In mid-air, Lin Qian pushed his speed to the absolute limit. Upon arriving at New Qin City, he rushed straight to the rear of the imperial palace.
His parents and family members had been arranged to stay in the rear courtyard of the palace. Lin Qian flew directly to his parents' residence and headed straight to the bedroom.
Inside the lavishly decorated room, his father, Lin Di, lay quietly on the bed, his entire body enveloped in a layer of glowing red-gold light. Around him on the bed were scattered shards of metal.
At the bedside, Yun Yunyan, Lin Qian's mother, paced back and forth in worry, her face full of anxiety. Seeing Lin Qian enter, she rushed over, "Qian'er, quickly take a look, what's happening to your father?"
"Mother, don't worry just yet." Lin Qian reassured Yun Yunyan, then hurried to the bedside to examine his unconscious father.
He wrapped his body in his red-gold thunder soul force and carefully reached out towards his father.
Just as Lin Qian's hand made contact with the red-gold glow surrounding Lin Di, an intense repelling force erupted from his father's body, violently shaking through Lin Qian.
"Ugh!" Lin Qian let out a muffled groan as he was thrown backward, his feet skidding across the floor.
Bang!
The force sent Lin Qian crashing through the bedroom wall and out into the courtyard, where he smashed into the courtyard wall before finally coming to a stop, lying in the rubble.
Had Lin Qian not used his soul force to disperse the impact and stabilize himself mid-air, even his strong body might not have prevented him from being sent flying even further.
Rising from the rubble, Lin Qian's soul force shook off the dust around him as he stretched his shoulders. With a wry smile, he walked back through the hole in the wall, re-entering the bedroom.
"Qian'er, are you alright? Let me see." Yun Yunyan hurriedly approached, examining Lin Qian from head to toe. Only after confirming that he wasn't hurt did she finally relax.
Lin Qian returned to the side of the bed, carefully studying his unconscious father. "It seems I can't do anything. Father's protective artifact is much too powerful."
As he spoke, Lin Qian's expression grew more serious. According to the data gathered from the diagnostic plate before it shattered, something was hiding deep within his father's dantian.
Recently, this strange object had suddenly unleashed a powerful force, completely encasing Lin Di.
Although Lin Qian could clearly see his father and the red-gold glow was translucent, Zhuge Ming had mentioned that just before the diagnostic plate was destroyed, it detected some kind of change happening within Lin Di's body.
Unfortunately, the plate had shattered before it could determine exactly what the change was.
"Your Majesty, I cannot be sure whether the energy within the Supreme Emperor is beneficial or harmful," Zhuge Ming had reported. "That's why I advised Your Majesty to see it personally and make the decision."
He added, "Earlier, one of the medical experts tried to examine the Supreme Emperor's condition and was gravely injured by the backlash."
"But Your Majesty, you remained unharmed. That suggests that this energy might be related to the Supreme Emperor and treats you differently because you're his close kin."
"Or maybe," Lin Qian sighed, "it's just because I'm stronger."
"The repelling force does seem to correspond to strength," Zhuge Ming noted. "The medical expert's cultivation level was far below Your Majesty's, so the backlash was significantly weaker. Still, it nearly killed him."
"I also had people of various cultivation levels attempt to make contact, and the results were consistent."
Zhuge Ming's explanation made Lin Qian nod thoughtfully. Staring at his father, Lin Qian mused aloud, "So it appears this protective force responds with varying strength based on the person's cultivation?"
Lin Qian found the phenomenon quite fascinating.
"Young master, there's no need to worry about the master, but please stop trying to disturb him." At that moment, a voice suddenly echoed from the glowing red-gold light surrounding Lin Di.
Then, a portion of the light extended outward, coalescing into the form of a small figure.
This red-gold glowing figure resembled a three-year-old child, floating mid-air, looking quite peculiar.
Both Lin Qian and Yun Yunyan were taken aback by the appearance of this toddler-like figure.
"What are you?" Lin Qian frowned and asked, his expression dark. "Is it you that's responsible for my father's condition?"
"Yes, that's correct," the child answered, waving his chubby little hand. "The master is currently at a crucial moment and mustn't be disturbed. So please, young master, stop probing."
"Is that so?" Lin Qian took a step forward, his eyes flashing with golden light as his Emperor's Eyes activated. His imperial aura surged, pressing down on the child-like figure. "Then how can I be sure you aren't trying to harm my father?"
"Young master, your cultivation is too weak to suppress me with your aura..." The child waved its hand dismissively, a smug grin on its face.
Thud!
Suddenly, the child was forced to the ground, landing face down on the bed with a loud crash. Its tiny body was sprawled out in a '大' shape, its small head struggling to lift as it stared at Lin Qian in terror.
"How is this possible? To suppress me... Your aura must be far superior to mine. Even this world's essence is dozens of times weaker than mine. How can you possibly suppress me?" The child's eyes widened in disbelief as it stared at Lin Qian.
Lin Qian glared coldly at the child. "I am the ruler of a vast empire. My aura contains the national fortune of the Huaxia Empire. No matter how high your essence, can it surpass the strength of my empire?"
"If you cannot prove that you mean my father no harm, I will destroy you. I do not make idle threats."
Hearing this, the child panicked. "No, don't! Young master, you can suppress me only because you are the master's son and share his aura."
"If you act recklessly, it could affect the master and ruin everything."
"Prove it!" Lin Qian's eyes remained cold. "Even if it disrupts things, as long as my father is still breathing, I will save him."
"..."
Seeing no way out, the child anxiously scratched its head with its pudgy hands. Then, it produced a crystal and shouted in its high-pitched voice, "Yuan Xiang, hurry up and explain this to the young master! I can't hold on any longer!"