The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

"Shi Yun, what happened to your tribe...?" At the entrance of the Stone Tribe, an old man, covered in wounds, stood in shock, unable to comprehend the scene before him.

Shi Yun looked at the old man and sighed deeply. "The world is unpredictable. Our tribe was visited by a great man, and all of this is his gift. Qin Xing, I will introduce you to him when the time comes."

"What's going on here?" A young voice suddenly interrupted as Shi Yun finished speaking.

Shi Yun turned and saw Lin Qian approaching. He hurried forward to greet him. "My lord, these are people from the Qin Tribe. They came here to take refuge and to warn us to evacuate."

"Evacuate?" Lin Qian frowned as he looked toward the people of the Qin Tribe.

The people standing at the entrance were dressed in filthy, tattered cloth, much like how the Stone Tribe had been before. The younger, able-bodied men were covered in blood, while the elderly, women, and children appeared weary and shaken.

There were only about 800 people from the Qin Tribe present. Lin Qian remembered that Shi Niu had mentioned the Qin Tribe being slightly better off than the Stone Tribe, with a population of around 3,000. Now, only 800 remained. Something terrible must have happened, likely involving the Giant Goblin Tribe mentioned earlier.

"Shi Yun, who is he?" Qin Xing asked, puzzled, as he looked at the young man before him.

Shi Yun quickly introduced Lin Qian. "This is Lord Lin Qian, our tribe's benefactor."

Just as Shi Yun introduced him, Lin Qian raised his hand, and several wooden houses constructed from ironwood descended from the sky, landing in an open space. He then waved his hand again, and food, clothing, and water buckets appeared on the ground.

"Shi Niu, Shi Meng, help arrange the people of the Qin Tribe. Everything must be done in an orderly manner. If anyone dares to cause trouble or try to steal, kill them on the spot!" Lin Qian's voice was cold as he looked at the Qin Tribe. "They are injured, hungry, and exhausted—they're no match for you two."

Seeing Lin Qian's series of actions, Qin Xing was astonished. He quickly assured Lin Qian, "Rest assured, my lord, my people will not cause any trouble."

Lin Qian nodded silently. He was willing to help because he had the power to do so, and because the human race in this small world was living in such a tragic state. However, he knew all too well that there were always bad apples, no matter where you went. He wasn't a fool who blindly offered help. If they wanted his aid, they had to follow his rules.

Seeing the Qin Tribe members, as promised by Qin Xing, calmly form lines by family and receive their supplies before being assigned to their new homes, Lin Qian withdrew his gaze.

"What happened to your Qin Tribe? Why are you in this state? Did the Giant Goblins really come?" Lin Qian asked, turning to Qin Xing.

Qin Xing sighed deeply, clenching his fists in anger. "The Giant Goblins... they've moved south!"

Shi Yun's face paled as he heard Qin Xing's words. "How can this be? Wasn't there a war just a century ago? Why are the Giant Goblins suddenly moving south again? We've only just begun to see a glimmer of hope, and now it's about to be extinguished?"

Lin Qian turned to Shi Yun and asked, "What does it mean when the Giant Goblins move south?"

"My lord, whenever the Giant Goblins or the Dwarf Goblins move south, it means they're preparing for war. Before their wars, they always come south to capture us humans to use as food for their soldiers," Shi Yun explained, sighing heavily. "The Giant and Dwarf Goblins have found that eating us raw and alive helps them recover their strength quickly. So, before every war, they come to capture us."

"In the past, the wars between the Dwarf Goblins and Giant Goblins happened roughly every 300 to 400 years. Each time a war began, it was a nightmare for us humans. No matter how fiercely we fought back, it was all in vain."

"After each war, we'd try to recover, growing our population again, only for them to strike once more. To the Goblins, we are nothing but livestock, slaughtered whenever they need us." Shi Yun's voice grew more emotional as he spoke, tears streaming down his face in a mix of anger, frustration, and despair.

Looking at Lin Qian with pleading eyes, Shi Yun added, "My lord, I know you're powerful, but even the greatest heroes can't fight alone. The Goblins outnumber us greatly, and their strength is formidable."

"What are you trying to say?" Lin Qian asked, his expression unreadable.

"You should escape, my lord. Leave this place while you can."

"Escape?" Lin Qian frowned. "And what about all of you?"

"When the Goblins move south, all the human tribes gather together to make a final stand against them," Qin Xing said, his voice resolute. "Throughout history, this is what we've always done."

Lin Qian fell silent, taken aback by their answer. He had expected them to hide, to find a way to prolong their lives for a little while longer. But he hadn't anticipated this—despite knowing they were doomed, the humans of this small world still chose to fight back.

Even in the face of humiliation, despite being enslaved, their fighting spirit had never wavered. They refused to give up.

"This... this is what it means to be human!" Lin Qian thought, pride swelling in his chest as a smile spread across his face.

"But there's something strange about the way the Giant Goblins moved south this time," Qin Xing suddenly said, his expression puzzled.

Shi Yun nodded in agreement. "Yes, it's very strange. The Giant Goblins usually prefer to capture elderly humans. In the past, most of the old folk were taken. But this time, your tribe still has many elderly members."

Qin Xing nodded and added, "This time, the Giant Goblins seemed more focused on capturing those with soul power, especially the warriors of our tribe."

"That is odd—it doesn't match the Giant Goblins' usual behavior," Shi Yun mused, frowning. "Could they have suddenly changed their preferences?"

However, a flash of insight crossed Lin Qian's mind, and he realized the truth. "So that's what's going on. If that's the case, it explains why the Giant Goblins have changed their approach."

Qin Xing and Shi Yun turned to Lin Qian, eager to hear his explanation.