The battle continued to rage on, but Lin Qian's attention was completely focused elsewhere. His eyes were fixed on the area ahead, where he could sense a powerful presence. He wanted to see exactly who or what was responsible for all of this.
Who was the mastermind behind all these atrocities?
With a sudden bang, a figure shot out from the thick smoke, hurtling towards Lin Qian. In the blink of an eye, the figure had arrived in mid-air, just in front of him.
Lin Qian observed the figure closely. It was clear that the person before him was a burly Blackhorn tribesman. The figure's horns jutted straight up, and its skin was a dark purplish-black, covered with a swirling black mist that intermingled with a blood-red hue.
Gazing at the figure, Yue Liqiu ground his teeth, his expression filled with hatred, though he managed to remain composed. His eyes locked onto the figure as he spoke to Lin Qian, "Your Majesty, this is the Blackhorn King."
"Oh?" Lin Qian's eyes narrowed slightly as he regarded the so-called Blackhorn King before him. "But to my eyes, this is clearly a Blackblood royal who has undergone a blood and soul exchange."
Hearing this, the figure Yue Liqiu identified as the Blackhorn King showed a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "How unexpected—someone actually recognized my true identity."
"Indeed, I am a Blackblood royal who has undergone a blood and soul exchange. I had no choice. My original body was refined, leaving only my royal blood."
The figure, now revealed as a Blackblood royal who had taken over the Blackhorn King's body, nodded approvingly at Lin Qian's words. He even looked at Lin Qian with an expression of genuine admiration.
As he glanced around at the powerful fleet of the Huaxia Empire, he spoke with a tone of appreciation, "I must say, your subordinates are truly formidable. They're highly skilled in warfare, managing to conquer the entire Blackhorn capital in such a short time, forcing me to commence the blood and soul exchange ahead of schedule."
As a Blackblood royal, he naturally had his own means of observing the entire Blackhorn Kingdom.
"My name is Nan Wudi, the former Emperor of the Blackblood tribe." The Blackblood royal, who had seized the body of the Blackhorn King, introduced himself, maintaining an air of dignity. "Even though I admire you greatly, you must still die. You've disrupted my plans, and for that, you are unforgivable."
With that, Nan Wudi suddenly took a step forward in the air, and in an instant, the entire space around them seemed to freeze.
Boom!
In the next moment, the millions of members of the five tribes who had crowded before him were utterly obliterated.
Had the Imperial Army and Beast Army not retreated upon Nan Wudi's appearance, they would likely have met the same fate.
With just one step, he had caused such catastrophic destruction that Lin Qian's eyebrows rose slightly. He then spoke up, "I'm very curious—how did you manage the blood and soul exchange? Were you really preparing for this for eight thousand years?"
Hearing Lin Qian's question, Nan Wudi, who had been ready to take another step forward, halted.
Had he taken another step, the Imperial Army and Beast Army might have also suffered severe casualties.
The strength of this Blackblood royal named Nan Wudi was beyond anything Lin Qian had expected.
"Heh, yes, little one." Nan Wudi extended his finger, pointing at Lin Qian, who sat upon the Nine-Dragon Throne. His face twisted into a sinister smile. "In that ancient battle, the five tribes—including your human race, the Blackhorn tribe, the Redhorn tribe, the Dwarf tribe, and the Lingti tribe—joined forces to seal me, using formations and soul power to refine my body, hoping to destroy my soul."
"But what they didn't expect was that after such a long period of time, while my body was indeed destroyed, the most vital Blackblood remained, and my soul endured."
"Without a body, you couldn't have performed the blood and soul exchange unless someone helped you," Lin Qian questioned with a furrowed brow from his throne. "I assume the place you were sealed was beneath the Blackhorn Kingdom's royal palace. The Blackhorn Kings of each generation should have been tasked with watching over you."
"Given that, how could you have found someone to help you?"
Seeing Lin Qian's skeptical expression, Nan Wudi seemed to relish the moment, laughing as he responded, "Sometimes, the desire for power can cloud one's judgment."
"The grandfather of the current Blackhorn King, Shen Jun, stumbled upon the forbidden area—my prison—when he was just a prince."
"At the time, Shen Jun was the weakest of all the princes, with the least chance of ascending to the throne. But he was the one who desired it the most."
"He made a deal with me. I helped him rapidly improve his cultivation and strength, and in return, he helped me set up a formation. Even after he ascended to the throne, he continued assisting me."
"He feared losing his position, feared that without my help, his cultivation would fall behind that of his brothers and cousins. So he relied on my power to keep rapidly increasing his strength."
"Eventually, the formation was completed. The spiritual energy of the surface world was being siphoned off to weaken the seal that held me, nourishing my soul. If it weren't for the scarcity of spiritual energy in the underground world, I would have drained it as well, speeding up the process."
By this point, Lin Qian had fully understood that the one responsible for the situation in the Southern Region of Nanjiu was none other than the Blackblood royal Nan Wudi before him.
"A thousand years ago, the timing was finally right. My Blackblood invaded the heart of the Blackhorn King, my soul lodged in his sea of consciousness, influencing his decisions."
"I needed more life force, especially from those maddened by the Blackblood, to nourish this body."
"If you hadn't interfered, I wouldn't have had to rush the blood and soul exchange. I could have further cultivated this body, absorbed even more life force from powerful beings, and enhanced my potential."
"You've ruined so much for me, so you must die."
"Wait!" Just as Nan Wudi prepared to make his move, Lin Qian suddenly raised his hand, asking, "By the way, as a Blackblood royal, do you happen to know someone named Nan Xin?"
"What? How do you know about my child? Where is he now?" Nan Wudi asked, clearly startled by Lin Qian's question.
Seeing this, Lin Qian sighed, his expression turning mischievous as he looked at Nan Wudi. "It seems I'm quite the expert in ending bloodlines. I'm sorry to inform you…"
"Your son was accidentally killed by me."