the entire Soul Martial Continent.