The next moment, Lin Qian turned and flew back in the direction from which he had come.
The imperial carriage was already parked at the entrance of the building complex, with a bonfire lit nearby. Everyone sat around the fire, its light casting a reddish glow on their faces.
Only Zhao Long remained standing, stationed firmly behind Ye Xin, vigilantly scanning the surroundings to guard against any potential threats to the empress.
No matter how much Ye Xin urged him to sit down, Zhao Long stubbornly refused.
Suddenly, a streak of crimson-gold lightning shot across the distant sky, descending towards them.
Boom!
The crimson-gold lightning struck the ground, and as the golden light dispersed, Lin Qian's figure was revealed.
Seeing Lin Qian's return, everyone stood up, especially the two blood-robed disciples from the Blood Spirit Valley, who hurried forward to express their gratitude.
"If it weren't for your sword strike, I would likely be dead by now," said the Blood Spirit Valley disciple who had been saved by Lin Qian's sword aura, repeatedly expressing his thanks.
Lin Qian waved his hand dismissively. "We're all humans. I couldn't just stand by and watch my fellow compatriot be harmed by foreign races without doing something."
With that, everyone sat back down around the bonfire.
Initially, Zhao Long was still reluctant to sit, wanting to remain on guard, but Lin Qian scolded him, "Everyone else is seated, and you're standing there like that. What kind of scene is that? Sit down!"
Obeying the emperor he was sworn to serve, Zhao Long finally sat down obediently.
Once everyone was seated, through their conversation, Lin Qian gradually pieced together what had happened.
It turned out that after these two Blood Spirit Valley disciples entered the small world, they weren't far apart and managed to meet up with each other.
After wandering around for a while, they eventually stumbled upon this building complex just before nightfall.
At the same time, they also encountered the Swift-Hidden Clan members.
Upon meeting, the Swift-Hidden Clan members didn't hesitate and immediately attacked the two of them.
However, the Swift-Hidden Clan members hadn't anticipated that these two Blood Spirit Valley disciples would be far stronger than expected. Even when facing a group, they held their ground without faltering.
But while the Blood Spirit Valley disciples were locked in battle, other Swift-Hidden Clan members had drawn soul beasts to attack them, while the rest concealed themselves, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Just as the two Blood Spirit Valley disciples began to tire and could no longer hold out, Lin Qian and his group arrived.
The sudden appearance of the imperial carriage startled them, and they were further alarmed to discover that the person their sect master had ordered them to protect at all costs was right in front of them. This naturally shocked them, and they quickly urged Lin Qian to leave.
In truth, the two of them were already on the brink of collapse. Even if Lin Qian had died, they wouldn't have been able to escape this small world alive, nor would they have to face punishment from their sect master.
However, these two Blood Spirit Valley disciples couldn't bear the thought of Lin Qian being dragged into danger and losing his life needlessly.
But in the end, the person they were supposed to protect ended up saving them, leaving the two disciples feeling a mix of emotions.
At the same time, Lin Qian came to understand who these two Blood Spirit Valley disciples were.
The one he had saved was named Yang Tianhao, and the other was called Shen Yan. Both were orphans adopted by the Blood Spirit Valley's sect master.
"No wonder you're hailed as the most powerful geniuses of this generation in Blood Spirit Valley. To have fought off so many soul beasts and withstand constant ambushes for a full hour before starting to fall behind—those Swift-Hidden Clan members would have needed another hour to wear you down completely," Li Yunfeng commented as he praised Yang Tianhao, his eyes gleaming with battle spirit.
Yang Tianhao had a clean, short haircut and a rugged, unadorned face, but his eyes were sharp and intense, exuding a formidable pressure.
"Brother Li, your reputation precedes you," Yang Tianhao replied, smiling at Li Yunfeng. "After I rest for a bit, how about we spar?"
Li Yunfeng, the most talented member of the emerging powerhouse Free Spirit Sect, had long heard of Yang Tianhao's reputation and fierce battle style. Seeing the fighting spirit in Li Yunfeng's eyes, Yang Tianhao immediately understood his intentions and made the offer to spar.
"Hahaha, great! Unlike a certain eight-armed fellow who's always dodging and hesitating, with a face pink as a girl's," Li Yunfeng burst out laughing, nodding vigorously.
Li Yunfeng's words made Zhang Zide, who was nearby, furious. "Our Eight-Armed Sea Clan has pink skin! What nonsense are you spouting? Come on, let's have a match right now! You think I'm afraid of you?"
And so, off they went, charging into the sky and starting an intense battle.
Watching the soul energy fluctuations in the sky, Lin Qian shook his head in amusement before continuing to chat with the others.
"What? Your sect master ordered you to protect me at all costs?" Lin Qian looked at Yang Tianhao and Shen Yan in astonishment, utterly perplexed.
It wasn't just Lin Qian—Ye Xin, Zhang Qi, and Zhang Wenxuan were also shocked as they stared at the two Blood Spirit Valley disciples.
The revelation came up as they were talking, with Lin Qian casually asking Yang Tianhao and Shen Yan about their next plans.
To which Yang Tianhao and Shen Yan responded that they had been ordered to protect Lin Qian with their lives!
Yang Tianhao and Shen Yan were not ordinary disciples but true prodigies.
Especially Yang Tianhao, who was a genius on par with Li Yunfeng, known for his exceptional talent and unparalleled combat prowess.
Lin Qian couldn't understand why such a talented figure, whom any other sect would treasure dearly, would be commanded by the Blood Spirit Valley's sect master to protect him at all costs.
Why?
Lin Qian had heard of Blood Spirit Valley's sect master, Yang Guixiang, through Zhou Yi'an. They had never met, and there was no friendship between them.
As for the reason, Yang Tianhao and Shen Yan had no idea either. They only knew that just before entering the small world, they had received a telepathic message from their sect master, instructing them to do so.
However, Yang Tianhao and Shen Yan could only smile bitterly at Lin Qian, "But the sect master probably didn't expect that not only did we fail to protect you, but you ended up saving our lives."
Of course, Yang Guixiang hadn't anticipated that Lin Qian would suddenly break through to the Life-and-Death Realm after entering the relic, nor that his combat power would be so overwhelming.
While Lin Qian was puzzled by the actions of Blood Spirit Valley's sect master Yang Guixiang, in another area shrouded by a formation, a young man of the Swift-Hidden Clan with snow-white skin frowned as he stared at a shattered token floating before him.
"Bai Yingxin's team was completely wiped out? How interesting. Who could have the strength to do this?" The young man of the Swift-Hidden Clan turned around, facing a thousand Swift-Hidden Clan experts kneeling before him. "Who among you is willing to lead a team to investigate who did this?"