Lin Qian's mother, Yun Yunyan, had always had a deep passion for ancient books, stories of strange events, and the legends of the Ancient War era. The Yun family, being a large and prestigious clan, naturally had a vast collection of ancient texts. Additionally, Lin Qian's grandfather, Yun Fan, had paid special attention to gathering ancient texts during his travels and brought many back for his daughter.
As a result, Yun Yunyan was well-read in ancient knowledge. While her understanding might not be the final authority, it certainly carried weight.
After all, Zhang Juncheng, the Sword Array Emperor, had survived the Ancient War and lived to become a legend of the Southern Territory. As someone who had personally experienced those turbulent times, his words were highly credible.
Both the Blackblood Clan and the Yun family had appeared out of nowhere, seemingly by coincidence.
"Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, Mother, and Uncle, I have a theory that might need your help to verify," Lin Qian said after taking a deep breath, looking at the five of them. "I need a drop of your blood essence, a drop of ordinary blood, and a strand of hair."
The five looked at each other in confusion, unsure of what Lin Qian was up to. However, they all trusted him without hesitation and complied with his request, each providing what he had asked for.
Lin Qian carefully stored the blood essence and ordinary blood in empty crystal vials. He wrapped the strands of hair in paper, placing everything meticulously into a container, then sent the items into the Huaxia Empire for analysis.
Once that was done, Lin Qian turned his gaze into the distance, lost in silent thought.
"Qian'er, what are you planning to do with these?" Yun Yunyan couldn't help but ask, puzzled by her son's strange request.
"Mother," Lin Qian began, "the situation with the Yun family right now involves a curse that has infected the living, turning them into zombies. The infection is highly contagious. If it hadn't been detected, the curse would have spread rapidly once it fully broke out. Doesn't this seem eerily similar to what happened during the Ancient War with the Blackblood Clan?"
"Similar?" They all stared at Lin Qian, unable to immediately process the comparison.
"Yes," Lin Qian affirmed. "Whether it's Blood Corpses, Walking Corpses, or these new zombies, they all involve bodies filled with death energy. The Blackblood Clan was obsessed with creating Blood Corpses and Walking Corpses, expanding their numbers at all costs. This new curse infection seems to be another attempt to spread destruction by increasing the number of these cursed beings."
Lin Qian furrowed his brow as he continued, "Clearly, someone is manipulating all of this from behind the scenes. Their motives are still unknown, but the pattern is undeniable."
After hearing Lin Qian's analysis, the group fell silent, the weight of his words sinking in. It seemed they agreed with his reasoning.
"Your Majesty, the analysis is complete." Zhuge Ming's voice suddenly echoed in Lin Qian's mind. "You are not purely human. You carry a bloodline from an unknown race. Though the portion is small, it is extremely pure and contains remarkable power."
"This bloodline does not match any known race on the Soul Martial Continent. Based on my research, it likely originates from beyond this world—from the Void Beyond."
As Zhuge Ming's report concluded, Lin Qian closed his eyes briefly. He had suspected this all along.
The Blackblood Clan had suddenly appeared, clearly linked to some dark force. So why wouldn't the Yun family, which had also appeared out of nowhere, be connected to something similar?
Perhaps the Yun family wasn't entirely human either.
To confirm his theory, Lin Qian had asked for his family members' blood to be analyzed by the experts in the Huaxia Empire. The results, in fact, had clarified much.
His grandfather and father were pure humans, providing a baseline for comparison. Lin Qian's own blood had revealed the presence of this mysterious foreign bloodline.
Meanwhile, his grandmother, mother, and uncle were not purely human. They carried the foreign bloodline in significant amounts, though human blood still dominated. This might explain why the Yun family, despite their foreign origin, practiced Martial Souls like other humans.
"And this bloodline seems to lean towards dragons," Zhuge Ming's voice continued, adding another layer of intrigue.
"Dragons?" Lin Qian's interest was piqued as he pondered Zhuge Ming's findings. "It seems the true origin of the Yun family is far more complex than we thought."
There was no reason to hide this information from his family. After receiving Zhuge Ming's detailed report, Lin Qian turned back to his family. "The reason I asked for your blood was to investigate something important. I have something significant to tell you."
He proceeded to explain everything to his family. As they listened, their eyes widened in shock, disbelief written across their faces. The revelation was something they had never imagined.
"I'm not entirely human?" Yun Qingfeng, Lin Qian's uncle, was particularly stunned. He stared at his hands, unable to believe it.
Lin Qian quickly corrected him, "No, Uncle, you're not purely human. A more accurate term would be 'half-blood.' Harboring prejudice against different races is not a good mindset to have."
Yun Qingfeng rubbed his forehead, a wry smile on his face. "It's not that I'm prejudiced. It's just... this revelation is too shocking, far beyond anything I could have imagined."
Understanding his uncle's disbelief, Lin Qian smiled. "I'm more curious about the power hidden in this bloodline. What abilities could it grant?"
Hearing this, Yun Qingfeng's eyes lit up with curiosity as well. "You're right. Other races have unique abilities. If we can awaken the powers of this hidden bloodline, we could potentially wield two distinct strengths."
Lin Qian, realizing the possibilities, quickly reached out to Zhuge Ming. "Is there any way to awaken this bloodline?"
Before Zhuge Ming could respond, Yun Rong suddenly exclaimed, "What an overwhelming presence!"