Hearing his grandmother's sudden exclamation, Lin Qian immediately turned to her. "Grandmother, what's happening?"
"There's a strong aura rapidly approaching us. At the very least, it's at the Entering Saint Realm," Yun Rong responded with a grave expression. "The aura feels both familiar and strange, and it carries a deep sense of revulsion."
"Judging by its strength, it could be an extremely powerful opponent. I'm not even certain I could defeat them," Yun Rong admitted with a heavy heart. "If the situation gets out of hand, you must escape immediately. I will hold them off."
"Remember, if it comes to that, don't hesitate. Don't stay here and throw your lives away."
For Yun Rong to speak so gravely, Lin Qian's heart tightened with concern. Whoever was approaching them at such speed clearly wasn't an ordinary enemy.
At that moment, Lin Qian and the others stood tensely, their gazes locked on the horizon, awaiting the arrival of this unknown and formidable foe.
"They're here!" Yun Rong's voice rang out heavily. As she spoke, the distant sky was suddenly engulfed in thick black smoke.
The oppressive wave of black mist caused Lin Qian's expression to grow more severe. This sinister black aura was all too familiar.
Whether it was a regular Blackblood Clan member or a Blackblood Royal, whenever they unleashed their full power, this dark, oppressive mist would appear around them.
As the dense black mist rolled in closer to the Huaxia Imperial Vessel, it abruptly pulled back, condensing into a humanoid form before being absorbed into the body of the approaching figure.
"You… it's you…" Yun Fan's face turned pale with shock upon seeing the figure. The same shock washed over Yun Rong, Lin Qian's parents, Lin Di and Yun Yunyan, and even his uncle Yun Qingfeng. The figure before them was both familiar and strange.
Floating in midair, the figure was draped in a tattered Blue Cloud White Robe, stained heavily with blood, almost resembling a blood-soaked garment. The figure's long hair flowed behind it, while its skin was a pale, deathly gray, devoid of life. Its eyes gleamed a sinister crimson, and its lips were a dark, lifeless blue, surrounded by deep black circles beneath its eyes.
This was none other than Yun Hu, the Yun family's patriarch.
But the Yun Hu that now hovered before them felt entirely different.
"How did Yun Hu end up in this state?" Yun Rong's expression darkened as she stared at the figure above.
Though Yun Hu had always been a formidable force within the Entering Saint Realm, Yun Rong knew his true capabilities.
Indeed, as a powerful cultivator, Yun Hu's strength surpassed her own, but Yun Rong believed that if they fought, the battle would be evenly matched. The chances of winning or losing were about 40/60 in Yun Hu's favor, and if she risked everything, she might be able to defeat him.
But the current Yun Hu exuded an overwhelming aura of oppression, an aura that disgusted her, causing her own soul power to become restless and unstable.
Just from facing him, her internal state felt disordered. How could she possibly be a match for him now?
Judging by the intensity of his aura, Yun Hu's strength had increased by several times. There was no chance of victory against him in this state.
"Which one of you is Lin Qian?" The transformed Yun Hu spoke from above, his voice cold and menacing.
"It is I, the person you seek. By all rights, you should be the Old Patriarch of the Yun family, correct?" Before anyone could respond, Lin Qian stepped forward, looking up at the figure in the air as he spoke.
Through the scouting reports of Jifeng and Ye Ying, Lin Qian already knew what Yun Hu looked like. So, he recognized the figure immediately.
However, something about Yun Hu's current state was clearly off. And when Lin Qian noticed the bloodstains around his mouth, his eyes narrowed as memories of the Blackhorn King surfaced.
"It seems you're no longer Yun Hu. You must be some other entity that has taken control of his body," Lin Qian said, staring at the figure. "If I'm not mistaken, you're the one who's been pulling all the strings from behind, aren't you?"
"Hmm?" The figure in the air—'Yun Hu'—raised an eyebrow in mild surprise before breaking into a cold laugh. "Interesting, very sharp, boy. Yes, everything Yun Hu did was under my control. But since the plan failed, this pawn is no longer of use. I might as well use his body to clean up the mess."
"Qian'er, aren't you feeling anything strange?" Yun Qingfeng suddenly asked, noticing Lin Qian's composed demeanor while the rest of them were struggling against the oppressive aura.
Turning back, Lin Qian saw that both his grandparents, his parents, and his uncle all looked strained. Their soul powers flared as they tried to resist something.
"What have you done?" Lin Qian whipped around to face the figure in the air.
"Feeling the effects of Death Aura is normal. But you, boy, the one who ruined my plans—you seem entirely unaffected," 'Yun Hu' observed, his crimson eyes gleaming with interest.
Boom!
Golden lightning soul power, icy white soul power, and the bright yellow Imperial Soul Power surged from Lin Qian's body, intertwining to form the Golden Imperial Attribute Soul Power.
The Imperial Robe of Will materialized around Lin Qian, solid and majestic. Nine golden dragons were embroidered on the black robe, embedded with precious jade, radiating an air of nobility.
The domineering pressure of the Imperial Will surged from Lin Qian, expanding outward to envelop the entire Huaxia Imperial Vessel.
In an instant, Yun Fan and the others felt a tremendous sense of relief, the oppressive deathly aura dissipating as if a great burden had been lifted from them.
Noticing the change in their expressions, 'Yun Hu' seemed surprised. "Interesting. Ordinarily, only those with power on par with me can resist the Death Aura. Yet your cultivation is weak, and still, you can withstand it. Impressive."
Lin Qian looked up at the figure with a cold smile. "I am the emperor, the ruler of all. Don't compare me to ordinary people."
"If you've got the guts, stop hiding behind someone else's body and face me directly. Coward!"