The sudden change in the situation caught everyone off guard. Almost all living beings on the Soul Martial Continent looked up toward the sky, staring at the darkening heavens.
Using Sun Wukong's Fiery Eyes, Lin Qian could clearly see the black mist in the sky growing thicker, blotting out the sun.
The previously faint and indistinct black aura no longer remained in a single spot but spread outward, becoming more tangible.
It was no longer an illusory presence but now something that could be clearly seen, which was why the sky had turned dark.
This eerie transformation made Lin Qian's expression incredibly grim. The news from Zhao Long had left him utterly shocked.
He had never expected the Jiang family to be part of the Blackblood Clan, much less that the Jiang family's direct descendants were part of the Blackblood Royal Clan. It was simply beyond belief.
The Blackblood Clan had been hiding within human society for so long without being detected—this was truly unimaginable.
Lin Qian had already ordered Zhao Long to retrieve the bodies of the Jiang family members and send them to the Tiangong Division on Xuánhuàn Star for Zhuge Ming to study thoroughly to determine what had happened.
At this moment, Lin Qian was beginning to see the bigger picture. He now had an inkling of why wars between humans and other races had often erupted and what had caused the ancient war long ago.
It turned out that the Jiang family, which belonged to the Blackblood Clan, had been manipulating events behind the scenes, leading to these frequent conflicts.
"That token!" Lin Qian's greatest concern wasn't just the other issues but the token the Jiang family patriarch had sacrificed his life for. What exactly was it?
According to Zhao Long's report, after the black token—referred to by the patriarch as the "Death Token"—had fully formed following his self-sacrifice, it rose into the sky and disappeared into the clouds.
Zhao Long had followed closely behind, attempting to track it.
However, once the Death Token entered the clouds, it vanished, and despite using all his strength, Zhao Long couldn't locate it.
The thick darkness that now filled the sky brought an overwhelming sense of despair, spreading in all directions and creating an oppressive atmosphere that made it difficult to breathe.
In the Hua Xia Empire on the Southern Continent, this dark aura also made the people of Hua Xia uncomfortable.
But soon after, the Hua Xia Barrier, which enveloped the entire empire, began to radiate a brilliant light, purging the dark mist from the land with a sizzling sound until it vanished completely.
This sight caused most of the citizens of the Hua Xia Empire to cheer with joy. They gazed at the protective yellow barrier in the sky with deep relief, feeling incredibly fortunate to be living in the Hua Xia Empire.
When this strange occurrence first appeared, Lin Qian had immediately ordered all Hua Xia Empire forces to halt their attacks and hold their positions, watching for further developments.
For some reason, Lin Qian couldn't shake the feeling that something ominous was on the horizon.
At this moment, Lin Qian had returned to the Hua Xia Palace in New Qin City, standing silently in the rear courtyard. Ye Xin stood beside him.
The Hua Xia Palace had been adorned with decorations—lanterns and red banners everywhere—because the war had been nearing its end, and Lin Qian had already begun preparing for his wedding to Ye Xin. But with this unsettling situation, the wedding would likely have to be postponed.
Ye Xin didn't mind at all. She and Lin Qian were already husband and wife in practice, and the entire empire knew that she was the Empress of the Hua Xia Empire. All they lacked was a formal ceremony.
With the Soul Martial Continent shrouded in this strange darkness, it wouldn't be a good omen to hold a wedding now.
Boom!
From the distant sky, a sound of something breaking through the air echoed. Zhao Long swiftly flew toward them, landing steadily before Lin Qian and kneeling on one knee. "Your Majesty, the bodies have been retrieved."
"Return them to the chancellor and have them thoroughly investigated," Lin Qian ordered, feeling reassured upon Zhao Long's return. He then sent Zhao Long back to Xuánhuàn Star.
Now, all Lin Qian could do was wait patiently for Zhuge Ming to provide answers.
Yet a question continued to linger in Lin Qian's mind—what was the true purpose of the black Death Token? Was its only effect to darken the sky and weaken the spiritual energy of the land?
Little did Lin Qian know that after the Death Token had soared into the sky and disappeared into the clouds, it had shattered into pieces, dispersing into the black mist that now enveloped the heavens, spreading across the entire Soul Martial Continent.
Once the Death Token fused with the black mist, it fell back down from the sky, seeping into the ground and the oceans.
This new wave of black energy was different from the one that darkened the sky; it was invisible to the naked eye, detectable only by a few powerful individuals.
Fortunately, the Hua Xia Empire's Hua Xia Barrier continued to shield the Southern Region, preventing the black mist from entering.
But Lin Qian's relief was short-lived. Troubling news soon arrived from the other regions of the Soul Martial Continent: scholars had observed that the black energy falling from the sky and seeping into the ground and rivers was not staying in one place but moving.
This meant that while the Hua Xia Barrier could block the black mist from falling directly onto the Southern Region, it couldn't prevent the mist from flowing through the underground and water systems, gradually making its way into Hua Xia's territory.
In fact, parts of the Hua Xia Empire had already been infiltrated by the black mist, though its effects remained unclear.
"Your Majesty, the results are in." At that moment, Zhuge Ming's voice echoed in Lin Qian's mind, reporting the findings.
Hearing that the Jiang family's situation had been analyzed, Lin Qian quickly urged him to explain what had been discovered.
"Your Majesty, after careful examination, it appears that although these Jiang family members look human on the outside and even possess martial spirits, they are not purely human."
"Based on my investigation, while they outwardly appear human, internally, they are still Blackblood Clan members. It seems they were forcibly altered—transformed into their current state."
Zhuge Ming's report left Lin Qian momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected such a revelation.
"Transformed, you say? If that's true, then there must be a mastermind behind this. And the one that fits this profile the most is that Dark Fiend from before." Lin Qian looked up at the darkened sky, his expression tense. "Could it be that all of this is the work of that Dark Fiend?"
Just as Lin Qian muttered to himself in amazement, the black energy that had fallen from the sky erupted in full force.