The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

After leaving the Huaxia Hall, Lin Qian and his entourage were surrounded by a bright white light, disappearing from the spot in an instant.

The Huaxia Empire, being Lin Qian's dominion, allowed him to move anywhere within it at will.

He had also bestowed this ability upon Zhao Long, Zhuge Ming, and the five Legion Commanders to facilitate their actions within the empire.

In the next moment, they appeared in front of a massive complex of buildings, occupying a tenth of the capital's vast area.

Endless tall buildings were connected by skywalks, and intricate mechanisms could be seen everywhere.

Within this sprawling complex, people clad in scholars' robes moved about, discussing various topics.

Upon seeing Lin Qian approach, they immediately ceased their discussions, dropping to one knee and respectfully hailing him as their Emperor.

This was the Ministry of Engineering, the heart of technological advancements in the Huaxia Empire.

In the past, the primary task of the Ministry of Engineering was to repair the Huaxia Empire after the cross-server war.

Once Lin Qian could reconnect with the empire, they had another supreme task: to study their Emperor's body.

Out of the over one billion scholars in the Ministry of Engineering, three hundred million were dedicated solely to monitoring Lin Qian's physical condition, analyzing every minute change, and regulating the flow of spiritual energy from the empire.

Upon returning to the Huaxia Empire, Lin Qian learned that the spiritual energy swirling around him was actually drawn from the massive planet that housed the empire.

The reason his body had become so strong was not just due to the techniques passed down by his master or the constant influx of spiritual energy, but because of the collective wisdom of the three hundred million scholars in the Ministry of Engineering.

The Ministry of Engineering wasn't confined to the capital alone; it had branches spread across every continent and even underwater.

Before long, Lin Qian and his companions arrived at an expansive building.

This square structure was vast enough to accommodate over two hundred thousand people.

This was the Tactical Hall, where, in his previous life, Lin Qian would convene with his generals before battle to issue commands, set up formations, and conduct reconnaissance.

As they entered the Tactical Hall, Lin Qian looked up to see numerous large, strange mirrors suspended in the air.

The surfaces of these mirrors were smooth and clear, encased in interlocking metal rings.

"Tactical Mirrors... I remember them well," Lin Qian remarked, a nostalgic smile crossing his face before it turned into a cold sneer. "To dare use a curse formation to spy on me... they must have a death wish."

"Prime Minister, proceed."

"As you command!" Zhuge Ming responded, bowing to Lin Qian before stepping forward. With a wave of his hand, eight of the strange mirrors flew over, surrounding Lin Qian.

The eight Tactical Mirrors began to glow with a deep blue light, which flowed into Lin Qian, enveloping him in a protective layer that shielded him from the blood-red aura.

After crossing into this world with Lin Qian, the power within the Huaxia Empire and all its inhabitants had transformed into soul energy. Zhuge Ming was no exception.

"Shielding skill, Tactical Mirrors enhanced," Zhuge Ming declared as two of the mirrors glowed brightly, pressing tightly against Lin Qian's body and preventing the blood-red aura from gathering any information.

"Tracking disruption skill, Tactical Mirrors enhanced."

"Analysis skill, Tactical Mirrors enhanced."

"Anti-tracking skill, Tactical Mirrors enhanced."

"Anti-interference skill, Tactical Mirrors enhanced."

"Effect reversal skill, Tactical Mirrors enhanced."

"Soul energy counterstrike!"

As Zhuge Ming uttered the final words, the blue light flared brilliantly, piercing into the blood-red aura surrounding Lin Qian.

Crack!

A crisp shattering sound echoed as the blood-red aura around Lin Qian splintered like crimson crystal, scattering into countless red particles before dissipating.

In a distant land, on the top floor of a tall tower, an elderly man known as Elder Fu was intently watching a drop of blood suspended above a blood-red formation.

As the twisted red light on the blood started to clear, Elder Fu's heart sank, his fists clenching tightly.

"The young master must not be discovered. If things go awry, I'll have no choice but to abandon my cover and destroy this setup," Elder Fu thought, slowly inching forward, ready to act.

But before he could make a move, the blood-red formation suddenly erupted with a blue light, shattering the twisted red glow on the blood.

A powerful and terrifying backlash surged through the formation, overwhelming the elder controlling it.

"How is this possible?"

The elder cried out, his voice cut short as blood poured from his orifices. His life force was snuffed out, and he collapsed to the ground.

Buzz!

A tremor shook the room as the blue light coalesced into a phantom hand, reaching out to seize the remnants of the shattered red glow.

"Not good! They're trying to trace us!" A middle-aged man beside the now-dead elder shouted in alarm, slamming his palm into the ground.

A surge of power erupted from his hand, shattering the floor and disrupting the blood-red formation. The drop of blood hovering in midair fell to the ground as the blue light gradually faded.

But just before it disappeared, a young man's voice echoed from within the blue light.

"Though I don't know who you are, if you try this again, be prepared to keep counting your dead."

As the voice faded, the blue light vanished from the tower's top floor.

"Damn it! How is this possible?" A goat-bearded elder fumed, his voice shaking with rage as he glared at the dead elder. "Master Yan is dead, and this was your brilliant idea? Get ready to face the head's wrath!"

With that, the goat-bearded elder stormed off.

The middle-aged man who had acted earlier picked up his dead master, his face cold as he left the scene.

The remaining people exchanged uneasy glances, still reeling from the shock.

But the one who felt the most stunned was Elder Fu. He had been certain that the young master's location would be discovered this time.

Who could have predicted that Master Yan would suddenly suffer a fatal backlash and die on the spot? And it seemed as if the young master himself had been behind it.

"Could it be... that the voice I heard just now was the young master's?" Elder Fu thought, staring at the blood on the ground in disbelief. "The child of my lady and master seems to be quite a prodigy."

Back in the Ministry of Engineering, inside the Tactical Hall.

"Damn it!" Lin Qian's furious shout echoed through the hall.

Projected on the Tactical Mirrors were several scenes, most of which showed a man being tortured in a water dungeon.

Lin Qian recognized the man in the water dungeon immediately—it was his father.

These scenes were fragments of information extracted from the blood used in the enemy's formation.

"Your Majesty, based on the information we gathered, the enemy is exceptionally powerful compared to your current strength," Zhuge Ming said as he approached Lin Qian. "And due to the brief time frame, we couldn't pinpoint the exact location, which may complicate future rescue efforts for the former emperor. Please accept my apologies."

As he spoke, Zhuge Ming was about to kneel, but Lin Qian swiftly reached out and grabbed his arm. "Prime Minister, you did nothing wrong."

Lin Qian's eyes blazed with determination as he added, "I will make them understand what it truly means to regret being born into this world."