The members of the Swift-Hidden Clan, who had been forced out of hiding by Lin Qian, quickly fled in the opposite direction.
The leader of the group, his face twisted in shock, couldn't understand how they had been discovered. He had already activated a secret technique, returning after leaving, which should have caught their pursuers off guard.
How had they been found? "What method did this human use to detect our presence? I must report this to the young master immediately; otherwise, this human might disrupt our plans," the Swift-Hidden Clan leader thought as his soul energy surged, further increasing his speed.
Suddenly, a crimson-gold lightning sword aura descended from above, slashing down upon them.
The massive sword energy formed a curtain of thunder, completely blocking their path forward, leaving no room for escape.
Two of the Swift-Hidden Clan members who were slightly faster were caught by the descending sword aura and were sliced in half, their bodies falling to the ground amidst a spray of blood.
As the curtain of sword energy gradually dissipated, the young man in the white robe stood before them, his robes billowing in the crimson-gold thunder, his cold gaze fixed on them.
The leader of the Swift-Hidden Clan broke out in a cold sweat, staring in terror at the figure in front of him, screaming inwardly, "What's going on with this human? Not only can he easily detect our presence, but his speed is also far beyond ours."
At that moment, he was filled with fear.
The Swift-Hidden Clan's innate abilities allowed them to remain hidden and strike their enemies from the shadows. Their speed was unmatched!
Yet, these abilities seemed utterly useless against this human.
Despite only being in the Life-and-Death Realm's Body Stage, this human was far more terrifying than his own group, which included many talented members of the Swift-Hidden Clan at various stages of the Life-and-Death Realm.
But the figure bathed in thunder was too terrifying, as if he were a natural nemesis of their kind.
Moreover, the aura emanating from him was like that of a supreme ruler, an overwhelming pressure they couldn't resist.
As an emperor, Lin Qian naturally suppressed such sneaky adversaries. With his soul fused across two lifetimes, his powerful spirit was indeed the Swift-Hidden Clan's natural enemy.
"Are you really going to kill us all?" the leader of the Swift-Hidden Clan asked, his voice strained as he tried to suppress his fear.
Lin Qian extended his right hand, allowing his components to liquefy into metal that quickly reformed into the armed Thunder Night Sword. He gripped it tightly, saying coldly, "Earlier, I let you go out of mercy, but you took advantage of it and came back to strike at me?"
"You've got a lot of nerve!" Lin Qian's eyes flashed as his figure suddenly vanished from sight.
The leader of the Swift-Hidden Clan's pupils shrank in fear as he urgently shouted to his kin, "Retreat! Split up and deliver the message to the young master!"
At his command, the other Swift-Hidden Clan members quickly gathered their azure soul energy and prepared to flee.
But before they could act, a black blade was already at the leader's throat. From behind him, a voice dripping with disdain whispered, "Your methods are nothing but child's play. Let me show you how my Empire's advanced Night Shadows, evolved from our basic Swift Scouts, carry out assassinations."
As Lin Qian spoke, the leader of the Swift-Hidden Clan could only watch in horror at the scene unfolding before him.
By now, night had fallen in this small world, and under the bright moonlight, he could clearly see his clansmen falling victim to their own shadows.
From the shadows cast by his kin, black-gloved hands holding dark daggers emerged, slitting the throats of the Swift-Hidden Clan members.
In an instant, shadowy figures rose from those shadows, and before the leader could even take a proper look, they had already melted back into the night.
In the blink of an eye, half of the Swift-Hidden Clan members had been slaughtered by these shadowy assassins.
The remaining Swift-Hidden Clan members, terrified, scattered in different directions as they desperately tried to flee, their forms vanishing into the night sky.
However, the moon was exceptionally bright tonight, and the leader of the Swift-Hidden Clan was chilled to his core as he witnessed blossoms of blood suddenly appearing in the empty sky.
As each blood flower bloomed, a Swift-Hidden Clan member was revealed, only to fall from the sky, lifeless.
At the same time, shadowy figures emerged, pulling their dark daggers from the hearts of the Swift-Hidden Clan members.
These figures were clad in sleek, form-fitting armor, their faces obscured by black masks that covered the lower halves of their faces. Hoods concealed the upper halves, leaving their identities unknown. Without emitting any energy, they stood silently under the moonlight before dissipating into black smoke and disappearing from sight.
The leader of the Swift-Hidden Clan could only watch helplessly as his people, who had attempted to flee while hidden, were systematically executed, each stabbed through the heart and falling from the sky.
The Swift-Hidden Clan was known for creating favorable conditions, stealthily eliminating enemies while remaining hidden. The leader had never imagined that they would be wiped out so thoroughly while still hidden, only seeing their enemies as they died.
"It seems your Swift-Hidden Clan's ability to hide is far from a match for my soldiers," Lin Qian said, patting the despondent leader on the shoulder. "If you can explain how your clan entered this place and what your plans are, I might spare your life."
The leader of the Swift-Hidden Clan quickly stifled his grief and reached for Lin Qian's Thunder Night Sword, intending to take his own life.
But as his hand closed around the sword, its dark, gold-streaked blade dissolved into liquid metal, breaking into nine spheres that reformed back into components.
However, the leader's energy also dissipated, and his body fell limply to the ground below.
Lin Qian looked down at the pale body falling beneath him, sighing softly. "Trying to grab the sword to buy time and self-destruct your soul... You've got guts."
With that, Lin Qian issued a command to the empty air around him, "Bury them where they fell. Leaving their bodies exposed would be too disrespectful."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Black-clad figures appeared out of thin air, kneeling as they received the order before descending to the ground below.
Watching his shadowy soldiers, Lin Qian was filled with pride.
The Swift-Hidden Clan? Their so-called talents were laughable before the Night Shadows of the Hua Xia Empire. Their crude stealth was nothing compared to the assassination prowess of his Night Shadows, who had evolved from the basic Swift Scouts.
They were truly the children of the night.