The holder of the Great Seal is the Family Head! This is the iron law of the Qian family! Although the crowd wanted to resist, they knew resistance was futile, at least until Qian Zhanxuan returned to the Qian family.

"Fine! Qian Jin, you're really something!" Qian Riji stumbled but managed to stay upright, looking at Qian Jin: "Now that my brother isn't home, and you've taken the Great Seal, I must adhere to the clan rules! But as soon as my brother returns..."

"Qian Zhanxuan isn't coming back!" Qian Jin cut off Qian Riji abruptly: "Before I arrived, I received news—though not entirely certain—that he went to the Ancient Barren Sands. The fact that he hasn't appeared now that I possess the Great Seal doesn't fit his personality. It only means he is indeed not in the Qian family right now, but has entered the Ancient Barren Sands! Coincidentally, I need to visit the Ancient Barren Sands myself. He shouldn't expect to leave there alive! Back then, he blocked my path back to the Zhence Dynasty and tried to kill me. This time, I will block him in the Ancient Barren Sands once more. I hope he has my luck from that day, to escape a surely fatal situation."

Qian Riji suddenly realized he knew very little about this young man before him. His initiative far exceeded expectations. Most people would wait here, yet he was proactively heading into the Sands to search for someone? The Sands were so vast...

"Father, you can rest assured here as the Family Head," Qian Jin said, looking at Qian Cheng. "I have some matters to settle in the Ancient Barren Sands."

"Is it Qian Zhanxuan?" Qian Cheng asked Qian Jin. "If it is him, you can wait for him here."

"It's not just Qian Zhanxuan," Qian Jin explained patiently. "Do you remember Qian Wuqing from the Newcomer King Tournament? There are many such undead beings in the Ancient Barren Sands, and a particularly powerful one resides there, likely not yet fully recovered. My main purpose for going isn't Qian Zhanxuan, but those undead. If they are allowed to develop, the Human, Demon, and Barbarian races will not survive."

Qian Cheng laughed heartily: "Though I cannot fully grasp everything, since my son wishes to go... then go."

"En!" Qian Jin nodded heavily. "I also need to bring Hai Qing'er back and tell her I now have the ability to protect her."

"Go then," Qian Cheng waved his hand. "I will wait for your return."

"I will stay behind," Pan Mengcheng suddenly interjected. "Boss Qian Jin, I’ll remain here to provide a source of power and backup for Uncle. In the Zhence Dynasty right now, few people can defeat me. Although I also want to go to the Sands, someone needs to be Uncle's bodyguard, right? Clearly, I am the most suitable candidate."

Qian Jin looked at Pan Mengcheng, this bloodline warrior who had gone through the Demon Race ordeal. His current strength was comparable to Qian Jin's own during the Newcomer King Tournament. If lucky, he might even reach Ultimate Awakening. With such strength, even if Qian Zhanxuan himself appeared back then, he couldn't shake Pan Mengcheng.

"My father's safety... I entrust it to you."

"Relax, I can do it!" Pan Mengcheng patted his chest with a grin. "If anyone wants to touch Uncle, they'll have to step over my corpse first."

Qian Cheng clapped Qian Jin on the shoulder. "Go! Now that your father has become the Qian Family Head, I must do something, mustn't I?" He announced loudly, "Starting today, I declare that whether or not they have awakened their bloodline power, all members of the Qian family are true members and shall enjoy all privileges." "Later, I will organize a complete set of new family regulations! While I cannot guarantee absolute fairness, I will do my best! And there will be no discrimination against bloodline warriors either!"

The wish that had been suppressed in Qian Cheng's heart for who knew how many years suddenly burst forth. Hearing this, the Qian family members who had not awakened their bloodline power felt an indescribable surge of happiness. Regardless of whether they would truly be treated fairly, at least their status had officially begun to rise.

"Comrade? Are you planning to be the savior sung about by the bards?" Duan Fengbuer held a half-smoked cigarette in his mouth. "Does this mean I have to play the part of a hero this time too?"

"Savior?" Qian Jin frowned. "I really never thought about being a savior. I just must fulfill a promise to several of my teachers. Back then, he confined my teachers in a special Dou Realm, making them nearly gods. As their disciples, shouldn't I do something for them? Besides, my woman is still in the hands of the undead, and the undead almost killed us before."

"Right! Last time, a group of us nearly died at the hands of the undead army," Duan Fengbuer said with a smile. "These guys have a feud with us! We must get revenge!"

"Exactly!" Qian Jin nodded heavily. "I'm not as noble as a savior. I'm just someone who wants to completely eliminate the undead while they haven't fully recovered. As the bards sing, waiting for the enemy to fully recover before fighting—only a madman would do that."

Wuming, who had been silent beside them, heard the plan to enter the Ancient Barren Sands to fight the undead, and his eyes, which held almost no light, suddenly brightened! Within them shone an expectation others couldn't fathom.

Qian Jin sensed Wuming's excitement and frowned slightly. This young man who appeared from nowhere remained utterly mysterious. What was his true nature? Why was he so excited upon hearing they were going to confront the undead?

For Qian Jin, the Ancient Barren Sands, this forbidden zone, wasn't the most familiar, but it certainly wasn't unknown.

The dry, hot wind was the sole theme of the Ancient Barren Sands during the day. Qian Jin walked through the desert, holding a special magical device.

This was a detector for finding the undead, taught by Akenash. It would sense the faintest undead aura, as long as it existed.

"There are more undead than expected," Duan Fengbuer glanced at the detector in Qian Jin's hand. Judging by the direction of the needle, traces of the undead weren't limited to the Ancient Barren Sands; they were present in the forbidden zones of all three races—Human, Demon, and Barbarian.

As time passed and history shifted, the undead had secretly spread across the continent. From the detected data, the undead were far stronger than imagined. While they couldn't yet crush the Human, Demon, and Barbarian races in one blow, they had reached a level where they could contend. Moreover...

Most of the undead were located in the Demon Race's forbidden forest, the eastern coast of the Zhence Dynasty, and the Barbarian Race's Chengyun Mountain Range.

Strategically, these locations were the rear areas of the three major powers and also the weakest points of their defenses. These places were virtually unguarded, and even experts wouldn't linger there because they were considered the safest zones, beyond the reach of the other two races' attacks.

No force would foolishly station heavy troops in such locations; they were natural military vacuums.

Not just the Human, Demon, and Barbarian powers—the undead, too! From the detector, Qian Jin could see that apart from the massive red dot, Alex, who remained in the Ancient Barren Sands, there were hardly any large undead armies visible. The Ancient Barren Sands served as the undead's strong rear base, and this undead overlord had done the same thing.

"That's fortunate," Qian Jin smiled, referring to the flashing spot. If the entire undead army were in the Ancient Barren Sands, this small group of theirs would be useless.

In that case, they would truly need to mobilize the armies of all three races to fight the undead to have a chance of killing Alex.

However, both the Barbarian and Demon races were still operating under their respective political systems. Subduing them wouldn't happen in a day or two. By the time they were subdued, the strength of the three factions would certainly be depleted, potentially putting them at a greater disadvantage against the undead.

"The best opportunity," Fen Tucuangge commented on the detector's display, offering a soldier's evaluation of this upcoming battle. "The best opportunity."

Qian Jin murmured the words softly, but those around him heard the same phrase coming from his lips, hinting at a deeper meaning.

"Qian Jin, this is your best chance! You are no longer weaker than me now; even Uncle wouldn't claim a guaranteed victory over you. Having understood the meaning of the Stars, you've completely mastered the Eighteen Hammers of Ascension, even surpassing our generation back then. Take down Alex! Get revenge for me!" In his mind, Qian Jin recalled the assessment given by Uncle Enlack after their sparring match in the Endless World the previous night—an assessment he had never expected.

"We have all strived for godhood. Although we are now indirectly gods in this bizarre Endless World, this is not the godhood we desired. You are our disciple; perhaps the battle against Alex will be your best chance to comprehend what a true god is."

Uncle Black’s words echoed in Qian Jin's ears once more.

Godhood? Qian Jin instinctively reached into the Dou Realm and pulled out a vial of potion. This was the newest Godhood Potion prepared by Teacher Oulala, meant only for those who had grasped some form of ultimate essence. Whether this potion would aid in godhood by ten percent or not at all, Oulala couldn't say; it might be poison.

"Comrade, this comprehensive rapid recovery potion you provided—if Alex injures us, will it truly be ineffective?" Duan Fengbuer looked at the potion in his hand with some disappointment.

These potions were the best things they had acquired these past few days. For those already at Ultimate Awakening aiming for further improvement, the only path was near-suicidal combat. The four young powerhouses at Ultimate Awakening would use these potions to restore their bodies every time they fought each other to the brink of death.

These repeated life-and-death struggles had led to profound insights and understandings for the four, their strength even surpassing that of previous generations of Ultimate Awakening bloodline warriors, making them the strongest in that category and one of the greatest supports for entering the Ancient Barren Sands this time.

Drinking the potion could instantly restore Dou Qi and heal injuries, virtually making them impossible to kill in combat!

And now, this potion might be useless...

Qian Jin also looked at the potion in Duan Fengbuer's hand with disappointment. "My teacher said Alex's undead are different from others; he is the Emperor of the Undead. When he injures a body, it becomes difficult to recover; this potion can only slow the rate of injury, not truly cure it, and it requires specialized, complex preparation."

"No matter, as long as we don't get hurt," Duan Fengbuer carelessly put the potion away. "Let's go! We're fighting Alex!"

"Undead detected! Approaching rapidly across the board!" Li Dongfeng stared at the detector in Qian Jin's hand and raised his voice in warning. "What powerful Dou Qi! An Ultimate Awakening expert? Why would there be an Ultimate Awakening here? Qian Zhanxuan? No! This isn't his aura..."

As everyone looked on in confusion, the huge red dot on the detector moved! However, it wasn't moving toward Qian Jin but retreating, as if preparing to withdraw, though its retreat speed was not fast.

How could this be? Everyone exchanged puzzled glances. Yet, that Ultimate Awakening aura grew stronger and closer, carrying a trace of indescribable chilling coldness.

Boom-boom-boom...

Objects traveling at high speed through the sky generated muffled thunderous roars from air friction. The yellow sand on the ground was forcibly lifted by this high-speed movement, forming a golden channel that rose into the sky, obscuring the sun and covering the earth in darkness, as if foreshadowing the descent of this era into the Great Dark Age.

"What a bizarre magical device!" Duan Fengbuer nudged Qian Jin's arm with his elbow. "Comrade, can you make this thing?"

"I can," Qian Jin glanced sideways at Duan Fengbuer. "But this kind of thing is an undead magical device. The prerequisite for using it is turning yourself into an undead. If you're interested in becoming an undead without reproductive capacity..."

"Forget it... not interested." Duan Fengbuer shook his head repeatedly. His True Solution Eye spun rapidly, clearly identifying the figure on the black flying device, and he exclaimed, "Qian Wushuang!" The same Qian Wushuang who was crushed by Qian Jin's palm in the Newcomer King Tournament, thus forging Qian Jin's first stepping stone to invincibility, now reappeared before him! The Elf King's Spirit Soul, at the Ultimate Awakening level, indicated that he had actually broken through to Ultimate Awakening after that humbling defeat.

"This..." Duan Fengbuer shook his head at Qian Wushuang, sighing. "Ultimate Awakening is becoming common these days! The Demon Race's Fallen Angel bloodline produced several freaks in a row, and it seems the Elf King bloodline also has two who reached the Ultimate Awakening stage."

"More than just Ultimate Awakening..."

Qian Jin frowned slightly; this seemed to be more than just Ultimate Awakening—it was: "Undead!"

The black flying device stopped directly above Qian Jin and his companions. Several figures suddenly jumped down! Clearly, there was more than one person!

Fallen Angels! Elf Kings! These two bloodline warriors, who had always been mortal enemies, were now descending together from the sky.

Two? No! Five!

Besides Lucifer Zenshi and Qian Wushuang, there was someone else Qian Jin recognized—Shanchuan! Shanchuan from the Newcomer King Tournament!

Hai Qing'er was as cold and elegant as ever, her entire being radiating an air of nobility. Her long black hair floated gently behind her head. Beside her was a monstrous beast!

Human body, lion's head! Dozens of different undead emblems were pinned onto it, exuding an indescribable aura of destruction—the ultimate power of the undead.

"Qian Jin!"

The moment Qian Wushuang saw Qian Jin, his pupils spewed forth a rage fiercer than any volcano. Thirty different ability emblems of the undead burst forth from his body; his Dou Qi surged repeatedly with the activation of the emblems, preparing to pounce on Qian Jin and slay the one who had cost him all his glory.

"Don't move!"

Hai Qing'er commanded, and Qian Wushuang’s furious body instantly froze in place. His rage toward Qian Jin didn't diminish; in fact, the inability to attack made him even angrier.

"The King says: Surrender, and you will be granted power far superior to theirs, eternal life, and a chance to become a true god." Hai Yi'er could speak human words now, unlike their last meeting, but the way she spoke was stiff, lacking any human emotion, sounding more like a machine.

"Surrender?" Qian Jin looked at Shanchuan in confusion. "Why? You're joining the undead too?"

"I need power," Shanchuan replied, a hint of shame on his face, yet his expression was agitated. "I am not reconciled! I am not reconciled to losing like that in the Newcomer King Tournament! My Dou Qi secret art is no inferior to yours! Yet I am so far behind you! I cannot accept it! I saw Qian Wuqing, and I know this is an opportunity! Once a person steps onto the path of the strong, the only goal can be to become the strongest! I want to become the strongest! Everything can be discarded for that!"

Qian Jin was stunned. He hadn't expected the inheritor of that Dou Qi secret art to harbor such intense, obsessive thoughts.

"Fallen Angel... Haha... Fallen Angel!" Lucifer Zenshi narrowed his eyes at Cekefulite. "I can sense the essence of the Heart of Lucifer within you! If I consume you! I will become stronger! I might even kill Alex and become the new Lord of the Undead!"

Qian Jin shifted his gaze back to Hai Qing'er, quietly observing his first love. She was still beautiful, perhaps even possessing an added layer of icy beauty, but he couldn't speak to her. Any confession might be overheard by Alex, and if that happened, no one knew if Alex would exploit the relationship.

Do not agree! Do not accept! Qian Wushuang stared intently at Qian Jin, praying repeatedly in his mind. If Qian Jin agreed, then he would have no way to slay him! He too would become a member of the undead!

"Gentlemen..." Qian Jin glanced around at his companions. "Attack!"

At the same moment, Duan Fengbuer, Li Dongfeng, Jiuyang Fenghua, and Cekefulite instantly unleashed their strongest Dou Qi and power. Their formidable Spirit Souls soared skyward, instantly scattering the obscuring dust clouds, and the aura of the Dark Age vanished without a trace.

The simultaneous attack of the four Ultimate Awakening powerhouses could instantly change many crucial battles on the Human-Demon front!

Everyone who saw the red dot on the detector retreating, and these undead appearing, understood clearly that Alex either intended to persuade them to surrender or to kill them, or at the very least, to stall for time.

Stripped bare, all Alex truly wanted was to buy time! Time for him to fully recover!

Since he wanted to delay, Qian Jin certainly wouldn't give him that chance. He took a large stride, instantly manifesting the Shadow Quintessence before Hai Qing'er, and his hand shot out, fingers spread, aiming directly for the Empress of the Undead Emblem on her forehead.

The Empress of the Undead Emblem was clearly not yet fully fused with Hai Qing'er; otherwise, the aura emanating from her should only be one of noble elegance, and her speech should inspire a desire to kneel in worship, not sound so stiff.

"Fallen Angel! Offer your flesh and blood to this King!" Lucifer Zenshi's face twisted with gloomy excitement. "Come, come! Give everything to this King!"

Both sides were already in a state of high alert. As Qian Jin moved, the undead forces counterattacked simultaneously.

"Emblem! Remove!"

As Qian Jin’s five fingers were about to touch the emblem on Hai Qing'er's forehead, the emblem suddenly shone with an unusual light, forcefully blocking Qian Jin's fingers. Unlike before, this time Qian Jin was acting to save, not to kill, and his movements were constrained by caution, allowing the emblem to temporarily halt his force.

"Blasphemy against the Empress is a capital offense!" The black hair behind Hai Qing'er's head moved without wind. Her inner Soul Domain instantly unfolded, enveloping a scene stretching for thousands of meters. Everyone's speed slowed dramatically at that moment.

Time Soul Domain! Hai Qing'er possessed a Soul Domain that could slow time!

In an instant, Qian Jin's side slowed down, while Hai Qing'er's group remained unaffected, giving the undead side a massive advantage.

They've won! Qian Wushuang’s Qiankun Wuji Seal crackled around his fist, and he could almost feel his skin brushing against Li Dongfeng’s cheek. This invincible punch was enough to kill a powerhouse like Li Dongfeng outright!

Clang!

In the third groove of Qian Jin's Tri-Element Dou Soul War Hammer, there was a white, gem-like gleam—it was a Soul Domain! These past few days, through continuous comprehension and breakthrough, Qian Jin’s Ice Flame Dou Qi had finally been pushed to the peak Dou Skill state.

With the formation of this Dou Skill, he had unexpectedly cultivated a brand new Soul Domain!

"Absolute Zero," Qian Jin uttered the incomprehensible term faintly. The surrounding air did not drop rapidly, but time itself completely stopped at that instant!

That's right—the Absolute Zero Dou Skill had an added attribute: the ability to completely stop time! And the Soul Domain formed by this Dou Skill was an incredibly strange Time Stop field!

Time Stop was far more terrifying than time slowing down!

At that moment, Qian Wushuang’s expression of bitter resentment froze, Lucifer’s frenzied appearance stilled, and even the sand particles drifting in the air above ceased all movement!

The Time Stop Soul Domain erupted suddenly, instantly shattering Hai Qing’er’s slow-motion Soul Domain! Within this space, only Qian Jin’s Soul Domain remained!

Soul Domains were the purest clash of power; unless the difference between the two parties was akin to a man versus an ant, a confrontation between the domains was inevitable, rather than one domain collapsing entirely in an instant.

Qian Jin's Three Souls unified—even the Great Demon King of the current age required the accumulation of countless years by the Demon Race just to contend with him back then. Now, he was even stronger than before. Hai Qing’er was the incomplete Undead Empress; there was no possibility she could withstand the impact of Qian Jin’s Soul Domain.

Time Stop! Duan Feng Bu’er, able to move freely within the Soul Domain, was terrified by this domain's unique ability.

Legends whispered that only a God could command time and space!

Now, although Qian Jin could not achieve absolute mastery over time, he could bring the time of this entire realm to a complete halt—a feat only achievable by a god! Was he truly taking the first step toward godhood?

The initiative the Undead faction had just seized vanished in an instant! Instead, they found themselves in the most perilous situation! No one could have predicted that Qian Jin possessed a Soul Domain capable of stopping time.

“Only gods command time. You who steal divine power shall surely face retribution.”

A voice that galvanized the spirit boomed up from beneath the earth. The sound was precisely like divine words descended from the heavens. A forceful Soul Domain surged up from underground, directly colliding with Qian Jin’s Soul Domain, and the previously immobilized undead were suddenly able to move once more.