The Peerless Emperor

Gazing at the blood-red aura that diffused out, Lin Qian's face grew dark as he leapt up and landed at the bottom of the lake. As for Ye Xin, she too moved lightly on her lotus steps, closely following her fiancé.

The two Swiftwinds who had arrived earlier at the bottom of the lake stood to one side, kneeling on one knee as Lin Qian approached to offer their respects.

Lin Qian crouched not far from them, carefully observing the blood-red aura that continuously seeped from the dry, cracked fissures on the lakebed, using his Soul Consciousness to perceive it in detail.

"After sensing with my Soul Consciousness," Lin Qian clenched his teeth, "this blood-red aura can plunder Spiritual Energy, envelop it within, and then carry it away. With this thing present, no wonder the concentration of Spiritual Energy in the Southern Nine Provinces has been declining rapidly, especially in Coastal State."

"In that case," Ye Xin's beautiful face was as cold as frost, "the Spiritual Energy in Coastal State didn't just disappear mysteriously, it was forcefully snatched away by this blood-red aura! Little Qian, I think this isn't just some natural phenomenon, there must be someone behind this scheming."

Lin Qian nodded in agreement, a cold smile towards Ye Xin, "The concentration of Spiritual Energy in Coastal State had increased considerably, and then such incidents began to occur, I refuse to believe it's merely a coincidence."

Having said that, Lin Qian patted the ground at the bottom of the lake with his hand, stood up, and said to the Swiftwind, "Convey my imperial order, tell the Heavenly Art Department and the Fire Department of Coastal State to come here immediately."

"Yes!" After the two Swiftwinds bowed to take the order, they turned into a streak of green light and vanished on the spot.

Meanwhile, Lin Qian looked up at the blood-colored water above, his eyes sharpening as White Orchid Ice Cold Soul Power burst forth, transforming into a cold breath that turned the blood-red lake water into transparent blood-colored Ice Crystals.

Chijin Thunder Soul Power transformed into a Thunder Dragon roaring out, grinding the blood-red aura and Ice Crystals to dust, completely vanishing them from this world.

Ye Xin could clearly see the rage in Lin Qian's eyes as he looked at this blood-red aura, almost as if flames were about to erupt.

She could clearly feel how important the Huaxia Empire was to Lin Qian; Little Qian absolutely wouldn't tolerate any mishap that caused trouble for the Huaxia Empire.

The dragon's reverse scale, touch it and incur its wrath.

The Huaxia Empire was undoubtedly Lin Qian's reverse scale!

After issuing the order, people from the Heavenly Art Department and the Fire Department arrived very quickly and immediately threw themselves into the research.

As for why Lin Qian didn't directly summon people from the Huaxia Empire, it was because this incident occurred in Coastal State, so the local Heavenly Art Department and Fire Department had to be responsible.

As the saying goes, there are no rules without standards. Lin Qian was gradually realizing that he could no longer treat the current Huaxia Empire as he had before, as if it were just a game.

After the scholars from the Heavenly Art Department arrived, they immediately began investigating the fissures at the bottom of the lake. The male craftsmen from the Fire Department had already started to divert the river channels so the lake wouldn't fill again, and began renovating the ancient and simple ruins at the bottom of the lake for everyone to rest.

After all, investigating the peculiarities of this place wasn't something that could be done in a single day; it would likely take a lot of time.

As for the female workers, they were busy cleaning and organizing, tasks well-suited for their meticulous nature.

In just one day, the renovation of the ruins was completed, and the female workers had finished cleaning. Lin Qian walked with Ye Xin among them.

Inside the ruins, there were still traces of the Array being deciphered, all the work of Lin Qian's father, Lin Di; everything originally in the ruins had already been looted by him.

From the style of these ruins at the bottom of the lake, it was clear that it was a treasure vault, likely a place where some power had chosen to store their wealth, hence its secluded location.

About ten days had passed, and the Heavenly Art Department had gained a preliminary understanding of the blood-colored aura within the crack.

Lin Qian's initial probe with Soul Consciousness seemed to be correct; indeed, the blood-colored aura could plunder Spiritual Energy. Moreover, the plundered Spiritual Energy could transfer directly within this aura, heading straight back down to the Earth's core.

Moreover, it proved difficult to stop this blood-colored aura. Merely blocking the crack at the bottom of the lake turned out to be futile.

The blood-colored aura possessed a strong corrosive and Penetration. It seeped out from other places in Coastal State through the ground or appeared after being absorbed by Spirit Wood.

According to observations by the Heavenly Art Department across the Southern Nine Provinces of the Southern Domain, Coastal State particularly suffered severely from the blood-colored aura, whereas the other provinces fared significantly better.

Moreover, the blood-colored aura seeping from the lakebed of this particular lake in front of Lin Qian was especially severe.

Therefore, the Heavenly Art Department speculated that directly beneath the lakebed of this lake must lie the true source.

The blood-colored aura seeped from deep underground, and the only thing to be done was to seal off the entire land.

With the current strength of the Huaxia Empire, doing this wasn't a problem. However, if they proceeded, the growth of the Spirit Wood in the Southern Nine Provinces of the Southern Domain would be seriously hindered.

Consequently, although the Spiritual Energy in the Southern Nine Provinces might be higher than before, it would never be able to grow denser in the future, effectively sealing off the potential for the area's advancement.

For Lin Qian, someone obsessed with cultivation, the idea of being restricted right from the start of his development was intolerable.

"Drill directly into the ground and see what's down there; I want to see who is behind all this mischief!" Lin Qian stared at the lakebed and abruptly commanded.

Ye Xin, standing beside him, widened her eyes in shock at his decision—to directly create an opening to the Earth's core?

However, upon further thought, Ye Xin concluded that such an action wasn't impossible and potentially a good solution.

Right after Lin Qian's command was issued, news arrived: a mysterious relic had been discovered in Lianshan State. Moreover, this relic was exceptional, opening directly down to the Earth's core, fathomlessly deep.

Jia Gong did not dare act recklessly and therefore swiftly reported to Lin Qian, seeking his decision.

"Keep an eye on this place," Lin Qian commanded before summoning the imperial transportation with Ye Xin and soaring towards Lianshan State.

The Huaxia Empire had designated high-altitude flying zones, including a special area for Lin Qian. Now, nine flame-hooved warhorses pulled the imperial transportation through his designated zone, heading in the direction of Lianshan State.

Upon reaching the location mentioned by Jia Gong, the imperial transportation landed in a forest which had been completely sealed off by the Imperial Army.

In the heart of this forest, a section of the mountainside had been smashed open, debris cleared away, and an entrance now revealed itself amid the broken rock face.

Near this entrance, Jia Gong and former elders of the Yingshan Sect bowed in respect to Lin Qian, saying, "We greet Your Majesty, we greet the Empress!"

Lin Qian, escorting Ye Xin down from the imperial transportation, approached the opening. Gazing at the sparse blood-colored aura seeping out, he frowned and asked Jia Gong, "What's the situation?"