Now the number of residents in the village has reached 114! 55 of them are soldiers, and 14 are new researchers. Things were going as well as possible. Bai Qi trained the soldiers daily from four in the morning until ten in the morning; they were truly "death trainings." He trained them with the harshest possible exercises, but all of this was for their benefit to become more efficient in the future.
Anyway, where would the Bronze rank lead? Long Zai Tian thought about this question. He soon realized that eventually, when the village evolves to the Legendary Jade Rank and the minimum rank for a resident in Qin becomes Silver, these people would be forgotten.
However, he thought more after feeling pity for these soldiers who work hard for their future and the future of Qin. He soon thought of the [Heaven and Earth Refining Formation], with which he could change the fate of these Bronze-rank soldiers.
Then he thought of the Blood Altar, and how he would refine the Abyssal Demon Lord Kerr, and how in the future he would obtain one of the three Evil Source Stars. This was not to imitate Zhao Fu, but for his own private plans in this world….
Long Zai Tian began walking through the village, deep in thought about the future. He wandered here and there, with nothing immediate to attend to, until a girl came running from the forest, panicked and terrified. As soon as she saw Long Zai Tian, she began to scream, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please help us! Your Majesty!"
All the residents turned toward her and began to gather. Long Zai Tian ran to her, held her, and said, "Steady yourself. Breathe. Tell me what is happening, and I will solve it. Tell me calmly, what happened?"
The girl took a few shallow breaths while the Emperor's hands remained on her shoulders. She spoke, fear still trembling in her voice, "Your Majesty, we were picking fruit when we saw a goblin. We noticed him and changed our path, but it turned out to be an ambush to force us down that specific trail. I was at the rear among the girls—there were 25 girls and 15 young boys. We didn't take any soldiers with us because we were so close to the village territory, my Lord. But in the end, everyone fell into the hands of the goblins. I am the only one who escaped. Please, Your Majesty, go help them, they are in danger! I beg you!"
"Very well, do not worry," Long Zai Tian replied. "What is your name, girl?"
"My name is Mei Lin, Your Majesty," she replied.
"Very well, Mei Lin. I need you to use your legs to run as fast as you can back toward the location of those goblins, and I will be right behind you."
"But Sire... I don't understand why I should run... toward the goblins," she stammered.
"To lead me to them, of course. I'm going to kill them."answered Long Zai Tian
"By yourself, Your Majesty? You can't! There are so many of them," Mei Lin said with deep concern.
"Don't worry, Mei Lin. Trust your Emperor and do as I say. Now, run!"
"Hah... alright? I guess?" Mei Lin said, confused and tense. She began to run toward the goblin location at her maximum speed. In the blink of an eye, Long Zai Tian was right behind her.
Mei Lin was stunned. How? How did he reach me when I started before him? How can a human possess such speed? Her train of thought was cut short by Long Zai Tian shouting, "Faster, Mei Lin! Every minute of delay causes a bigger crisis. Faster!"
"Yes, Your Majesty! I will go as fast as I can!" Mei Lin pushed herself, and she was indeed fast. After five minutes of running, they began to hear human screams mixed with the chaotic noise of goblins.
Mei Lin stopped, her heart nearly exploding in her chest from the exertion, the terror, the fear of losing loved ones, and the strange nature of the Emperor's command. Her emotions were a chaotic mix. Suddenly, a strong hand touched her shoulder, and she heard His Majesty's voice:
"Now, you have done a wonderful job, Mei Lin. You are truly fast. I will reward you for this brave achievement later. For now... watch how your Emperor slaughters these goblins."
The goblins were at the peak of their excitement and joy. There were seventy of them, soldiers from Jean Village. They had captured forty humans—what a catch! Twenty-five beautiful girls and fifteen smooth-skinned boys. The goblins could hardly believe their luck and had already begun manifesting their hideous intentions, starting to touch the girls and boys.
Just as they were reaching the height of their vile ecstasy and were on the verge of committing their atrocities in the forest, a human appeared in the distance. He was majestic and powerful, emitting a thick black aura, he is walking with slow, confident strides until he reached the "zero line"—the point of direct contact with the goblins.
Long Zai Tian stood before them as the goblins stared in confusion. Suddenly, out of thin air... a goblin's head fell. Then a second, a third, and a fourth, until twenty goblin heads had dropped from their necks, creating an unholy bloodbath in the heart of the forest.
Mei Lin watched from behind, her eyes wide, her hand over her mouth in disbelief. His Majesty... is this powerful...
On the goblins' side, the survivors were shell-shocked. Just moments ago, they were at the peak of worldly pleasure; what had happened? Who was this person? How did he kill twenty of them without being seen?! The remaining goblins huddled together, breaking their circle around the humans of Qin. Fifty goblins, all terrified, hearts pounding with a dread they couldn't comprehend. Twenty headless corpses lay before them—this was the work of someone whose power was immeasurable.
Suddenly, Long Zai Tian appeared before them as if manifesting from the void. With a thick, dense imperial aura, he uttered a single word in the goblin tongue that struck like a thunderbolt: "Kneel."
The fifty goblins trembled and collapsed to the ground, crushed by the echo of an Imperial Monarch's bloodline that swept through their small minds. They were piled atop one another, completely broken.
Mei Lin, the twenty-five women, and the fifteen boys witnessed this majestic scene. Their eyes teared up at the sight of their Emperor's grandeur; their blood boiled with pride for their powerful sovereign.
Long Zai Tian looked at the fifty goblins, formed a Mudra with his hands, and chanted: "Burning winds of the South and deep waters of Qin, by the order of the Black Dragon, let their skins burn in the waters of fire. Qi, gather!"
From nothingness, a brilliant yet dark black aura emerged, blinding the area around the goblins. Ten seconds later, hellish screams began to echo through the forest—screams that did not sound of this world. Long Zai Tian's curse was merciless, a technique he had devised by harmonizing his bloodline with the Great Qin Mantra. After all, he was the direct descendant of Qin, the most suited to cultivate this mantra.
The goblins' screams resonated for ten minutes of hellish agony until they died—not from the death of the body, but from the searing pain of the soul.
Long Zai Tian turned to the women and children, his gaze softening into a warmth that differed entirely from his previous cruelty.
"Your Majesty... we cannot express our gratitude. We are so fortunate that you are our destined Emperor. Truly, thank you from the bottom of my heart," said the tailor, He Yun, expressing her deep appreciation alongside the others.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Thank you, Sire!"
"Long live the Emperor!"
"Long live the Emperor!"
"Long live the Emperor!"
The gratitude quickly transformed into a thunderous chant, as loud as the goblins' screams had been, but filled with joy. The children and women cheered for Long Zai Tian for two full minutes until he raised his hand. Once silence fell, he spoke:
"From now on, if you wish to venture away from the village, inform the soldiers. Do not go alone. I fear this might happen again while I am away or unaware. Do you understand?"
His words touched them, and they smiled with reassurance. He Yun replied, "Do not worry, Your Majesty. We will abide by your words. From now on, we will not move without guards."
"Hmm, very good."
Suddenly, a commotion arose from behind them. They turned to see the soldiers of Qin, led by Bai Qi, arriving on the scene....