NOVPUBUnder each withered tree, there lay a walking corpse.
Thus, the densely wooded Dead Tree Forest, where every two steps brought another withered tree, was the most terrifying perilous place in the Small World.
Neither the Dwarf Ghost Clan nor the Giant Ghost Clan dared to enter, and even the Human Clan didn’t dare to seek shelter there, for it was a place where death certain, and life was a mere chance.
However, what the southward-moving Dwarf Ghost Clan and the Giant Ghost Clan could not have imagined was that the Human Clan was now right in the Dead Tree Forest.
But not within the Dead Tree Forest itself, rather, they were right above it in the air.
A layer of dust mist enshrouded the southern sky of the Small World, preventing sunlight from reaching the south.
The cause of this spectacle was none other than the great battle that had occurred at the Dangyuan Sect in the past, which had also affected this Small World.
As for the Dead Land and the Dead Tree Forest, they were the result of the failed attempt to block a soul skill by the Royal Family of the Black Blood Clan.
The racial power controlled by the Black Blood Clan was the conversion of life and death.
Though the Black Blood Clan was not a weak species, it was not very strong either, and their so-called conversion of life and death was extremely abnormal.
Life turned to death not in the sense that the living actually died but became walking corpses.
As for death turned to life, the dead could not be revived, instead, they became Blood Nourishing Corpses.
The soul skill of the Black Blood Royal Family, an aberrant conversion of life and death, had left the land without moisture and nutrition, turning it into a Dead Land. The Spirit Woods, which produced Spiritual Energy, had become withered trees emitting mists that unsettled the minds of men.
One by one, the Disciples of the Dangyuan Sect had all become walking corpses, slumbering beneath the roots of the withered trees.
This was the fate of the southern part of the Small World, affected by such a soul skill. As to why there was still unspoiled land, it was surely because at that time there were powerful beings from the Dangyuan Sect present, who resisted part of the soul skill’s power, preserving some of the living soil.
The Dead Tree Forest was once a densely thriving grove of Spirit Wood, which now had become as it was.
On the battleship above, Lin Qian surveyed this scene, his thoughts heavy with emotion.
Hovering above the Dead Tree Forest were six of the Huaxia Empire’s lower-tier battleships, identical to those used by the Wanxiang Sect Disciples outside the Small World.
Each battleship housed over a hundred thousand people of the Human Clan, and the total population of six hundred thousand represented all the people in the Small World.
Lin Qian sighed upon learning this number, "The population is too small."
Among the various species, the Human Clan’s reproductive capability was second to none.
Just take the Coastal State for example, the number of the Human Clan would not be less than forty million! And yet, in this Small World, about the size of the Coastal State, there were only so few humans.
"Only with strength can one avoid being oppressed. Looking at it this way, with so many species in this world, it indeed teems with diversity, but also bristles with crises."
Lin Qian stood at the forefront of the battleship, gazing toward the far north.
The Human Clan in this Small World was weak and subjugated by other tribes. If a more powerful species were to appear in the outside world, intent on enslaving their Human Clan, what then?
Being part of the Human Clan himself, Lin Qian felt he could not stand idly by in such a situation.
"I just need to become stronger, and the Huaxia Empire will be able to exert greater power in this world." Lowering his gaze to his hands, Lin Qian thought to himself in silence.
Cultivation!
Lin Qian turned and returned to his own room on the battleship, immersing himself in the Phoenix Flame Bath to enhance his Realm.
As for the people of the Human Clan aboard the battleship, Lin Qian had already made arrangements.
He had given Cultivation Technique scriptures to various tribal Clan Leaders, allowing them to cultivate and pass on the teachings.
The Human Clan in this Small World could only rudimentarily manipulate Soul Power, which was a crucial point restraining their strength.
Meanwhile, Lin Qian had also given them potions to improve their physical condition. Moreover, the food in the battleship’s canteen could nourish their bodies through their diet.
Lin Qian had already taught Shi Yun and Qin Xing the use of Elemental Weapon Armament and Soul Devices, and he would be responsible for completing the task for them.
Lin Qian had met all the conditions, bridging the gap in their cultivation civilization. Next, it was up to them.
At the same time, in the north of the Small World.
Compared to the south, the north was bathed in bright sunshine, with white clouds floating above and sweet mountain springs flowing between the lush, continuous mountain ranges, where the pebbles in the streams were clearly visible.
Also in the north were numerous quaint buildings, which were precisely the ancient Dangyuan Sect’s structures.
North and south, they were like two different worlds.
In the depths of the north, in a dark hall, an alien with deep purple skin and two horns on its head was roaring angrily, "Useless, truly useless!"
If Lin Qian were here, he would recognize that this alien’s body was exactly the same as Nan Xin’s had been, a royal member of the Black Blood Clan.
In front of this Black Blood royal, a massive figure and a lean body were tremblingly kneeling on the ground.
One was Luo Li, the Clan Leader of the Giant Ghost Clan.
The other, Moer, the Clan Leader of the Dwarf Ghost Clan.
"Damn it!" The Black Blood royal gnashed his teeth, his blood-colored Soul Power laced with black lines churning incessantly.
However, on his body, faint white chains appeared and disappeared, binding his form.
But this sight vanished as quickly as it came, as if it had never happened. 𝚗o𝚟pub.𝚌𝚘𝚖
"Mr. Lu, my clan members have tried their best; we just couldn’t find any humans," said Luo Li, the leader of the Giant Ghost Clan, the first to speak, "My clan is still searching, and I believe we will have results soon."
"My clan is also searching urgently; we absolutely will not disappoint Mr. Lu," added Moer, the leader of the Dwarf Ghost Clan, just as quickly.
"Make it quick, do you understand? You must hurry," the chest of the Black Blood royal heaved erratically, his tone both furious and anxious.
"Understood!" Luo Li and Moer hastily kowtowed, responding to the other.
"Now get out and do it!"
Under the reprimand of the Black Blood royal, the two figures, significantly different in size, humbly bowed their heads and retreated from the grand hall.
In the empty, vast hall, the pupils of the Black Blood royal flickered with a crimson glow: "Damn the Human Clan, damn the Dangyuan Sect!"
Of course, Lin Qian knew nothing of these events in the north; he was simply immersed in his own cultivation, and he came out to patrol the battleship from time to time to ensure everything was in order.
As days went by, the Dwarf Ghost Clan and the Giant Ghost Clan were still anxiously searching for the humans on the ground in the south. They made countless guesses about where the humans could have gone.
Some believed the humans had dug tunnels, hiding beneath the ground.
Others speculated that the humans, sensing the disaster of annihilation, had entered the Dead Tree Forest to seek their own deaths.
A more plausible theory was that the humans had stealthily infiltrated the north, doing the opposite of what was expected.
But even this most credible theory was dismissed after the Dwarf Ghost Clan and the Giant Ghost Clan searched the north in vain.
Little did they know, in the airspace above the Dead Tree Forest, the strength of the humans living in the massive battleship was rapidly advancing.
Every human with Soul Power was desperately cultivating, feverishly absorbing knowledge they had never encountered before, and it was common for them to faint from overexertion.
In their hearts, there was only one thought...
Revenge!
