The Peerless Emperor

Lin Qian, who had plunged from the sky, sneaked into a dense forest, hiding amidst a spirit wood with thick branches and leaves.

The spirit woods in this underground space were very different from those above ground; their leaves were so large that a person could lie on them as if on a bed, and the branches that supported them were thin and numerous.

Therefore, Lin Qian was able to conceal himself well within them, without revealing his whereabouts to others.

Hidden behind the dense foliage, Lin Qian carefully observed a pathway below.

It was clear that this woodland path was frequently trodden, formed purely by the passage of travelers, and it was evident that there was a significant amount of activity in this underground space.

Thus, it seemed likely that the sparse spiritual energy in the Southern Domain of the Southern Nine Provinces had some connection to the life forms stirring up trouble in this subterranean realm.

Indeed, Lin Qian had suddenly fallen from the sky because he had spotted a group slowly approaching from afar. To avoid detection, he had hastily descended from mid-air, preparing to covertly observe.

The direction Lin Qian was watching was precisely where he had seen the group heading. As the group drew closer, what he saw surprised him greatly.

At the forefront of the group was a member of an exotic tribe with near-purple-black skin and two horns protruding from his head, riding a Soul Beast resembling a tiger at the Nirvana Realm. The tribeman's own cultivation was also at the Sixth Level of the Nirvana Realm.

Behind him, there were about twenty others from his tribe with the same purple-black skin and twin horns. They were escorting a group of nearly three hundred.

The captives in this group belonged to diverse races. They were shackled at the ankles, their hands bound with Array-luminous handcuffs, and linked together by a long chain of chains, walking with somber expressions.

To Lin Qian's astonishment, amongst the captives, there were also members of the Human Clan, making up about a third of the group, with roughly a hundred individuals.

Apart from them, there was another with horns and red-purple skin, different from the skin of those escorting them. He looked at his captors with eyes filled with hatred.

Some shorter figures from an exotic tribe were at the very end of the group. They were only as tall as the waist of a Human Clan member, with slender fingers twice as long as a human's, all sporting thick sideburns and wide, reddish noses.

Finally, there was another type of exotic tribe member, taller by a lot, with legs like those of an animal, ending in hooves, and their musculature was very well developed.

Not a hint of cultivation could be felt from any of these captives. It was as though the handcuffs on their hands completely sealed away their strength.

The scene before Lin Qian was entirely unexpected; he never thought he would find members of the Human Clan underground, let alone so many other exotic tribes.

This indicated that the underground situation was complex, with at least five different tribes existing in this subterranean space.

Even just by looking at this group, it appeared that the Human Clan was not in a favorable position. The clothing of members of the other exotic tribes seemed decent enough, clearly refined through Artifact Refining techniques.

In comparison, the clothing on the Human Clan was very simple, merely sewn together without any protective capability.

As a result, the scars marking the bodies of the Human Clan members were noticeably more numerous.

Snap!

"Move faster!" In that moment, one of the purple-black-skinned tribe members suddenly raised his long whip and harshly lashed it at a Human Clan member, leaving a bloody streak on his body.

The Human Clan member who endured the lash did not cry out or complain but merely forced himself to quicken his pace. From his attitude, it was clear that he didn't dare to resist in any way.

Hidden, Lin Qian frowned deeply, "It seems that the living conditions for the Human Clan in this underground space aren't very good either, but they seem to be much better compared to the Origin State."

In the Origin State of long ago, there were no other races to share the hatred toward the Human Clan, only the Giant Ghost Clan and the Dwarf Ghost Clan rampaging, herding and consuming them like livestock.

At least the concentration of Spiritual Energy in this underground space was much richer, and the environment was far better for the Human Clan than in the Origin State.

However, seeing members of the same Human Clan being escorted like this and whipped by members of other races, as if they were driving cattle, also ignited a nameless rage in Lin Qian's heart.

Just as Lin Qian was about to act and rescue these Human Clan brethren, he suddenly stopped, curiously turning his gaze in another direction.

With the strength of his current realm, these people were completely unaware of his presence, while Lin Qian's Soul Consciousness could spread out, enveloping the surroundings, closely observing the situation.

Just as Lin Qian was about to make a move, he suddenly saw someone charging straight toward him from his front.

"Enemy attack!" At that moment, the member of the dark purple-skinned race, who was closest to the group rushing toward them, suddenly shouted loudly, raising the alarm.

The member of the race sitting on a tiger-shaped Soul Beast suddenly moved his hand, and as Soul Power surged in his palm, the shackles on the hands of the group of three hundred being escorted suddenly burst into Array light.

Lin Qian could clearly feel that the weight of the shackles sharply increased, crushing down toward the ground, causing those being escorted to fall forward onto the ground.

"Kill!" The team that suddenly surged forth had no more than sixty-some people, and among them were members of the Human Clan as well as those of the red-purple-skinned race, including both tall and short members.

Apparently, this rescue team, like the group being escorted, was also composed of various races.

However, Lin Qian, hidden in the tree, took a closer look and then silently shook his head.

Although the realm of those who came to the rescue was indeed at the Nirvana Realm, most were only at the First Level to Third Level of the Nirvana Realm.

However, the weakest of those dark purple-skinned race members escorting the prisoners also had Second Level of the Nirvana Realm, and there were several at the Fourth Level. Not to mention the leader of the race had reached the Sixth Level of the Nirvana Realm.

Therefore, their attempt at rescue was destined to end in failure.

Lin Qian didn't rush to take action but continued to observe from the shadows, wanting to see just how strong the Human Clan in this underground world actually was.

However, when he saw that the Human Clan members only had one or two layers of Soul Light, he couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and pity. Clearly, the Human Clan in this underground world wasn't faring too well.

At least, compared to the Origin State, these Human Clan members could arm themselves with Elemental Weapon Armaments, even if the quality of the Primordial Weapons was very low. Judging from the garments worn by these escorted Human Clan members, the level of Artifact Refining among the Human Clan here was very poor.

Bang!

The disparity in strength became evident as soon as the two sides collided. Almost instantly, the Human Clan members were spewing fresh blood from their mouths, having been blasted away by the dark purple-skinned race members.

"I've said it long ago, letting this group of Human Clan members come along is nothing but a hindrance." The instant the Human Clan members were blown away, a gap appeared in the defense line formed by this mixed race team, provoking an angry shout from one of the red-purple-skinned race members!