The Peerless Emperor

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Leaving the temporary Tactics Hall and arriving outside the Mountain City, a Sky Soaring Battleship appeared out of thin air in the mid-air.

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But this battleship, with its body entirely splendid and with nine dragons entwining, was particularly eye-catching. After Lin Qian boarded the battleship, its speed abruptly soared, breaking through the air and quickly approaching the front.

The former Imperial Capital of the Black Corner Country was vast and massive, with a distinct architectural style from the other fortresses of the Black Corner Country in the Ancient Forest World. Four spacious mountains had been transformed into bastions, guarding in all four directions.

The capital safeguarded by these four war-like Mountain Cities was located right in the center of the ground, a towering city much like those in the world above.

However, this city, compared to those in the world above, seemed even more prosperous and colorful.

The architectural styles within the city varied greatly. One must know that the former Black Corner Country's capital was a place where five races lived together. Naturally, the capital comprised a mix of architectural styles from all five races.

Yue Liqun once mentioned to Lin Qian that during the times when the five races coexisted harmoniously within the Black Corner Country, the capital was at its most affluent.

It was a pity that everything started to change after the Black Corner Emperor's personality drastically altered, becoming tyrannical.

"Why... why has it come to this?" An elderly man from the Rebel Palace of the Black Corner Country looked at the scene of the capital ahead, trembling as he pointed forward, collapsing onto the deck of the battleship.

He used to be the housekeeper of the residence of the third prince, and like the prince, he had grown up in the capital since he was a child.

Even though, due to the Black Corner Emperor, the Black Corner Country's capital had begun to decline, it still retained a remnant of its past glory and prosperity.

"Why, how could such a thing happen?" Clearly, this elder of the Black Corner Clan from the Rebel Palace could not accept all he was seeing.

Beside him, Liu Chaocao helped him up, his languid face now bearing a trace of severity.

Boom!

A tremendous roaring sound emerged from afar, a golden battleship approached swiftly from a distance, arriving in an instant.

Upon seeing the emergence of this golden battleship, all the generals and the Imperial Army surrounding the Black Corner Country's capital on the battleships knelt down on one knee, any Sky Soaring Battleships in mid-air dipped their heads.

Below, the War Beast Army also lowered their heads, and the War Beast Generals paid their respectful salutes.

The sound of armor clashing was incessant; all were directed towards the same person, who rose from the dragon throne aboard the battleship.

"Hail the Emperor!"

Such a magnificent sight, not just for the elderly from the Rebel Palace of the Black Corner Clan, even Yue Liqun and the others had never seen such a thing, and for a moment, they could not react.

After a while, they regained their senses, imitating the posture of the generals and the Imperial Army beside them, kneeling on one knee, right fist pressed against the chest over their hearts, bowing their heads.

"Rise," Lin Qian, seated solemnly on the dragon throne, said with a grave face.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Yue Liqun and the others, following the shout of the generals and the Imperial Army, also stood up.

This was an experience they had never had before; they could only do as others did.

At the same time, they raised their heads to look at the figure bathed in golden light on the dragon throne.

A domineering imperial authority spread over them, casting its weight upon everyone, yet it made them feel exceptionally comfortable.

For this pressure acted as a shield around them, completely blockading the fierce, bloodthirsty aura emanating from the capital, as if protecting them with a barrier.

Lin Qian sat on the dragon throne, looking silently towards the capital ahead.

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The entire former capital of Black Corner Country was suffused with a bloody aura, its richness transforming the entire capital into a sea of blood-laden city.

Within the capital, the people walked as if they were lifeless corpses. The inhabitants—belonging to five different races—were emaciated, their figures wasted and bony. Clots of blood were forcibly extracted from their bodies.

Clearly, the process was extremely painful, causing their bodies to twist and writhe on the ground in agony, frantically tearing at themselves, leaving trails of bloody scratches.

Some even possessed the strength to tear the flesh from their own bodies; completely losing their minds, they began to bite and gnaw at others, giving vent to their pain and internal torment.

Wails echoed throughout the capital, rising and falling, while curses of resentment intermingled. In the air, distorted faces screamed, those of people from the five races who had been tortured to death, their overwhelming hatred lingering in this world.

Within the four mountain cities guarding the capital, there were not only the Black Corner Clan's Black Corner Army, but also enslaved members of the Human Clan, Red Horn Clan, Dwarf Clan, and Spirit Hoof Clan Soul Martial Artists, all mingled within.

They stood densely packed at the gaping mouths of the mountain city, their crimson pupils staring in this direction, hunching their bodies, emitting low, growling noises from their throats, baring their teeth and dripping crystalline liquid from the corners of their mouths.

"What difference is there between this scene and hell?" Seeing what was before him, Lin Qian's expression revealed a tinge of sorrow.

Any normal person, upon seeing such a scene, would be unable to bear it.

The capital of Black Corner Country was vast; the four guardian cities, along with the sprawling, bustling metropolis, were once home to nearly a hundred million souls.

What struck Lin Qian most profoundly about this Otherworld compared to his previous life was the vast and boundless world of the virtual game brought to reality.

The reason the fantasy empires were so popular in a previous life was their terrifying game spaces.

What moved Lin Qian most was being able to witness this majestic world with his own eyes.

He could imagine how prosperous the capital of Black Corner Country once was and how magical the intersection of five different races must have been.

Alas, what now lay before him was nothing but hell.

The beings that should have been living peacefully within this capital were struggling; they appeared to be alive, but in fact, were almost dead.

Among the four mountain cities guarding the capital, there were no Soul Martial Artists fighting valiantly, only beasts that had lost their souls.

The elderly of the Black Corner Clan from the Rebel Palace were all in tears, wailing to the heavens; their attachment to the capital was profound, and they found it unimaginable that it had become like this.

Yue Liqun clenched his fists, which creaked loudly— the capital had turned into this state in merely a few years.

For in the past few years, all news from the capital seemed to have been blocked, unable to spread.

Yue Liqun didn't dare to imagine, as they advanced closer to the capital, just how much more severe the Black Corner Clan's madness would become. If it were as Shen Zhixing had said, to wait another twenty years...

The entire Ancient Forest World would likely be reduced to this state.

"They are now living a life worse than death, let us help them, not to be tortured like this any longer," Lin Qian raised his hand, let out a long sigh, and then spoke.

The next moment, the battleships encircling the capital pivoted to face the city, their hulls bristling with soul cannons that gathered dazzling Soul Light. The Imperial Army and War Beast Army were all ready for battle, poised to unleash devastation.

Inside the mountain cities and within the capital, the distorted beings screamed madly as they rushed toward them in a frenzied assault.

Seeing this, the pity in Lin Qian's eyes disappeared, replaced by a resolute countenance; he swung his hand down sharply.

"Crush them!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!