Chapter 95: A Joke

"You brat, how dare you call me a country bumpkin?" Nan Xin pointed at Lin Qian, his voice filled with disbelief and fury.

Lin Qian glanced at Nan Xin and curled his lips into a slight smile. "Heh."

Then, without another word, Lin Qian turned away from Nan Xin, dismissing him entirely. With a wave of his hand, he retrieved a bed draped with curtains from within the hidden space of the Huaxia Empire, carefully placing Ye Xin onto it and pulling the curtains down.

As the supreme ruler of the Huaxia Empire, Lin Qian's will could shape the very fabric of his domain, controlling it with but a thought. Though, of course, Lin Qian wasn't foolish enough to destroy his empire with a whim.

After making sure Ye Xin was settled, Lin Qian casually walked over to the platform and sat down.

The platform, illuminated by a pillar of light from the central array above, created a protective barrier that surrounded Lin Qian, Ye Xin, and the immediate area, leaving Nan Xin and his army of undead standing outside its perimeter. The light from the array was deadly to the undead, but it had no effect on Lin Qian and Ye Xin, who remained unharmed.

"The undead are created through this alien's secret technique, filled with death energy and evil aura. The energy in my array is of pure yang, extremely powerful, and can destroy the undead. As for Nan Xin, now that I'm awake, he wouldn't dare step inside," explained Zhang Jun Cheng, the former sect master of Dangyuan Sect, whose soul resided in the alien body on the platform.

"Oh, I see," Lin Qian replied. Observing Nan Xin and his undead horde, who remained cautious and did not dare to approach, Lin Qian guessed the protective barrier was effective. Now that Zhang Jun Cheng had confirmed it, Lin Qian felt at ease. Smirking, he taunted Nan Xin, "Hey, didn't you say you'd tear me to pieces? Come on, step inside!"

Faced with Lin Qian's provocations, Nan Xin's expression turned dark. After a moment of silence, he sneered, "Boy, you may be smug now, but haven't you noticed that there's no spiritual energy inside that array?"

Before Lin Qian could respond, Zhang Jun Cheng's expression shifted to one of concern. "This is bad… we have a problem."

"A soul warrior in the Nirvana stage can indeed survive without food or water by relying on the spiritual energy of the world. But inside that array, there is no spiritual energy at all. How do you plan to survive?" Nan Xin mocked, his voice dripping with derision. "I'd give it a year, maybe less—you'll starve to death."

"Ha ha ha…"

Nan Xin laughed wildly, reveling in his perceived victory, while Zhang Jun Cheng looked on with a guilty expression.

"I'm sorry, young friend. If we allow spiritual energy to flow into this area, the array will be compromised, so…"

It was clear Zhang Jun Cheng couldn't risk breaking the array just to save Lin Qian, as doing so would release the alien entity. Lin Qian remained silent, leading Nan Xin to believe that he had finally lost hope. Delighted, Nan Xin laughed even louder.

Zhang Jun Cheng could only shake his head in regret.

"You think you've won and that I'm done for?" Lin Qian's voice suddenly cut through Nan Xin's laughter.

Before Nan Xin could react, Lin Qian waved his hand, and a massive square table, three meters wide, appeared before him. In a swift motion, Lin Qian conjured a chair from thin air, placing it behind him and sitting down confidently. He then clapped his hands twice.

Clap! Clap!

As the crisp sound echoed, the table was instantly filled with dozens of exquisite dishes, and a pair of chopsticks materialized in front of Lin Qian.

Without a word, Lin Qian began to dig into the feast.

"Mm~~~" Lin Qian closed his eyes in satisfaction, savoring the taste. "Ah, it's been so long since I've had Kung Pao chicken. Absolutely delicious."

Zhang Jun Cheng and Nan Xin were both utterly dumbfounded by what they were witnessing.

"This is the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast. Though it's not entirely authentic, it's filling and delicious," Lin Qian said with a smile as he took a bite, glancing at Nan Xin. "And of course, I've got enough food to last me a lifetime."

Lin Qian wasn't exaggerating. The Huaxia Empire was vast, home to countless civilians and soldiers, each with artificial intelligence-like awareness, sustaining the half-living world. As the Emperor of the Huaxia Empire, Lin Qian could never starve. That would be laughable.

"You… you're insane! Who stores so much food in a spatial storage? I don't believe your stash could last you a lifetime!" Nan Xin shouted in frustration, struggling to comprehend the situation.

Boom!

In the next instant, Lin Qian's pores opened up, and an abundance of pure, unrefined spiritual energy began to pour out of his body, flooding the area within the array.

"This…" Zhang Jun Cheng was startled, momentarily doubting if the array had been damaged. But after a thorough check, he confirmed that the array was intact and that the spiritual energy was indeed emanating from Lin Qian's body.

The lack of spiritual energy within the array was due to the protective barrier blocking its flow from the outside. However, Lin Qian's body continued to release spiritual energy, ensuring the space remained filled without affecting the array.

As Lin Qian continued enjoying his meal, the spiritual energy flowing from his body gradually filled the area, even reaching the bed where Ye Xin lay. Clearly, as she refined the pure soul essence, her cultivation method activated on its own, drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy to support the process.

Cheeks puffed with food, Lin Qian gestured toward the dumbstruck Nan Xin with his chopsticks, finally swallowing and smiling sincerely. "No spiritual energy? No problem—I can make my own."

In his dantian, the Tiangong Division of the Huaxia Empire had meticulously calculated and infused an ample supply of spiritual energy. Lin Qian could release it without refining it further.

To Lin Qian, Nan Xin's plan to trap him was nothing more than a joke.

"What a remarkable young man. Just where did you come from, being capable of such strange feats?" Zhang Jun Cheng, still seated on the platform, was utterly amazed. He had never seen anyone able to release spiritual energy from their own body like this.

As Zhang Jun Cheng looked toward Nan Xin, he noticed the other's expression was similarly stunned. Clearly, Lin Qian had caught him off guard as well.

"So what if you can do that?" Nan Xin snarled, gritting his teeth and glaring at Lin Qian. "I'll just keep you trapped here forever, buried deep in this underground world. Let's see how you'll break through my undead army."

"You may be extraordinary, young friend, but this array will siphon away some of the spiritual energy you release. As a result, while you may survive, your cultivation will progress slowly. You could indeed be trapped here for life, eventually reaching the end of your lifespan," Zhang Jun Cheng warned, his expression somber.

Lin Qian raised his chopsticks, motioning for Zhang Jun Cheng to relax. "Don't worry, Senior. Soon enough, this bumpkin will learn what a real army is."

With that, Lin Qian continued eating calmly, leaving Zhang Jun Cheng puzzled.

"A real army?"