Upon hearing the reports, Lin Qian's expression became increasingly grim. The current situation bore a striking resemblance to the havoc wrought by the Blackblood Clan in the past.
However, this time, the situation was clearly much worse.
The sheer number of skeletons emerging was unprecedented. According to reports from the scouting beasts, Gale, and Shadow, this phenomenon was occurring all across the Soul Martial Continent, even beneath the oceans, with only the underground world remaining unaffected.
Given the severity of the situation, Lin Qian realized he needed to rethink his strategy. The ongoing war might no longer proceed according to his initial plans.
For now, Lin Qian's priority was to stabilize the situation within the Hua Xia Empire before taking further action.
"The entire empire must be on high alert. Everyone must protect themselves, and even during rest, there should be several people on guard to prevent any unexpected attacks."
"Not everything can rely on the Imperial Army and the Beast Army. Sometimes, they won't be able to arrive in time. The ones who can save you the fastest are yourselves."
Through the Soul Monitor, Lin Qian delivered this warning to the people of the Hua Xia Empire, his words projected across the vast screen for all to see.
After his message ended, Lin Qian issued orders to the Imperial Army and Beast Army, instructing all forces in the Central, Eastern, Western, and Northern regions to temporarily slow their offensives and focus on dealing with the sudden appearance of skeletons and undead, ensuring the protection of the innocent.
At the same time, Lin Qian revealed the truth about the Jiang family, letting the entire Soul Martial Continent know the true culprit behind the chaos.
He also linked the savage foreign races invading the Eastern Continent to the Jiang family, as they had cooperated with the Jiang family's schemes. Who could say if they were also complicit in this disaster?
After the Jiang family patriarch sacrificed himself, the seals on the other Jiang family members weakened, and the traits of the Blackblood Clan began to appear in them. This only further solidified the credibility of Lin Qian's revelations to the other factions.
The Yuan family, being the largest clan in the Central Continent and having stationed many Imperial Army and Beast Army forces in their territory, was able to respond effectively to this sudden crisis, minimizing casualties.
Those regions already conquered by the Hua Xia Empire were naturally protected, and the ordinary people—long accustomed to servitude—were surprised and grateful.
They had expected that, as burdens to the Hua Xia Empire, they might be discarded. Yet, instead of being abandoned, the Imperial Army and Beast Army stood firm in protecting them.
Gradually, the people of the conquered territories, once fearful of the Hua Xia Empire, began to feel respect and admiration for it.
In the Hua Xia Imperial Palace, Lin Qian stood in the courtyard, accompanied by Ye Xin. His grandparents and Huang Xing had also arrived.
"The Hua Xia Empire is truly remarkable," Huang Xing remarked as he entered the courtyard, marveling at how the empire had weathered the recent catastrophe without much harm. There was no trace of the haughty air one would expect from an elder.
Huang Xing knew better than to put on airs in front of Lin Qian, especially after learning that the legendary Zhang Juncheng of the Southern Region had sworn fealty to him.
Cloudy with worry, Yun Fan approached his grandson and asked, "My dear grandson, what is going on? Could it be that a single Jiang family patriarch has the power to throw the entire Soul Martial Continent into chaos? His abilities seem far too exaggerated."
"Of course, he couldn't have done it alone," Lin Qian replied. "The Jiang family, disguised as humans, had been hiding their Blackblood lineage for so long, laying the groundwork for something far bigger. Who knows what preparations they made over all those years."
Standing beside Yun Fan, Yun Rong added, "Indeed, it's clear the Jiang family had been planning something for a long time. But more importantly, they had outside help."
Lin Qian nodded and glanced at his grandmother. "You're absolutely right, Grandma. The Jiang family must have made many preparations during their time in hiding. But most crucially, they had external assistance."
As he spoke, Lin Qian looked up at the sky, his eyes still ablaze with the fiery vision of Sun Wukong's Golden Gaze, as if he could see through the dark clouds to the void beyond.
Meanwhile, in the outer void beyond the Soul Martial Continent, the Black Demon sat cross-legged in the center of a vast array, overseeing a powerful formation. Through the use of death energy and the Blackblood Clan's centuries-long preparations, he sensed the events unfolding beneath the earth with a smile of triumph.
"Who in the Hua Xia Empire could possibly stand against my army of the undead?" he sneered.
"With this formation, commanding the undead army is as easy as moving my own limbs. Their combat strength is far superior to ordinary beings."
With these thoughts, the Black Demon's eyes gleamed with pride as he gazed down at the Soul Martial Continent, a look of disdain in his eyes. "Even if the fighting stopped now, it's too late. I no longer need to rely on the actions of others to gather death energy."
"These lowly undead will fulfill that task for me."
Sitting at the heart of the formation, the Black Demon manipulated the undead army as they continued their slaughter across the Soul Martial Continent, targeting defenseless commoners.
As these beings perished, their life essence was polluted by the black aura, rising into the sky to merge with the dark clouds above.
By the time Lin Qian noticed this transformation, it was already too late. The dark death energy in the sky had accumulated, and the increasingly darkened sky was a stark reminder of its terrifying magnitude.
From the void, the Black Demon stood up and gazed at the Soul Martial Continent, his face full of smug satisfaction.
"After so many long years of planning, I've finally gathered enough death energy!"
"This entire world is now within my grasp. Who can possibly stand against my army of death?"
The Black Demon laughed wildly, raising his hands as the blood-red formation surrounding the Soul Martial Continent suddenly flared with light, like countless sharp red needles piercing the green light that protected the continent.
"Death Sacrifice, Rebirth!"