"Stand guard nearby. If you encounter any Black Horn forces, kill them on sight," Lin Qian ordered the Strong Wings before him.
The fifty Strong Wings received their orders and dispersed into the forest, their swift, green silhouettes darting forward, collecting every remnant left behind by the Black Horn soldiers. Not even the smallest fragment of soul-armored shards was overlooked. These spoils belonged to the Huaxia Empire—there was no reason to leave anything behind.
To know your enemy is to guarantee victory. With these collected items, the Heavenly Workshop could gain a better understanding of the Black Horn Nation's strength.
As the Huaxia Empire continued to grow, resources would become increasingly scarce. Although the Fantasy Star was vast and rich in resources, it still had to support the immense Huaxia Empire. The new world territory where Lin Qian was located couldn't rely entirely on the Fantasy Star; it needed to sustain itself.
Thus, the spoils left behind by these dead Black Horn soldiers were valuable. Even the smallest gains were worthwhile; there was no reason to waste them.
At that moment, numerous figures descended from the sky in front of Lin Qian. It was Wang Gang and behind him, Liu Fang, Ba Lei Tu, Lu Qiao Si, and others followed closely. Nearly all the military strength of the gathering place had been concentrated before Lin Qian.
"What are you all doing here?" Lin Qian asked, surprised to see Wang Gang bringing the entire force from the gathering place.
Wang Gang, with a serious expression, cupped his hands towards Lin Qian and said, "Lord, we heard your voice earlier and were worried something had happened, so we rushed over to check. On the way, we encountered some of our people and learned what had happened."
"Moreover, I received word that our gathering place to the northwest was wiped out, and two surviving Spirit Hoof Tribe members made it to our gathering place. They told us that thirty thousand Black Horn soldiers were on their way."
"So you brought everyone as reinforcements." Hearing this, Lin Qian understood Wang Gang's intentions and patted him on the shoulder. "Those thirty thousand Black Horn soldiers have already been wiped out. You can go back now."
"What?!"
Lin Qian's words left Wang Gang and the others utterly shocked, staring at him in stunned silence.
From the earlier reports of Xiao Jiang's parents and their group, they had learned that only the prince's son had been encountered here, and the army had not arrived yet. In the blink of an eye, Lin Qian, without even moving from his spot, had annihilated an entire army of thirty thousand Black Horn soldiers.
"Just thirty thousand Black Horn soldiers, nothing to worry about." As Lin Qian spoke, his expression suddenly changed. His internal energy surged violently, and an overwhelming power erupted from his body, forcing Wang Gang and the others to step back.
The turbulent aura unleashed by Lin Qian whipped the surroundings like the prelude to a violent storm, uprooting towering spirit trees and sending them flying far away.
Wang Gang and the others quickly shielded themselves with soul power, fearfully scrambling to their feet and looking towards Lin Qian. They saw him enveloped in a powerful vortex, an irresistible pressure radiating from him, expanding outward.
The aura emanating from Lin Qian was so overwhelming that Wang Gang and the others could barely withstand it, forcing them to retreat until they reached a safe distance. There, they stopped and watched in amazement, wondering what was causing such a massive commotion.
Around Lin Qian, nearly a hundred spirit trees had been uprooted and flung away, while those further away swayed and tilted.
The ground beneath Lin Qian's feet could not withstand the substantial pressure and began to collapse inward. The surrounding earth and stones rose in layers, forming a ring around him, while countless pebbles and small debris floated upwards.
"What in the world is happening?" Liu Fang exclaimed in a trembling voice as he watched the strange phenomena around Lin Qian.
Standing beside Liu Fang, Wang Gang felt a chill run through his heart and slowly said, "The Lord... is breaking through."
"Breaking through?" Liu Fang was puzzled at first, wondering how a mere breakthrough could cause such a commotion. But then, he suddenly remembered something. "I recall the Lord mentioning that his current realm is at the pinnacle of the Life and Death Realm. If he breaks through, that would mean..."
"Awakening Realm!"
With this realization, everyone held their breath, afraid that even a slight exhalation might disturb Lin Qian's breakthrough.
Of course, their concerns were entirely unfounded. Lin Qian, having entered the threshold of a breakthrough due to his anger, still had the presence of mind to slap Shen Yi across the face during the process. There was no way the breakthrough could be delayed because of them.
Roars of dragons echoed from within Lin Qian's body as the bright yellow imperial soul power ignited around him, forming an imperial robe. Nine five-clawed golden dragons materialized instantly, circling around him with ferocity.
Next, the crimson gold thunder soul power and white orchid ice soul power surged out from within him, climbing up the bodies of the nine golden dragons.
The soul-powered golden dragons appeared lifelike, their scales now covered in a frosty layer as if they had donned icy battle armor.
At the same time, arcs of lightning crackled around the five-clawed golden dragons, their roars echoing continuously.
The mere sight of this scene was enough to send Wang Gang and the others into a state of terror. They hurriedly retreated a considerable distance, fearing that the powerful aura might harm them.
Even though the overwhelming energy wasn't directed at them, the residual waves alone were too much for them to endure.
Two core components and a set of eighteen modular parts, specially crafted by the Fireworks Department, were summoned by Lin Qian from the Huaxia Empire, floating silently on either side of him.
From their distant vantage point, Wang Gang and the others were puzzled, not understanding why the Lord had summoned two core components and eighteen modular parts.
But soon, everything became clear.
A broad-bladed greatsword with black gold patterns was enveloped in raging crimson lightning, while a slender longsword with white cloud patterns exuded a piercing chill. Both weapons were successfully integrated with the modular parts.
Moreover, the twelve layers of soul light emanating from Lin Qian had already caused many of the human tribe members to faint.
When Lin Qian turned around, his golden eyes fixed on them. Wang Gang's heart shook violently, and he coughed up blood, collapsing to his knees, lowering his head in submission.
Many of the soul warriors in the gathering place fainted outright, and those with stronger nerves followed Wang Gang's lead, either kneeling or prostrating themselves on the ground.
The emperor's overwhelming presence and the power that radiated from Lin Qian's gaze were simply unbearable for them.
As Wang Gang knelt with his head pressed to the ground, his mind was overwhelmed with thoughts: "What kind of being has descended upon the Ancient Forest World?"