The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

"...You're the one who's not human." Lin Qian instinctively retorted as he flexed his wrist, only to realize that Zhang Qi wasn't human to begin with.

Nevertheless, Zhang Qi's strength had taken Lin Qian by surprise, far exceeding his expectations.

Lin Qian had to admit that Zhang Qi, as the strongest talent of the younger generation in this branch of the Eight-Armed Sea Tribe, was indeed remarkable.

What Lin Qian completely overlooked, however, was that he had managed to defeat Zhang Qi, who was in the Life and Death Realm, while only being in the first stage of the Void-Breaking Realm!

As Zhang Qi stood before Lin Qian, he was at a loss for words. The strength of this Emperor of the Hua Xia Empire was beyond anything he had imagined.

The Void-Breaking Realm, whether it was Lin Qian's soul force or physical body, was terrifyingly strong. Even in direct clashes, Lin Qian didn't lose out to Zhang Qi. In fact, there were moments when Lin Qian seemed to have the upper hand.

Moreover, Lin Qian's soul force had two attributes: one of thunder and one of ice.

These two attributes were exceptionally effective in aquatic environments, making Lin Qian's combat prowess in the water unaffected, if not enhanced.

Zhang Qi now understood why Lin Qian had insisted on not blocking the seawater; his battle power thrived in it.

What surprised Zhang Qi the most was Lin Qian's battle experience. Compared to Lin Qian, Zhang Qi felt like an inexperienced child, with every move he made seen through by his opponent.

It was almost laughable to think that he had intended to offer guidance to Lin Qian. Now, it was clear that it was he who needed the guidance.

"Too strong. This is just the Void-Breaking Realm... If Emperor Lin ever breaks through to the Life and Death Realm, who could possibly stand against him?" Zhang Nianxin was astonished by what he had witnessed, unable to believe his eyes.

Ye Xin, standing by, chuckled and shook her head. "Little Qian wasn't even using his full strength."

"Impossible!" Zhang Nianyi, who was standing beside her, quickly shook his head in disbelief. "Lady Ye, Emperor Lin's current battle strength is already astonishing, and you say he wasn't using his full power?"

Ye Xin nodded lightly, choosing not to elaborate further.

Lin Qian had undergone twelve rounds of Nirvana, but only showed nine layers of soul radiance during the fight, clearly holding back his strength.

Moreover, he hadn't even activated his twin martial spirits or equipped his Yuan Artifacts.

In reality, Lin Qian had only used about fifty percent of his strength to defeat Zhang Qi.

Of course, in a life-or-death battle, Lin Qian would need to exert about seventy percent of his power to completely take Zhang Qi down.

After leaving the training ground, Zhang Nianxin couldn't help but beam with joy. He was over the moon with Lin Qian's performance.

He had never imagined that Lin Qian would be this powerful.

With Lin Qian's strength, Zhang Nianxin was confident that their branch of the Eight-Armed Sea Tribe would perform exceptionally well in the upcoming clan assembly.

At this moment, the elders of the Eight-Armed Sea Tribe regarded Lin Qian with even greater respect, not just for his position, but for his formidable power.

"Chief Zhang, when do you plan to depart for the clan assembly?" Lin Qian asked as he approached Zhang Nianxin.

Zhang Nianxin smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "With Emperor Lin's warships, we can reach the destination in two months. The assembly is still half a year away, so we plan to depart in about two and a half months."

Lin Qian nodded. "That works. It gives me time to resolve the situation in Linhai Prefecture and make some progress on the embassy matters."

"Do you think two months is enough?" Ye Xin asked, puzzled. "Will the Sheng Tian Sect really be so impatient? It's only been a month or two since they drove our Wanxiang Sect away. Would they already be making moves against other forces?"

"Of course they would. The Sheng Tian Sect's nature is that despicable!" Lin Qian's eyes flashed with anger as he spoke.

Zhao Wei, who had accompanied him, had shown the portrait of the man who had deceived his ancestors and taken their storage ring to Wei Wushuang.

After Lin Qian's master had examined the portrait, Lin Qian learned from Wei Wushuang that the man was none other than Sheng Tian Sect's Yuan Wuji.

Ye Xin, who hadn't known about this, only understood that the people of the Origin Province had been ruthlessly deceived, losing all hope.

Now, knowing that the culprit was Yuan Wuji of the Sheng Tian Sect, Ye Xin's eyes filled with disdain.

"If he could watch his fellow humans suffer and die, all for his own gain, then it's only natural he'd move against other forces now," Ye Xin said, her brows furrowed in disgust.

Listening to this, Zhang Nianxin grew curious and asked about the situation. Since it wasn't a secret, Lin Qian recounted the tragic past of the people of the Origin Province and how they had been deceived by the Sheng Tian Sect.

After hearing the story, the Eight-Armed Sea Tribe was filled with anger. How could someone be so vile?

To see his fellow humans suffering so greatly, and then exploit them for personal gain—such a person was despicable.

Zhang Nianxin offered the assistance of the Eight-Armed Sea Tribe, but Lin Qian declined once again.

"I will handle this myself. Once it's settled, I'll return to fulfill our agreement." With that, Lin Qian turned to Zhang Qi and suddenly smiled. "I do have one request. Could I borrow Zhang Qi for a while?"

"Hmm?" Zhang Qi looked puzzled but nodded. "No problem."

Soon after, Lin Qian left the sea and returned to his warship, reuniting with the members of the Wanxiang Sect.

Before long, Zhang Qi understood why Lin Qian had called him along.

He was to serve as a sparring partner!

It turned out that Lin Qian had a follower named Lei Qian, and Zhang Qi's days were now spent sparring with him.

Although Lei Qian was also in the Void-Breaking Realm, his battle experience was rich, though not as formidable as Lin Qian's.

Even so, in his matches against Lei Qian, Zhang Qi felt he was learning a lot.

After all, Lei Qian's battle strength was far weaker than Lin Qian's, making him a more suitable training partner.

Half a month later, Linhai Prefecture finally saw some movement.

The Sheng Tian Sect had made their move.

Just as Lin Qian had predicted, the Sheng Tian Sect couldn't sit still any longer and began targeting other factions.

Their first targets were the Rejuvenation Gate, known for their alchemy, and the Quenching Fire Gate, renowned for their artifact crafting.

In the face of the Sheng Tian Sect's dominance, these two factions didn't even resist. Upon hearing Sheng Tian's intent, they quickly surrendered, becoming the Sheng Tian Sect's departments for alchemy and artifact crafting.

After conquering these two forces, the Sheng Tian Sect's next target was one that no one could have anticipated.

Their first major strike was against the Tyrant Blade Sect, the most loyal lapdog of the Sheng Tian Sect.